Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind debuts atop the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated July 2), giving the superstar his 11th No. 1 on the chart. The surprise release was announced on June 16, and the album dropped at midnight on June 17. The set is a sonic left-turn from the hip-hop giant, as it is “almost entirely composed of moody electronic atmospherics and body-moving dancefloor heat” and “leans on the house music scene” with collaborations from “seven house music producers with varying degrees of mainstream fame.”
Drake becomes the fifth act with more than 10 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 since the chart began regularly publishing on a weekly basis in 1956. He joins The Beatles (who lead with a record 19 No. 1s), Jay-Z (14), Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand (each with 11).
Honestly, Nevermind launches with 204,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending June 23, according to Luminate. Streaming activity powered 94% of the album’s first week sum.
Also in the new top 10, Kevin Gates collects his fifth top 10 on the Billboard 200, as Khaza arrives at No. 8.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new July 2, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on June 28. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Honestly, Nevermind’s 204,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 191,000 (equaling 250.23 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 11,000 and TEA units comprise 2,000.
The 14-track Honestly, Nevermind bows with the fourth-largest streaming week for an album in 2022, by on-demand official streams: 250.23 million. Notably, the three larger weeks this year were all scored by albums with a longer tracklist (all in their debuts weeks): Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (356.55 million from 23 tracks), Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (343.02 million; 18 tracks) and Future’s I Never Liked You (283.75 million; 22 tracks).
In fact, the last time an album as short (or shorter) as Honestly, Nevermind had a larger streaming week was over a year ago, when Olivia Rodrigo’s 11-track Sour bowed with 300.73 million on-demand official streams (chart dated June 5, 2021).
The most-streamed cut on Honestly, Nevermind, by on-demand official streams, is its closing track “Jimmy Cooks,” featuring 21 Savage, with 39.59 million. The second-and-third-most streamed tracks are the album’s opening song “Falling Back” (27.05 million) and “Sticky” (26.16 million). “Falling” is the only song from the album with an official music video, and 3.03 million of its streams came from video plays. (Looking only at on-demand official audio streams, the two most-streamed tracks on the set are “Jimmy Cooks,” with 37.93 million and “Sticky,” with 25.37 million.)
“Jimmy Cooks” and “Sticky” are the most rap-forward cuts on the album. Combined, the two songs accounted for 26% of the album’s first-week on-demand official streams (65.75 million of 250.23 million).
In total, Honestly, Nevermind is Drake’s 14th top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200. From 2009, when he first charted, onwards, he’s logged at least one new top 10 in every year except for 2012 and 2014. Honestly gives Drake an eighth consecutive year with a new top 10 album (stretching back to 2015’s What a Time to Be Alive, with Future, and If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late – both No. 1s). No other act has notched a new top 10 in every year since 2015.
At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Bad Bunny’s chart-topping Un Verano Sin Ti is a non-mover with 121,000 equivalent album units (down 8%). Un Verano Sin Ti has tallied over 100,000 in each of its first seven weeks on the chart. The last title to do so was Drake’s Scorpion, which saw its first seven weeks all exceed 100,000 units (July 28-Aug 25. 2018, charts).
Harry Styles’ former leader Harry’s House is stationary at No. 3 with 79,000 equivalent album units (down 13%), BTS’ Proof falls 1-4 in its second week with 75,000 units (down 76%) and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album rises 6-5 with 52,000 units (up less than 1%). Future’s former No. 1 I Never Liked You dips 5-6 with 49,000 units (down 11%), and Post Malone’s Twelve Carat Toothache descends 4-7 with 44,000 units (down 26%).
Kevin Gates nabs his fifth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 as Khaza arrives at No. 8 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 34,000 (equaling 47.05 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 3,000 and TEA units comprise less than 1,000.
Closing out the new top 10 are two former No. 1s: Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (7-9 with 36,000 equivalent album units; down 14%) and Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour (8-10 with 32,000 units; up 1%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes exhaustive and thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data, removing any suspicious or unverifiable activity using established criteria before final chart calculations are made and published. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious and unverifiable is disqualified prior to the final calculation.
