chart update

Gunna Edges Out the Weeknd in Race for No. 1 on the Billboard 200

Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Getty Images

Gunna turned the dial away from Dawn FM on the Billboard 200, edging out the Weeknd for No. 1 in one of the tightest recent chart races. The rapper’s third album, DS4Ever, debuted at No. 1 with 150,000 units, including 193.5 million streams (amounting to a dominant 144,600 of those album-equivalent units). It’s the Atlanta rapper’s second No. 1, following 2020’s Wunna. Early reports had suggested the Weeknd would debut at No. 1 with Dawn FM, his follow-up to the 2020 chart success After Hours, but the pop star ended up at No. 2, with 148,000 album units. (Sadly, that means no No. 1 for featured artist Jim Carrey.) That number included 173 million streams. With both artists announcing their albums just days before their release, neither had physical copies available to sell on the charts, which could have boosted either of their respective prospects. The chart battle marked a bit of excitement during a historically quiet time on the charts, since few blockbuster albums tend to come out in January. No other albums debuted in the top ten, although the hit soundtrack for Disney’s Encanto reached a new peak of No. 3. Tune into next week’s chart to see whether Gunna’s Drip Season really can last forever.

Gunna Edges Out the Weeknd in Race for Billboard No. 1