FirstWeek

SZA reminded fans that good things come for those who wait. The Grammy-winning singer returned this week with her highly anticipated sophomore album, SOS. First-week projections shared by HitsDailyDouble show that project is on track to debut atop the Billboard 200, marking SZA’s first-ever No. 1 album. SOS is expected to earn between 275,000 and 300,000 album equivalent units in its first week, which would make it the sixth or seventh biggest debut of the year.For comparison, SZA’s 2017 debut LP, Ctrl, debuted and peaked…

Nas is likely to score another top-10 record.According to projections shared by HitsDailyDouble, the rapper’s King’s Disease III album is expected to debut at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, with approximately 30,000 units earned in its first week. For comparison, Nas’ previous project, Magic, debuted at No. 27 with 22,000 units, while 2021’s King’s Disease II took the No. 2 with 47,000 units.KD3 marks the fourth consecutive Nas album to be executive produced by Hit-Boy. The project delivered 17 tracks (including a bonus cut)…

The first-week numbers projections for Drake and 21 Savage’s inaugural collab album Her Loss have started to surface.Per HITS Daily Double, the album is projected to open at 335-350k.For Drake, Her Loss marks his second new full-length of the year following the No. 1 debut of Honestly, Nevermind back in June. 21 last released a project with his Spiral: From the Book of Saw Soundtrack EP in May of last year.Swiftly upon its unveiling on Friday, Her Loss spurred a series of headlines largely centered on the track “Circo…

Following the release of his new album Kutthroat Bill: Vol 1, Kodak Black has cast doubt on the projections for its first-week numbers.In a since-deleted post shared on Instagram, Kodak responded to projections he would push 39k for the record in its first week. He outright refuted the figures, which would mark a reduction from the 60,000 album-equivalent units his February album Back for Everything brought in during its first week.“STILL A W! BUT … MY ALBUM JUS CAME OUT 2 DAYS AGO ! AND TODAY A SUNDAY , ITS NO WAY A MF…

Taylor Swift will reclaim the top spot on the Billboard 200. According to first-week sales projections shared by Hits Daily Double, the Grammy winner’s Midnights album is headed toward a massive debut. The project is expected to move between 1 million to 1.2 million units in its first week, which would make it the first record to “debut at or past the million mark in the post-bundling era.” If the projections are correct, Midnights will become the fifth Swift album to enter the Billboard 200 with more than 1 million…

It appears Lil Baby will lock down another No. 1 album.According to projections shared by Hits Daily Double, the 27-year-old rapper is expected to top the Billboard 200 with It’s Only Me. The project, which arrived Friday, is expected to move 185,000 to 210,000 units its first week, which would mark the seventh- or eighth-biggest debut of 2022, so far.It’s Only Me will also become his third project to top the chart, following 2020’s My Turn and last year’s The Voice of the Heroes with Lil Durk; the former earned 197,000…

They didn’t believe in DJ Khaled, but the fans did.Coming off his thirteenth studio album, God Did, DJ Khaled is projected to have another No. 1 album. According to Hits Daily Double, the master marketer is set to move 105,000 to 115,000.If Khaled stays on track, he will net his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. 2021’s Khaled Khaled, 2017’s Grateful, and 2016’s Major Key were previous leaders.Khaled continues to raise the bar when it comes to his collaborators on his albums. For God Did, he features songs by…

The numbers are looking good for Rod Wave.According to projections shared by HitsDailyDouble, the 22-year-old rapper is expected top the charts with Beautiful Mind—the much-anticipated follow-up to last year’s Soulfly album. The effort is expected to move 120,000 to 140,000 units in its first week, with digital streams surpassing 150 million.For comparison, Soulfly debuted at No. 1 with 130,000 album equivalent units, while 2019’s Ghetto Gospel and 2020’s Pray 4 Love racked up 27,000 and 72,000 first-week units,…

Brent Faiyaz is eyeing the top spot.According to first-week projections shared by HitsDailyDouble, the artist’s Wasteland album is headed toward a strong debut. The star-studded effort is expected to move between 105,000 to 115,000 album equivalent units, giving it a decent shot at dethroning Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti project, which has spent the second-most weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart so far this year. As pointed out by HDD, Un Verano Sin Ti has yet to move fewer than 100,000 units since its release two months…

The first-week numbers projections for Breezy, Chris Brown’s tenth solo studio album, are in.In a breakdown of expectations surrounding the latest chart update, Hits Daily Double said Brown’s new album was currently projected to land somewhere in the 60,000-70,000 range. Also released on Friday was the latest album from Luke Combs, Growin’ Up. HDD reported Saturday it was projected to move 65,000-75,000 in its inaugural week. Other releases currently being made the subject of first-week speculations include deluxe…