Billboard: J. Cole Takes ‘4 Your Eyez Only’ To No. 1

Billboard: J. Cole tops the Billboard 200 with his fourth studio album, ‘4 Your Eyez Only.’ Rae Sremmurd remain no. 1 on Hot 100 with “Black Beatles.”

No. 1 on the Billboard 200 wasn’t in dispute in the least this week.  Rapper J. Cole scores a fourth no. 1 album with 4 Your Eyez Only, launching with a robust 492,000 units.  The pure sales are a bit of a buzz kill compared to streams-plus-sales, but still robust (~363,000 or ~74%).  Basically, the rapper’s star continues to rise with each and every release.  Interestingly, he’s somewhat underrated, but still sells albums. Go figure!

While J. Cole is the star, Post Malone also earns a top-10 debut.  Stoney begins at no. 6 moving 58,000 units.  Those numbers are okay, but the percentage of sales is dismal – 33%. Can Post Malone gain traction? It’s possible, but the album itself is a mixed-bag ultimately.  Beyond Post Malone, there are no more newbies debuting in the top 10.  That means that Tech N9ne misses the mark with The Storm, another excellent if underrated effort by the eclectic Midwest rapper.

The rest of the top 10 is comprised of the familiar. Pentatonix continues to perform well as A Pentatonix Christmas (no. 2) and That’s Christmas to Me (no. 5) gives the vocal group two top-five albums.  A Pentatonix Christmas continues to put up big numbers, though those numbers were a far-cry from Cole’s.  Still, six-figures is six-figures.

The Weeknd (Starboy) continues strong in the top-three, while Bruno Mars “has it going on” with 24K Magic at no. 4. Hamilton remains strong, resurging for the umpteenth time.  Moana continues to make an impact.  Pentatonix dominates the Christmas market, but Michael Bublé (Christmas) isn’t doing too badly for himself at no. 9.  The Rolling Stones (Blue & Lonesome) also retain a spot in the top-10.  The same can’t be said of The Hamilton Mixtape, which surprisingly exits the top-10 this week after debuting at no. 1.

https://youtu.be/oZz8aZqL5ps

Shifting to the Billboard Hot 100, Rae Sremmurd remains in control of the no. 1 spot as “Black Beatles” tops for a sixth week.  Even though “Black Beatles” continues to be a hot topic, Zayn and Taylor Swift have something to say this week as “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)” debuts at no. 6.  How much impact might Zayn and Taylor Swift have ultimately? Only time will tell.

Returning once more to the Billboard 200, who’s got next? Kid Cudi returns with an effort (Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’) that’s much stronger than the tepid Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven.  Furthermore, Gucci Mane returns with another new album (The Return of East Atlanta Santa) as does The Lox (Filthy America…It’s Beautiful).  None of the three look like locks to be blockbusters, but all three should impact the chart.

Photo Credit: Roc Nation