Drake’s three surprise albums are headed for nearly 800K units in one week, putting him on the verge of rewriting Billboard history again.
Drake turned a quiet release week into a full-scale takeover, it seems. He dropped three separate albums, two of which were surprise projects and now he’s headed for one of the biggest debuts in modern streaming history.
The Toronto rapper’s projectsICEMAN,Maid of HonourandHabibtiare collectively projected to move between 705,000 and 785,000 album-equivalent units in their first week, according to early industry forecasts. Other projections are even higher.
ICEMAN, the most promoted project,is leading the charge by a massive margin. The album is expected to open with roughly 480,000 to 520,000 units. Maid of Honouris tracking toward 115,000 to 135,000 units, whileHabibtiis projected to land between 110,000 and 130,000.
Rather than spacing releases apart, he flooded DSPs all at once, dominating playlists, timelines and streaming algorithms simultaneously.
Chart watchers are now focused on another potentially historic outcome.
Multiple projections suggest Drake has a strong chance of occupying the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the Billboard 200 at the same time.
Drake could also pass pastMichael Jacksonfor the most No. 1 songs among male solo artists. He previously tied MJ with 13 chart leaders.
The positive numbers arrive after the last two years battling cultural backlash tied to his war withKendrick Lamar. Instead of retreating, Drake responded with volume, vitriol and ridiculous output.
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