Kendrick Lamar's surprise album GNX debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making him his fourth consecutive album to top the chart.
According to Luminate, the album, which was released as a surprise on November 22nd, sold 319,000 album equivalent units in its first week. This strong start gave GNX the biggest streaming week for an R&B/hip-hop album in 2024 with 379.72 million streams.
Lamar dominated the Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart, occupying seven of the top ten spots. His song “Squabble Up” reached No. 1, followed by “TV Off” at No. 2, “Luther” at No. 3, “Wacced Out Murals” at No. 4, “Hey Now” at No. 5, and No. 7 with ” Reincarnated,” and 10th place was “Man at the Garden.”
Kendrick Lamar officially broke the record for most No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 in 2024 (3).
He broke ties with Ariana Grande, Morgan Wallen, and Post Malone. pic.twitter.com/C7KaUAACxr
— Chart data (@chartdata) December 2, 2024
With three No. 1 hits this year, Lamar holds the record for the most No. 1 songs in 2024, surpassing Ariana Grande, Morgan Wallen, and Post Malone. He is also one of the few artists to be in the top five of the Hot 100 at the same time, along with Taylor Swift, Drake, and the Beatles.
Kendrick Lamar joins Taylor Swift, Drake and the Beatles as the only artists in history to simultaneously hold the top five spots on the Hot 100. pic.twitter.com/HNgga0LXuk
— Chart data (@chartdata) December 2, 2024
GNX features collaborations with Los Angeles-based artists such as AzChike and Lefty Gunplay. Produced by top talent including Soundwave, Jack Antonoff, and Kamasi Washington. To support the album, Lamar released a music video for “Squabble Up” shortly after the album’s release.
This success continues Lamar’s streak of consecutive No. 1 albums, following “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers" (2022) and “Dumb.” (2017), and “To Pimp a Butterfly” (2015). His earlier projects Untitled Unmastered (2016) and Black Panther: The Album (2018) also debuted at No. 1.
The soundtrack for the new film Wicked debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. This is the highest debut ever for a film adaptation of a stage musical. The last time a stage-to-screen musical soundtrack made it into the top five was Chicago, which debuted at number four in 2003.
The rest of the top 10 includes Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short and Sweet” at No. 3, Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromacopia” at No. 4, and Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard” at No. 5. Contains “And Soft”. 6th place, Rau Alejandro’s “Cosa Nuestra” in 7th place, and Taylor Swift’s “The Torchard” in 8th place in the poet category. Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” took the No. 9 spot, while Chapel Lawn’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess” rounded out the top 10.
