For more than ten years, Drake, Beyoncé, and Kendrick Lamar have dominated the album sales market. They don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
Drizzy, Queen Bey, and K. Dot reportedly hold three of the top six positions in terms of first-week album sales in 2022.
Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss, with 404,000 total album unit sales, came in third place, trailing only the massive first weeks of Taylor Swift and multifaceted superstar Harry Styles.
With 332,000 album-equivalent units sold for Renaissance, Beyoncé isn’t far behind. SZA’s SOS enters the competition late and finishes in the Top 5 with 318,000 copies sold in the first week.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick’s comeback album, was released in May, putting an end to the TDE rapper’s hiatus as fans eagerly anticipated his first solo album in five years. In the end, he had the seventh-highest first-week earnings, with 296,000 units sold in the first week, just shy of 300,000.
The Compton rap legend’s Big Steppers Tour came to a close this past weekend in New Zealand after taking the stage at 76 events across 16 nations on three separate continents. Kendrick wrapped up the tour and promised the audience he would return.
“With that being said, from the bottom of our hearts, we love y’all and we will be back,” K. Dot stated, which drew a roar from the thousands of fans filling the venue.
For his most recent album, Kendrick received eight 2023 Grammy Award nominations. He has received nominations for “The Heart Part 5” in the categories of Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Music Video, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Melodic Rap Performance.
Drake has decided not to attend the Grammys, but Beyoncé has received a record-breaking 88 nominations, making her the artist with the most nominations overall. With her 28 Grammy victories, Beyonce is the most successful female artist in history.
