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Kendrick Lamar, untitled unmastered © Aftermath/Interscope

Returning with an LP of unreleased material (Untitled Unmastered), once more, Kendrick Lamar tops the Billboard 200.  2 Chainz (Collegrove) starts at no. 4. 

Kendrick Lamar may have surprised with the release of Untitled Unmastered but it’s no surprise he earned the top spot on the Billboard 200. Who else graces the BB Grooves this week?

1. Kendrick Lamar is a beast – simply unstoppable. Not everybody can release a surprise album with success. Kendrick doesn’t have that problem. Untitled Unmastered…no promo…no problem…it’s no. 1…enough said.

2. 2 Chainz’s own surprise album Collegrove can’t match the sales prowess of Kendrick (few can) but the album does start respectably at no. 4.

3. Joey + Rory’s Hymns That Are Important To Us ascends from no. 10 to no. 6. The set has spent all four of its weeks on the chart in the top 10. Joey + Rory Inspired: Songs Of Faith & Family enters the charts at no. 126.

4. Some urban releases receive slight bumps (positional only) this week. The Weeknd’s Grammy-winning Beauty Behind The Madness improves from no. 12 to no. 9 28 weeks in. Kevin GatesIslah rebounds from no. 13 to no. 10 in its sixth week. Bryson Tiller’s TRAPSOUL jumps from no. 14 to no. 11 in week number 24.

5. Granger Smith’s Remington enters the Billboard 200 as the third-ranked new release this week. Even so, it starts modestly at no. 12.

https://youtu.be/hQ2whG32g_0

6. A fine album, Ray LaMontagne’s Ouroboros didn’t exactly electrify the chart with its no. 13 start, a disappointing start for the reliable singer/songwriter.

7. NewsboysLove Riot starts at no. 14, definitely not too shabby for a CCM act.

https://youtu.be/BxuY9FET9Y4

8. Charlie Puth’s Nine Track Mind reenters the top 20 this week, improving eight spots from no. 24 to no. 16.

9. Ninja Sex Party’s latest album Under The Covers starts at no. 17.

10. Country veteran Loretta Lynn’s comeback album, Full Circle, debuts at no. 19. Keep in mind Lynn is nearly 84 years old.

11. The 1975 had a horrid second week. I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It plummets from no. 1 to no. 26 in only its sophomore week. Phew!

12. Yo Gotti’s The Art Of Hustle slides 13 spots from no. 16 to no. 29 after three weeks on the Billboard 200.

13. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are DEFINITELY experiencing that nasty bug called “the sophomore effect.” This Unruly Mess I’ve Made plummets 27 spots from no. 4 to no. 31 after just two weeks in.

14. Bonnie Raitt’s Dig In Deep falls 27 spots from no. 11 to no. 38 in its second week on the charts.

15. Miike Snow’s iii only musters up a no. 47 debut. J. Cole signee Bas does even worse as Too High To Riot enters at no. 49.

16. Steve Curtis Chapman’s Worship And Believe quietly debuts at no. 87. Yep, the numbers aren’t much here folks.

17. Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding’s win for Best New Artist did nothing for the sales or chart position of her new album Emily’s D+Evolution. The set lands at no. 88.

18. The StrutsEverybody Wants barely makes the top 100, opening at no. 99. CLOSE CALL!

19. Wiz Khalifa’s “epic fail” of a run continues with Khalifa. It slips 26 spots from no. 97 to no. 123.

20. It’s More Rain for M. Ward, which debuts at no. 128.

21. Tweet’s Charlene takes a mighty tumble, slipping from no. 42 to no. 130 in week two!

22. Like thanks to its Google Play sale price, Tank’s Sex Love & Pain II reenters the Billboard 200 at no. 132 marking its sixth week on the charts.

23. Week two wasn’t so hot for Willie Nelson. Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin drops 117 spots from no. 40 to no. 157.

24. Not a good run for Vince Gill. Down To My Last Bad Habit started at no. 35 (not great). In week four, it slips 33 spots from no. 136 to no. 169.

25. Who had the lowest debut on the Billboard 200 this week? That would be Lapsley who barely nabs a spot with Long Way Home. The album starts at no. 196…

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the musical hype

the musical hype aka Brent Faulkner has earned Bachelor and Masters degrees in music (music Education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and a freelance music journalist. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.

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