BB Grooves: Red Hot Chili Peppers Can’t Stop Drake

For an eighth week, Drake’s Views tops the Billboard 200.  What does that mean? It means that for yet another week, the one album that has a shot at the no. 1 spot settled for no. 2.  Who played bridesmaid this week? None other than Red Hot Chili Peppers, who put up a valiant battle, but like everybody else, has their butt handed to them by the “6God” (*insert reference to Michael Jackson’s “Bad” right here). Yeah, that sounded blasphemous. So, for the chart dated July 9, 2016, Drake is king.  Even so, there are many other chart stories beyond Drake and those Chili Peppers.

1. Drake’s Views spends an eighth week at no. 1 on the Billboard 200. The best way to describe Drake’s commercial mentality with Views? He clearly “kicking ass and taking names.”

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers simply couldn’t get it done against a formidable opponent. The Getaway debuts soundly at no. 2. The band’s Greatest Hits gets a lift from no. 73 to no. 64.

3. Beyoncé and Lin-Manuel Miranda and company flip-flop this week. That means that Lemonade is no. 3 and Hamilton is no. 4.

4. Radiohead’s A Moon Shape Pool completely re-enters the Billboard 200 at no. 5. According to Billboard, the spike is due to the physical release of the album. Previously, A Moon Shaped Pool was only available digitally.

5. YG’s sophomore album Still Brazy debuts at no. 6. This is a downgrade from a more robust no. 2 debut that greeted his debut, My Crazy Life.

6. Mumford & Sons’ Johannesburg EP lands at no. 9. The EP is collaborative, including artists Baaba Maal, The Very Best & Beatenberg.

7. Meghan Trainor sees her sophomore album Thank You improve two spots from no. 12 to no. 10 in its sixth week on the chart. Likewise, her debut album Title jumps 12 spots from no. 91 to no. 79.

8. Country singer Jon Pardi sees his latest album California Sunrise debut just outside the top 10 at no. 11.

9. Adele has been “kicked to the curb” – by the top 10 that is. 25 slips four spots in its 31^st week from no. 8 to no. 12.

10. Keith Urban sees his Ripcord improve 10 spots from no. 25 to no. 15 in its seventh week on the chart. Urban’s latest album started at no. 4.

11. Wanna see something that’s “epic AF?” We do too because it’s clearly NOT the no. 16 start for the compilation Epic AF.

12. Thomas Rhett experiences a come-up this week. Yep, Tangled Up sees a 10-spot spike from no. 28 to no. 18 in its 39^th week. Definitely not “crashing and burning” T.R.!

13. Though he tumbles seven spots, Kevin Gates clings on to a spot in the top 20. Islah slips from no. 13 to no. 20 in its 21^st week.

14. Nick Jonas has a pretty awful sophomore week with Last Year Was Complicated. The album which debut at no. 2 just like week slips to no. 22 this week.

15. Nick Jonas’ bad news is balanced out by Chance the Rapper’s great news. Coloring Book improves 40 spots from ono. 63 to no. 23 in its sixth week on the BB200.

16. Gojira’s latest album Magma starts at no. 24. Let the volcano erupt!

17. The Game’s soundtrack Streets of Compton debuts modestly at no. 25.

18. The Lumineers’ Cleopatra sees an improvement to the tune of 14 spots (no. 43 to no. 29).

19. Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo slips nine spots from no. 22 to no. 31 in its 12^th charting week.

20. Case/Lang/Veirs self-titled album debuts at no. 33.

21. Thousand Foot Krutch’s Exhale opens at no. 34.

22. Paul Simon’s Stranger to Stranger slips 20 more spots from no. 23 to no. 43. Stanger started at no. 3 just three weeks ago.

23. Charlie Puth sees his Nine Track Mind jump 39 spots from no. 83 to no. 44 in its 21^st week on the BB200.

24. Bassnectar just barely nabs a spot within the top 50 of the Billboard 200. Unlimited starts at no. 49.

25. Poor Jon Bellion. The Human Condition free falls from no. 5 to no. 54. That’s a 49-spot drop after just two weeks on the big board. Shed a tear for the Long Island newbie.

26. Shed a tear for Maren Morris too. Not too many “hallelujahs” or “Amens” this week as Hero slips 25 spots from no. 30 to no. 55 in just its third week.

27. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Greatest Hits jumps 135 spots from no. 191 to no. 56. The set has charted for a total of 213 weeks, peaking at no. 5.

28. Paul McCartney’s Pure McCartney slips 47 spots from no. 15 to no. 62 in its second week on the charts.

29. Volbeat’s Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie continues to plummet down the charts. This week the set slips 32 spots from no. 38 to no. 70. Seal the Deal has only charted for three weeks.

30. Eric Clapton stops the bleeding for latest album I Still Do, remaining firmly planted at no. 77.

31. X Ambassadors’ spike in sales didn’t last long. VHS slips 36 spots this week from no. 46 to no. 82.

32. Again, there are very few who seem to be Obsessed with Dan + Shay. In week three, the duo slips 25 spots from no. 58 to no. 83.

33. Youthfulness is certainly helping Troye Sivan. Blue Neighbourhood rebounds into the top-100 improving 18 spots (no. 102 to no. 84).

34. Lauren Daigle sees How Can It Be improve 10 spots from no. 100 to no. 90. The album has now charted for 59 weeks.  It peaked at no. 30.

35. Treehouse assert I See Stars, but the rock band certainly aren’t the “stars” of the BB200 with a quiet debut at no. 93.

36. Fitz and the Tantrums can’t be pleased with their second week status. Their self-titled album fell flat in the sales department, slipping 93 spots from no. 17 to no. 110. Yeah, they probably would rather flip the bird as opposed to giving a “HandClap.”

37. Kaleo performed even worse than Fitz and the Tantrums. A/B, which debuted at no. 16 last week, slipped 98 spots to no. 114.

38. Sarah Jarosz’s Undercurrent only dents the chart at no. 117.

39. Rachel Platten sees her Wildfire jump 52 spots from no. 178 to no. 126. Platten’s album has spent 25 weeks on the BB200.

40. Sturgill Simpson’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth re-enters the Billboard 200 at no. 147. This marks just its eighth week on the charts.

41. Now we need to ask Band of Horses a question that they asked: Why Are You OK. Why ask this question? Because their album slipped 134 spots from no. 19 to no. 152.

42. The Tragically Hip’s Man Machine Poem starts at no. 178.

43. Logic’s The Incredible True Story improves from no. 195 to no. 179 in its 32^nd week. Under Pressure re-enters the charts at no. 200.

44. Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall re-enters the charts at no. 182.

45. Jennifer Nettles hasn’t been playing with much fire. Playing With Fire slides 46 spots from no. 151 to no. 197 in its sixth charting week.  Better put Sugarland back together girl!!!

Photo Credits: Warner Bros, Cash Money