Drake Dominates Billboard Charts with ‘Scorpion’ | Chart Happenings

Drake dominates the Billboard 200 and the Billboard hot 100 with his fifth studio album, ‘Scorpion,’ breaking a number of records.

Well, Chart Happenings #3 definitely happened quicker than I expected it to happen – sigh.  That’s thanks to a certain rapper who not only rules Toronto, but also the United States.  With only five key points on this edition of me rambling about stuff that same find interesting and others not so much, two are dedicated to Aubrey Graham, better known as Drake.  The points hail from the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100 dated July 14, 2018.

1. To no one’s surprise, Drake had a humongous week on the Billboard 200.  Scorpion easily debuted at no. 1, making history along the way. 732,000 units is huge in the current music climate, even if the majority of that total was fueled by a tremendous streaming week.  Still, even the 160,000 albums sold is impressive given how much album sales have declined over the years. In the past, albums by artists not named Adele or Taylor Swift could actually sell the 732,000 units the ‘6God’ moved.  While Scorpion will experience erosion in its second week on the charts, it’s already scheduled for a reprisal at no. 1.

2. Sure, there are people sick of Drake and envious of his success, but he deserves a second spot on Chart Happenings. Why? The man did other things unheard of on the Billboard Hot 100, including scoring the most top 10 Hot 100 debuts in a week and the most top 10 Hot 100 debuts ever. Sure, Scorpion received is share of critical and mixed reviews, including the likes of All Music, Dead End Hip Hop, and theneedledrop, but criticism aside, domination is expected from Drizzy and he did just that. Notably, “Nice for What” rebounds from no. 6 back to no. 1, while “Nonstop” debuts at no. 2.  That knocks “I Like It”, the second no. 1 hit by Cardi B, to no. 3.

3. Drake is the biggest story, but he’s not the only story this week.  Florence + The Machine returns with High as Hope, which debuts at no. 2.  Yes, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful debuted at no. 1 in 2015, but who was beating Scorpion? Gorillaz, like Florence + The Machine earned another top-five launch with The Now Now, landing at no. 4.

4. John Coltrane deserves a big shout out. His lost album, Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album debuts at no. 21 on the Billboard 200.  For non-jazz enthusiasts, jazz doesn’t perform well on the Billboard 200. To see a classic jazz album perform that well in a time where jazz isn’t nearly as popular as it once was, is incredible.

5. Looking at some of the artists/albums falling on the Billboard 200. Panic! At the Disco sees Pray for the Wicked slip from no. 1 to no. 9 in its second week on the charts – not shocking.  Also worth noting, frontman Brendon Urie came out as pansexual. Dan + Shay (Dan + Shay), 5 Seconds of Summer (Youngblood ), Bebe Rexha (Expectations), and Teyana Taylor (K.T.S.E.) all stumble this week, with Taylor dropping from no. 17 to no. 57. Ouch!

Photo Credits: Cash Money, Fueled by Ramen, Impulse, Virgin, Warner Bros.