Here Are All the Hip-Hop Albums That Went No. 1 in 2020
Despite the coronavirus pandemic disrupting how rappers perform and make money due to touring coming to a halt and a sluggish economy, hip-hop has been thriving in other ways. Performing shows via livestreams, launching OnlyFans accounts and releasing music that garners a No. 1-selling album on the Billboard 200 chart have helped rappers keep their momentum going in 2020. Impressive first-week sales numbers are one of rap's biggest accomplishments this year.
Kicking off 2020 on a high note was Travis Scott and his crew's compilation project, Jack Boys. The LP hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart back in January with 154,000 equivalent album sales in its first week of release. That same month, Roddy Ricch's 2019 album, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial, returned to the No. 1 spot, locking in 97,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 9. The LP initially debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in December of 2019.
Also, in January, fans were treated to a surprise album by Eminem. His 11th project, Music to be Murdered By, landed atop the Billboard 200 with a whopping 279,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Talk about killing the rap game.
Two months later, in March, Lil Uzi Vert surpassed Em's first-week sales totals with his long-awaited album, Eternal Atake. The LP premiered at No. 1 with an impressive 288,000 album-equivalent units, including 9,000 pure album sales.
In the spring, fans grabbed DaBaby's third album, Blame It on Baby, which catapulted him to No. 1 with 124,000 album-equivalent units sold in April. The following month, Future's High Off Life LP debuted atop the Billboard 200 with a first-week sales total of 153,000 equivalent album units, including 16,000 traditional album sales.
One of the biggest rap albums of the summer, and subsequently the year, was Pop Smoke's posthumous debut album, Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon. The LP premiered at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in July with an impressive 251,000 equivalent album units. Of that total, 59,000 came from pure album sales.
Right into fall, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin scored their second No. 1 album together with their collaborative project Savage Mode 2. The collection moved 171,000 equivalent album sales, including 22,000 traditional album sales in its first week of release.
Even a pandemic couldn't stop hip-hop this year. Check out all the hip-hop albums that went No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2020 below.
Here All the Hip-Hop Albums That Went No. 1 in 2020