Chart Beat
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For the first time in 23 years, a peculiar moment occurs on the Billboard Hot 100, where an entire year has gone by without a rap track reaching No. 1. The weekly recap, which ranks the most popular songs in the U.S., hits the benchmark on the list dated Aug. 26, 2023, as Oliver Anthony Music’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” seals the deal.
The last rap track – defined as songs that have hit or are eligible to appear on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart – to top the listing was Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl,” which debuted atop the Hot 100 on Aug. 27, 2022, and held the rank for that one week. In the 12 months since, three rap titles have come closest to the summit, each peaking at No. 2: Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” (Nov. 19, 2022) Drake’s “Search & Rescue” (April 22, 2023) and Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole (May 27, 2023).
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Before the 2022-23 break, the last time the Hot 100 went without a rap champ for at least a year was pre- and post-Y2K: after Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West,” featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee, reigned in July 1999. Following the soundtrack single’s one-week rule, rap was absent from the Hot 100 summit until Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me,” featuring Ricardo “RikRok” Ducent began a two-week command in February 2001, a span of 22 No. 1s and just over 18 months. The return quickly brought another champ, as OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson” ousted “It Wasn’t Me” for the former’s Hot 100 coronation.
Rap’s current absence from the Hot 100’s top slot largely traces to the dominance of several hits in the past 12 months that nearly shut out almost all challengers from all genres. Since “Super Freaky Girl,” 14 songs have reached the Hot 100’s summit: Six were multi-week No. 1s driven initially by large streaming premieres, followed by sustained streams and rapid airplay gains: Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (which began its run before “Super Freaky Girl” but returned to the summit), Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit,” Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” Mariah Carey’s annual holiday dominator “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night.”
The remaining eight, on the contrary, ruled for one week each, due to a high-profile debut (Jimin’s “Like Crazy,” Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire”), an already-popular hit navigating a crowded landscape with a well-timed sales discount or remix release (Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” and SZA’s “Kill Bill”) or a song becoming a rallying cause for larger cultural symbolism (Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” and Oliver Anthony Music’s “Richmond”).
Before we pound the alarm, though, the R&B/hip-hop sector remains the largest consumed genre of music in the U.S., according to Luminate, whose data on streaming, sales and radio informs the Hot 100. In the firm’s 2023 mid-year report, R&B/hip-hop accounted for 25.9% of all consumption in the U.S. during the first half of the year. And, of course, rap music being good for at least one, if not multiple, No. 1s each year across the last two decades speaks to its reliability as a hitmaking force. After all, we were a similar spot earlier this summer with the Billboard 200 — lamenting the lack of a No. 1 rap album on the chart — and then in quick succession, Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape and Travis Scott’s Utopia reset the clock there.
At the same time, hip-hop’s presence among Hot 100 top 10s has fallen in the first half of 2023 to its lowest level since 2016, according to Hit Songs Deconstructed’s midyear analysis. The genre “all but disappeared” from the top 10 in Q1 2023, HSD noted earlier in the year, after it reigned in both 2022 and 2020.
So, when does the gap end? Well, the next great hope is on the horizon: After posting two of the three runner-ups in the past year, it’s only fitting that Drake take the next crack at breaking the barrier. The superstar’s new album, For All the Dogs, is set for release tomorrow (Aug. 25) — and, assuming the usual avalanche of streams that accompany any Drake release (plus his Hot 100 pedigree, with his 11 career No. 1s the most among all rappers), he should be in strong contention to recapture the crown.
Doja Cat could also come to the rescue, as her “Paint the Town Red” single is rallying in streams and, while currently at No. 15 on the current Hot 100, should march upward on the coming week’s chart. But whether the next No. 1 arrives from them or someone else, given the genre’s continued overarching influence, it’s hard to envision a rap song not soon appearing at the Hot 100’s apex, with the latest break between leaders likely more a fun fact than a fundamental shift.
Just how meteoric has the rise of Oliver Anthony Music been?
From Aug. 11-17, Anthony’s catalog received 32.8 million official on-demand streams in the U.S., according to Luminate.
That’s in stark contrast to Aug. 4-10, when Anthony’s music was streamed 1.2 million times, a 2,606% jump.
But by then, Anthony’s star had begun to rise. “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Anthony’s eventual No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Aug. 26, was uploaded to the radiowv YouTube channel Aug. 8, but it was not yet available on other major streaming platforms until Aug. 11. Anthony did, however, have other songs ready to stream, among them “Aint Gotta Dollar,” “Rich Mans Gold,” “Ive Got to Get Sober” and more. Curious listeners gravitated to those songs, pulling Anthony’s streaming count north of 1 million.
Before Aug. 4-10? That’s the number that best illustrates Anthony’s leap from Virginia farmer to a No. 1 song. The July 28-Aug. 3 tracking period saw 32,000 streams for Anthony, making the two-week gain from July 28-Aug. 3 to Aug. 11-17 a 102,741% boost.
The majority of those streams in the latest week – 17.5 million – came from “Rich Men North of Richmond.” But that majority is slim at 53%; 15.4 million streams went to Anthony’s other songs, most of which were available before the official release of “Rich Men North of Richmond.”
Leading that pack was “Aint Gotta Dollar,” which accumulated 3.5 million streams, up 1,222% from 267,000 the previous frame (it was Anthony’s most streamed of the Aug. 4-10 week that saw him earn 1.2 million on-demand clicks in all). Then came “Ive Got to Get Sober” at 2.3 million streams, up from 180,000, a 1,66% boost.
The streams of “Rich Men North of Richmond” were enough to chart the song at No. 4 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs ranking, as well as No. 2 on Country Streaming Songs. And more gains – both for the runaway hit and the rest of Anthony’s catalog – are possible on the Billboard charts dated Sept. 2.
Beyoncé crowned May’s Top Tours chart before sliding back to No. 2 in June. Back with a vengeance, she’s at No. 1 for July with record-breaking revenue. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, The Renaissance World Tour earned $127.6 million over 11 shows between July 8-30, claiming the largest one-month sum for any artist since the Boxscore archives began in the mid-1980s.
It’s not Beyoncé’s first time setting Boxscore records with the Renaissance World Tour. When her five-show run at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium grossed $42.2 million, it was noted that it was the highest grossing engagement ever by a woman, a Black artist, or any American artist.
This time around, her enormous earnings require no such qualifications, breaking ground without regard to race, gender, genre or geography. Beyoncé’s $127.6 million passes Bad Bunny’s $123.6 million from last September, claiming the biggest one-month gross since the charts launched in February 2019 – and beyond. Before the monthly charts premiered, no artist had reported earnings of $100 million in a single calendar month.
Beyoncé and Bad Bunny, as well as other stadium headliners such as Harry Styles and The Weeknd, continue to show how contemporary acts have invaded a space once thought to be reserved for classic rock bands. Notably, Taylor Swift has yet to report sales figures for The Eras Tour. The last time she was on the road, she joined Beyoncé with Jay-Z, and Ed Sheeran at the top of the pack of 2018’s year-end rankings.
Beyoncé and Bad Bunny’s $120 million-plus months played out in strikingly similar fashion. Both played five one-night engagements, plus doubleheaders in three cities for a total of 11 shows. Both narrowly sold more than half a million tickets – 503,000 for Beyoncé and 501,000 for Bad Bunny. And both relied on a couple major markets to push them over the edge (and then some). Bad Bunny benefited from shows in Inglewood (the greater Los Angeles area) and Las Vegas, while Beyoncé played high-yield concerts in East Rutherford, N.J. (the greater New York area), and Chicago.
Beyoncé’s two nights at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium (July 29-30) brought in $33.1 million and sold 106,000 tickets, enough to reign over Top Boxscores. That makes her the first woman to simultaneously top both lists in exactly four years, dating back to when P!nk led in July 2019.
Queen Bey follows with two dates at Chicago’s Soldier Field, at No. 3 on Top Boxscores with a gross of $30.1 million. Next, she’s at No. 7 with two shows at Toronto’s Roger’s Centre ($18.3 million). There are four more Beyoncé appearances on the chart (Nos. 20, 24, 27, and 30), more than anyone else.
With two months of shows left to report, the Renaissance World Tour is flying at breakneck speed. After conquering Europe with a $150-million run, Beyoncé has made almost as much ($141.4 million) in North America with far fewer shows. Her 12 North American dates (including an Aug. 1 concert in Foxborough, Mass.) have averaged $11.8 million, which is more than double the business that Beyoncé was doing in the U.S. and Canada on 2016’s The Formation World Tour and 2018’s On the Run II Tour with Jay-Z.
Up 60% from the European leg and 112% from her previous peak, Beyoncé’s July Renaissance shows establish a new standard for herself as an artist, and with its monthly record, for everyone on tour.
Through Aug. 1, The Renaissance World Tour has grossed $295.8 million, already Beyoncé’s highest grossing tour yet, passing The Formation World Tour’s $256.1 million. With two months of shows yet to be reported, Billboard expects that total to soar past the half-billion mark.
Beyoncé’s two shows in Chicago pair with an Ed Sheeran date (July 29) to make Soldier Field the top-grossing venue of the month, at No. 1 on Top Stadiums. That chart mirrors the top of Top Boxscores, with Beyoncé and Coldplay fueling the top four spots.
And while Sheeran’s contribution pushes MetLife Stadium to No. 2, the New York market dominates the arena rankings, with Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center at Nos. 1-2 on Top Venues, 15,001+ capacity.
Among venues with a capacity of 5,001-10,000, Red Rocks Amphitheatre earned $16.5 million. Located in Morrison, Colo. (15 miles west of Denver), The Avett Brothers spotlight the iconic amphitheater’s month with three shows, July 7-9, that grossed $2.3 million and sold 28,050 tickets. Tedeschi Trucks Band, Caamp, Zeds Dead and String Cheese Incident each played multiple shows with million-dollar earnings.
The Weeknd follows Beyoncé on Top Tours with a $85.7 million gross, while mounting the highest attendance total of July with 891,000 tickets sold across 15 stadium shows in Europe. Since the monthly charts began in 2019, that total only trails Harry Styles’ 967,000 tickets in June.
Both acts — and Ed Sheeran in third with 749,000 tickets (June 2022) — nabbed their sales highs with extensive runs of European stadium shows, averaging 60,000 or more seats per night. With slightly smaller venues and higher ticket prices, Beyoncé and Bad Bunny’s massive grosses stem from North American legs.
In total, July’s top 30 tours grossed a combined $861.5 million and sold 7.3 million tickets, up .4% and 2%, respectively, from last month’s record-setting figures. While July sported fewer tours with reports above the $10 million and $20 million thresholds, Beyoncé’s monster earnings helped push the total take into uncharted territory.
Intocable extends its record for the most top 10s — to 47 — on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart thanks to “No Se Vuelve a Repetir,” which climbs to No. 4 (from No. 13) on the Aug. 26-dated list. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news According to […]
Karol G and Trippie Redd see their latest projects debut in the top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Aug. 26), while Travis Scott’s Utopia continues atop the list with a big gain owed to bargain-basement sale pricing.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Utopia sold 99,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 17 (up 169%), according to Luminate. Utopia’s album sales grew in the set’s third week on the chart thanks in part to a promotional offer in Scott’s official webstore, which discounted the Utopia vinyl LP from $50 to only $5 for a limited time. Of Utopia’s 99,000 sales for the week, vinyl accounted for 93,000. That sum marks Utopia’s best week on vinyl yet, the seventh-largest sales week on vinyl for any album since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991, and the biggest week for an R&B/hip-hop or rap album on vinyl in that same period.
Taylor Swift’s chart-topping Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) rises 5-2 on Top Album Sales with 23,000 (up 14%) while NewJeans’ former leader 2nd EP ‘Get Up’ falls 2-4 with 20,000 (down 24%).
Karol G logs her highest-charting set ever on Top Album Sales (and second top 10) – with her largest sales week yet – as Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season) starts at No. 4 with 17,000 sold. The new collection was available as a digital download album, CD and vinyl LP. The latter sold about 3,500 copies and arrives at No. 14 on the Vinyl Albums chart.
Swift’s former No. 1 Midnights bumps 9-5 with 13,000 (up 26%), the Barbie soundtrack is a non-mover at No. 6 with nearly 13,000 (down 10%) and Swift’s former leader Folklore climbs 8-7 with 12,000 (up 12%).
Trippie Redd scores his fifth top 10-charting effort on Top Album Sales as A Love Letter to You 5 debuts at No. 8 with 11,000 sold. He notched his first top 10 five years ago with the No. 5-peaking Life’s a Trip.
Rounding out the top 10 on the new Top Album Sales chart are a pair former No. 1s: Swift’s Lover (rising 12-9 with 11,000; up 28%) and Stray Kids’ 5-Star: The 3rd Album (11-10 with 9,000; down 5%).
In the week ending Aug. 17, there were 1.869 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 4.5% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.540 million (up 6.4%) and digital albums comprised 329,000 (down 3.6%).
There were 646,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Aug. 17 (down 1.4% week-over-week) and 885,000 vinyl albums sold (up 13.1%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 22.236 million (up 3.1% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 29.613 million (up 21%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 63.938 million (up 7.7% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 52.191 million (up 12.6%) and digital album sales total 11.747 million (down 9.9%).
Trippie Redd extends his top-10 streak on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, as his A Love Letter to You 5 debuts at No. 3 on the list dated Aug. 26. The mixtape opens with 37,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 17, according to Luminate.
Of the 37,000 starting sum, 26,000 units derive from streaming, a figure equaling 46.8 million official U.S. audio and video on-demand streams of the project’s tracks. Traditional album sales contribute 11,000 of the remaining units, with a negligible amount of activity from track-equivalent album units. (One unit equals the following levels of consumption: one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams for a song on the album.)
With A Love Letter to You 5, which Trippie Redd stated is the last installment of his popular mixtape series, the rapper-singer banks his eighth consecutive top 10 release on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Here’s a recap of the eight projects’ chart results:
Album Title, Peak Position, Peak Date
Life’s a Trip, No. 4, Aug. 25, 2018
A Love Letter to You 3, No. 1 (one week), Nov. 24, 2018
!, No. 2, Aug. 24, 2019
A Love Letter to You 4, No. 1 (one week), Dec. 7, 2019
Pegasus, No. 1 (one week), Nov. 14, 2020
Trip at Knight, No. 1 (one week), Sept. 4, 2021
Mansion Musik, No. 2, Feb. 4, 2023
A Love Letter to You 5, No. 3 (to date), Aug. 26, 2023
Of Trippie Redd’s 10 appearances on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, only the first two A Love Letter to You chapters missed the top 10. The first edition peaked at No. 32 in February 2018, while its follow-up reached a No. 19 best in October 2017.
Elsewhere, A Love Letter to You 5 starts at No. 2 on the Top Rap Albums chart and at No. 13 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
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As A Love Letter to You 5 launches, three of its tracks debut on Hot R&B Songs: “Take Me Away” with Corbin (No. 16), “Thy Motion” (No. 19) and “How You Alive” (No. 23). The album’s overall arrival helps Trippie Redd score a No. 33 re-entry on the Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption – album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming – to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity. The return gives Trippie Redd his first visit to the list since February, when he raced to No. 23 as Mansion Musik debuted.
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: Oliver Anthony is way up in streams — no, not *that* Oliver Anthony — while October London brings the spirit of Marvin back to the airwaves and an ’00s R&B hit spikes due to a highly unexpected TikTok trend.
The Other Oliver Anthony: Viral Country Sensation Gives Bump to Similarly Named Electronic Producer
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Folks who read about the chart-topping phenomenon that was Oliver Anthony last week and went on to buy or stream his 2021 EP Breaking Bread were likely a little disappointed – or at the very least, extremely confused. That’s because Breaking Bread was not released by the Oliver Anthony who connected with country fans (and right-wing signal-boosters) with his breakout hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” – the one whose artist name is officially Oliver Anthony Music, and who has only released singles thus far – but rather, by the producer Oliver Anthony, whose lone release on streaming services is a six-song, seven-minute, independently released set of unassuming lo-fi electronic instrumentals.
Not much information seems to be publicly available about this other Oliver Anthony – there’s no biographical info on their Spotify page, their YouTube uploads are all automated and it’s not clear if they’re present on social media. But whoever they are, they’re enjoying a massive streaming bump from the Oliver Anthony Music confusion: The original Oliver Anthony netted over 36,000 official on-demand U.S. streams for the week ending Aug. 17, according to Luminate – up 523% from the under 6,000 the week before, and up 144,548% from the negligible amount of streams they posted the week before that.
They also sold over 500 digital songs last week after a minimal amount the week before – and on iTunes, Breaking Bread has even reached the top 10 on their real-time albums chart. Hopefully those consumers looking for country-folk working-class anthems are also in the market for some low-intensity midtempo beats! – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Marvin Reborn: October London Brings Gaye’s Classic Sound to Streaming and Radio
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The soul singer October London is unburdened by the anxiety of influence: He titled his February album The Rebirth of Marvin (out on the famed Death Row Records), and it’s nearly heroic in its single-minded commitment to recreating the tone and texture of Marvin Gaye’s 1970s recordings (with one exception: album closer “You Look Better” leans more Barry White). R&B radio programmers have welcomed the homage to Gaye: The single “Back to Your Place” jumped from No. 3 to the top spot on Billboard’s Adult R&B airplay chart this week, dethroning Janelle Monae’s “Lipstick Lover.”
“Back to Your Place” sounds like a nod to “Distant Lover,” a tower of yearning on the back half of Gaye’s Let’s Get It On album. It’s uncanny at times how closely London pitches his voice to replicate Gaye’s — the wails of “take me” during the chorus, the swelling harmonies that emphasize “your place.” Back in the second week of July, “Back to Your Place” was already piquing interest in core R&B markets, appearing high on the Shazam rankings in Washington D.C. and Atlanta.
Audience impressions from airplay have more than doubled since then, according to Luminate, and interest in London has spread more widely, with “Back to Your Place” climbing into the Top 20 of the U.S. Shazam chart. Growth at streaming has been slow but steady: The single amassed 556,000 official on-demand U.S. streams in the tracking week ending August 17, up from just over 400,000 a week in early July. – ELIAS LEIGHT
Chrisette Michele’s “Epiphany” Twerks Its Way to Streaming Gains
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One of the most beautiful things about TikTok is how random catalog songs can experience resurgences due to trends that have absolutely nothing to with the song. Chrisette Michele, the Grammy-winning R&B star who experienced some controversy when she performed at then-President Donald Trump’s Inaugural Ball back in 2017, is the latest artist to benefit from this phenomenon. According to Luminate, “Epiphany (I’m Leaving),” the lead single from her 2009 sophomore studio album of the same name, has earned 329,000 official on-demand U.S. streams between August 11-17, a whopping 215% increase from just over 104,000 streams during the period of August 4-10.
The song’s sizable streaming gains are due to a TikTok trend where users flaunt how well they can twerk. The primary aim is to throw your backside in as perfect a circle as possible while Michele croons, “I think I’m just about over being your girlfriend.” On TikTok, the most popular “Epiphany” sound boasts over 60,000 videos. “Epiphany” is Michele’s first and only unaccompanied Billboard Hot 100 hit; in 2009, the song peaked at No. 89 on the chart, and also reached the top ten on Adult R&B Airplay (No. 9). – KYLE DENIS
Chilean singer/rapper Cris MJ is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting hitmaker, as his new collaboration with Karol G and Ryan Castro, “Una Noche En Medellín (Remix),” debuts on the Aug. 26-dated chart at No. 68. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The song, released Aug. 11 on […]
YOASOBI’s “Idol” scores its 19th consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Aug. 23, extending its all-time record for most weeks atop the chart again.
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The duo headlined Japan’s Summer Sonic music festival over the weekend, closing out the Mountain Stage lineup in both Tokyo and Osaka. The “Monster” pair also entertained fans with its “Traveling Bookstore YOASOBI,” a collaborative endeavor with the mobile bookstore BOOK TRUCK, set up in the food area of the festival grounds.
On this week’s chart tallying the week ending Aug. 20, downloads for “Idol” slips to No. 2 (10,631 units), but the long-running hit continues to dominate streaming (13,100,852 weekly streams), video views, and karaoke. The Oshi no Ko opener also climbed 24-18 for radio, and while gradually losing points overall, the total continues to best the song at No. 2 by about 1.7 times.
Tatsuya Kitani’s “Where Our Blue Is” holds at No. 2 this week. The Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 opener continues to improve in karaoke, jumping 62-37, and collected points in a balanced way: holding again at No. 38 for sales, No. 2 for streaming (9,232,884 streams), and No. 6 for video, slipping 3-4 for downloads (7,562 units) and 32-95 for radio.
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Bowing at No. 3 is Kazuya Kamenashi’s first solo single in four years called “Cross.” The track launched with 105,544 copies to hit No. 1 for sales, and is off to a good start coming in at No. 22 for downloads and No. 40 for radio.
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Gen Hoshino’s “Life” debuts at No. 7. The superstar singer-songwriter curated the Beach Stage at Summer Sonic in Tokyo on Saturday (Aug. 19), highlighting and collaborating with such artists as Jacob Collier, UMI, Camilo, and Sam Gendell. His latest track rules downloads (13,713 units) and radio this week, while hitting No. 38 for video.
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Another debut on this week’s Japan Hot 100 is Colorful Diamond’s “Amakyun,” bowing at No. 5 after selling 76,514 CDs in its first week.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Aug. 14 to 20, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming charts dated Sept. 2), Travis Scott goes for his fourth week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart with his massive Utopia, while Hozier looks to earn his second consecutive debut atop the chart with new effort Unreal Unearth.
Travis Scott, Utopia (Catcus Jack/Epic): It’s been three weeks, and Travis Scott is still not only ruling the Billboard 200 with his Utopia, the album posted a whopping 185,000 units in its latest frame – with a mighty 99,000 in sales, an very high number for an album in its third week out, and a 169% gain from the week before. The sales boost probably comes from his webstore (limited time) discount on the double-LP set from $50 to $5, resulting in 93,000 in vinyl sales last week – the biggest vinyl sales performance for a hip-hop or R&B album since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991.
Scott’s sales are expected to stay strong – likely helped by another discount code, released and circulated among fans in time to impact this chart week — along with its streaming numbers, with four songs from the album still in the top 25 of Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart. The combination of sales and streams should make it tough to depose this week, without a new contender expected to put up particularly big numbers in both categories, and Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time – still No. 2 on the chart this week, after 15 weeks at No. 1 – no longer posting units in the six digits.
Hozier, Unreal Unearth (Rubyworks/Island/Columbia): Despite not scoring a major crossover hit since his No. 2-peaking Billboard Hot 100 smash “Take Me to Church” in 2014 – and only releasing one new album during the rest of the 2010s — Irish singer-songwriter Hozier has maintained both a devoted following and a major chart impact. His sophomore album, 2019’s Wasteland, Baby!, debuted atop the Billboard 200, while his 2023 single “Eat Your Young” debuted at No. 67 on the Hot 100.
That song is on Hozier’s third album, Unreal Unearth, released on Aug. 18, and available on both CD and vinyl (including exclusive signed editions of both, already sold out on his webstore). The album is Hozier’s biggest-sounding to date, and will be supported by an upcoming U.S. tour that sees him playing some of the largest venues of his career. However, the kind of ticket bundles that helped power Wasteland to No. 1 won’t count towards the totals for Unearth, since Billboard changed its bundling rules in July 2020 – making it that much tougher to catch Utopia.
J-Hope, Jack in the Box (Big Hit): The 10-track debut from BTS alum J-Hope has already appeared in the top 20 on the Billboard 200, entering at No. 17 in July 2022. But Jack in the Box is due to re-enter the chart next week – likely at a higher peak – thanks to the CD release of its deluxe HOPE Edition. The reissue, which makes for the first time the set will be released on CD, contains five bonus tracks (including a pair of instrumental versions of Jack tracks and a trio of live versions from J-Hope’s 2022 Lollapalooza set), as well as a photo and lyric book, sticker packs and more collectible goodies.
IN THE MIX
Jihyo, Zone (JYP/Republic): J-Hope isn’t the only member of a massive K-pop group likely to impact the Billboard 200 this week: Jihyo, of star nonet TWICE, released her solo debut set on Friday with the seven-track EP Zone. While the EP is not expected to score major streaming numbers, it should sell well – helped by the sale of three versions of the mini-album (“Z,” “Y” and “O”) on JYP’s webstore, dispatched at random per each order, and each containing different collectible elements (like lyric books, posters and bookmarks).
Russ, Santiago (Diemon/Columbia): After breaking through in the late ‘10s with hits like “What They Want” and “Losin Control,” Russ has kept up a steady chart presence, hitting the Billboard 200’s top five with both 2018’s Zoo and 2020’s Shake the Snow Globe. The rapper/singer looks to make it three in a row next week with latest album Santiago – though the set features no Hot 100 hits or star features, with its only guest appearances coming from cult Bay Area rapper Rexx Life Raj and acclaimed singer-songwriter Bibi Bourelly.
Quavo, Rocket Power (Capitol/Motown/Quality Control): The Migos rapper’s first album since the death of groupmate (and nephew) Takeoff may not sell as well as this week’s other big releases, since a physical release is not yet available. But it should put up pretty respectable streaming numbers for its 18 tracks, including Hot 100 hit “Turn Your Clic Up” (featuring Future), multiple cuts featuring the late Takeoff, and several more paying tribute to the hip-hop great.