The 6 has turned upside down and it’s a 9 now as Drake’s Views reaches its ninth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
This gives Views the third-most weeks at No. 1 by a hip-hop album, pulling ahead of Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP, which dropped in 2000. Now, it stands behind Vanilla Ice’s To the Extreme, which reached 16 weeks in 1990-1991 and MC Hammer’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em, which notched a whopping 21 weeks in 1990.
In order to reach this milestone, Views moved 111,000 equivalent album units (25,000 in traditional album sales) for the week ending June 30. Most of his numbers came from streaming equivalent album units.
Views has also spent the most weeks leading the chart for an album by a man in more than a decade. Usher’s Confessions reached nine non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2004. Billy Ray Cyrus’ 1992 album Some Gave All was the last time an album reached nine consecutive weeks at No. 1. It went on to tally 17 straight weeks at the top.
Drizzy reacted to the big news on Instagram, where he shared Canadian flag emojis and lyrics from his song “9” off Views: “It’s a 9 now.”
Elsewhere on the Billboard 200, Beyoncé’sLEMONADE rises to No. 2, marking its 10th week in the top 4. It sold 48,000 units this week. Rihanna’s ANTI climbs back up to No. 5 with 37,000 units and the Hamiltonsoundtrack sits at No. 6 (36,000). Adele’s 25reenters the top 10 (No. 7 with 33,000) after debuting on streaming services.
DJ Khaled and Kent Jones help the compilation Epic AF climb to No. 8 this week. The compilation is not available for sale as an album, but songs from it like Kent’s “Don’t Mind” and Khaled’s “I Got the Keys” and “For Free” have given it life in streaming equivalent album units. The Khaled singles are expected to land on Major Key, due out July 29, while “Don’t Mind” is from Jones’ Tours mixtape.
Billboard 200 Top 10
DRAKE – Views – 111,000
Beyoncé – LEMONADE – 48,000
The Avett Brothers – True Sadness – 46,000
Twenty One Pilots – Blurryface – 38,000
Rihanna – ANTI – 37,000
Hamilton – 36,000
Adele – 25 – 33,000
Epic AF – 28,000
Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Getaway – 28,000
Meghan Trainor – Thank You – 27,000