Jay-Z came really close in 2002 when he dropped The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse and the R. Unfortunately, his second album for the year, Nastradamus, couldn’t hit the mark, debuting at number 7 on the Billboard 200. Nas in 1999 was on track when his album for the year, I Am…, debuted on top of the charts with 470,000 copies sold, giving Nas his biggest opening week ever. Over the past years there have been other rappers who came close to having two number ones. Next up was DMX dropping It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood in 1998, giving Def Jam one of the best years they ever had. The first rapper to ever drop two number one albums in a single year was 2Pac when he released the diamond-selling All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory in 1996.
It’s less than the 500,000 predicted but once you include streams, that figure will most likely be closer to 400,000.įor Future, this achievement marks his second chart topper, since Dirty Sprite 2 was his first number one album, while Drake has been hitting number ones since his debut, Thank Me Later. The first week sales figures are in for their collaborative album, What A Time To Be Alive, and as expected, the project sold very well, moving 339,538 units in its opening week. Hip-hop heads, did you know that Drake and Future are tied for being third rappers in history to drop two number ones albums within a year?