Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red Album Debuts at No. 1

Playboi Carti dethrones Miley Cyrus for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

Carti’s new Whole Lotta Red album, released on Christmas Day (Dec. 25), has debuted in the No. 1 spot on the chart after pushing 100,000 units in its first week out, reports Billboard on Sunday (Dec. 3). Of that total, 10,000 were from traditional album sales. The impressive debut is the biggest of Carti’s career and marks his first No. 1 release.

Carti’s new album contains 24 songs and features guest appearances from Kanye West, Kid Cudi and Future. It is his second top three release, following his debut album, Die Lit, which debuted at No. 3 when it was released without promotion in 2018. Carti’s 2017 self-titled mixtape, which featured the breakout hit, “Magnolia,” peaked at No. 12 on the 200 chart.

Carti built up anticipation for the album for nearly two years, leading to multiple false alarms for fans after he first revealed the original release date for the album last summer. The final product received some harsh reviews on Twitter, with many people disappointed in the LP. The release date was also dipped in controversy as the mother of Carti’s son, Iggy Azalea, used the opportunity to air out the rapper on social media. Despite some backlash for the album and the corresponding merch, Carti has now notched the first No. 1 album of 2021.

Other hip-hop artists in the top 10 of this week’s Billboard 200 chart include Lil Durk (The Voice, No. 3), Pop Smoke (Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, No. 4), Megan Thee Stallion (Good News, No. 7) and Eminem (Music to Be Murdered By, No 10).