London-born Atlanta rap mainstay 21 Savage has the first new No. 1 album of 2024 with “American Dream,” following holdovers by Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen.
“American Dream” is 21 Savage’s fourth overall chart hit, and the first time he has topped the Billboard 200 as a solo artist since “I Am > I Was” five years ago; Since then, she has hit No. 1 twice through collaborative projects with Drake (“Her Loss,” 2022) and producer Metro Boomin (“Savage Mode II,” 2020).
The album is 21 Savage's last since the apparent resolution of his long-standing issues with his immigration status. The week before the 2019 Grammy Awards, where he was scheduled to perform, the 31-year-old rapper, whose real name is Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for being in the United States illegally. After delays in his case, 21 Savage said in October that he had become a permanent resident of the United States.
In its debut week, “American Dream,” which was announced just days before its Jan. 12 release, features guest appearances from Doja Cat, Travis Scott, Lil Durk, Young Thug and others, as well as spoken word segments. by the rapper's mother, Heather Carmillia Joseph, had the equivalent of 133,000 sales in the United States. Most of it came from streaming, with nearly 170 million clicks, according to tracking service Luminate. The 15-track LP had 4,000 sales as a complete package.
Ariana Grande's first solo song in more than three years, “Yes, And?”, opens at No. 1 on the Hot 100, her eighth song to top Billboard's flagship pop singles chart. “Eternal Sunshine,” her next studio album, will be out on March 8.
Also this week, “Orquídeas,” singer Kali Uchis' fourth studio album, which is presented primarily in Spanish, opens in second place, the highest position in Uchis' history. The album, whose title translates as “Orchids” and features guest spots from Latin stars such as Peso Pluma, Karol G and Rauw Alejandro, had the equivalent of 69,000 sales, including 51 million streams and 31,000 copies sold as a complete package.
Wallen’s nearly year-old “One Thing at a Time,” which recorded its 17th time at No. 1 last week, falls to third place this week, while Drake’s “For All the Dogs” is No. 4 and “1989 (from Taylor's) by Swift. Version)” is number 5.
