Lil Baby is Doing Big Things | Scanning the Charts 📉

Scanning the Charts – Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100 dated 6/27/20 – it’s clear Lil Baby is doing big things on both. 

SCANNING THE CHARTS is just what it says it is.  I, the quirky founder and do-it-all at The Musical Hype will scan through the Billboard Charts and pick out a couple of things that catch my eye.  This column won’t be extensive, as I plan to keep it short and sweet – keep that 💩 moving, yo! This week, I picked out five notable observations from the Billboard 200, as well as five observations from the Billboard Hot 100.  And that’s about the size of it.  Check out my takeaways!

Billboard 200

💭 Lil Baby is killing it on The Billboard 200. My Turn is definitely a big deal, spending a third, nonconsecutive week at no. 1. My Turn has already earned Lil Baby platinum certification.

💭 Interestingly, with the exception of Lady Gaga (Chromatica) and Post Malone (Hollywood’s Bleeding), black artists represent 8 of the top 10 spots on the Billboard 200. In addition to Lil Baby, these include: DaBaby (Blame it On Baby), Drake (Dark Lane Demo Tapes), Future (High Off Life), Gunna (Wunna), Lil Uzi Vert (Eternal Atake / Eternal Atake (Deluxe)), Polo G (The GOAT), and The Weeknd (After Hours).

💭 It wasn’t a great week for newbies on the BB200 though. The ‘highest ranking debut’ honors went to Chloe X Halle for Ungodly Hour at a modest no. 16. I expected more for this talented, Grammy-nominated sister duo, particularly considering this is an album comprised of nothing but bops.  The next debut beyond Ungodly Hour is I’m Gone, courtesy of up-and-comer iann dior at no. 45.  Two top-50 debuts in June? Wow!

💭 Run the Jewels aren’t known for their chart success, but it is a bit troubling to see RTJ4 slide from no. 12 to no. 84 three weeks in.

💭 It’s certainly true that success can be fleeting. Norah Jones has certainly experienced more success than many could ever dream of achieving. That said, it’s been years since the eclectic pop/jazz/singer-songwriter has had the same level of relevancy that she once had.  To show you how far Jones have fallen commercially, her quietly released 2020 studio album, Pick Me Up Off the Floor, debuted modestly at no. 87.  This, is from the same artist who is one of the rare artists with a million-selling week under her belt, not to mention a top-two album as recent as 2016.

Billboard Hot 100

💭 6ix9ine is one of the most polarizing rappers by my estimations. Nonetheless, him and Nicki Minaj make history by debuting at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “TROLLZ”. Amazingly, after failing to have a no. 1 single in her career, Nicki Minaj has been part of two in 2020. Of course, imagine how it would feel for the Grammy-nominated artist to land a no. 1 hit as the lead artist.  Anyways, Billboard provides some insight to the turnstile of no. 1 hits as of late.

💭 The better song, “The Bigger Picture” by Lil Baby, does very well for itself, debuting at no. 3. “The Bigger Picture” is the most mature song I’ve personally heard from the rapper, and I was ecstatic to rank it near the very top of 51 Best songs of 2020 (So Far). You can also check out “The Bigger Picture” on 13 Powerful Songs Where Black Lives DO Indeed Matter.

💭 Harry Styles is on the rise with platinum-certified single “Watermelon Sugar”, from his sophomore album, Fine Line. Rising from no. 29 to no. 19 this week, his most dominant song from Fine Line remains his former top-10 hit, “Adore You,” which dips from no. 14 to no. 16 this week.

💭 The buzz surrounding “Stuck With U” (Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber) seems to have faded. “Stuck With U” slides from no. 20 to no. 26 this week. Keep in mind, “Stuck With U” launched at no. 1, just like the aforementioned “TROLLZ”.  Also, worth noting, “Stuck with U” appeared on a couple of pandemic-inspired lists (Songs That Capture & Embody the Pandemic, Vol. 2 and Quarantine Sucks, But At Least We Have Bops!) as well as Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: May 2020.

💭 Powfu continues to enjoy the ascent of “death bed” (featuring beabadoobee), among my 51 Best songs of 2020 (So Far). The Poems of the Past (EP) descends from no. 23 to no. 24, but with gains in performance. Though a modest performer on the Billboard 200, Poems of the Past did bow at no. 134, and sits at no. 137 this week.

Photo Credits: Brent Faulkner, Create Music Group, The Musical Hype, Pixabay, Pexels, Quality Control Music