Dec 26, 2017 Forbes.com Three new hip-hop releases begin their charting runs inside the top 10 on the Billboard 200 this week, with one coming in well ahead of every other title on the chart. Eminem’s latest full-length Revival has just become his ninth leader on the all-genre tally, and it begins with over a quarter of a million equivalent units shifted. Just behind him comes former country singer Taylor Swift, whose most recent champion on the chart, Reputation, has earned another turn in the runner-up slot after three at the peak. The second new entry on the Billboard 200 is rapper G-Eazy’s new album The Beautiful & d---ed, which launches at No. 3. The hip-hop star’s newest title is his third (and third in a row) to make it into the top 10, and his second to reach his career high of third place. The new effort moved 122,000 equivalent units, which would have been enough to finally grant him a leader had he dropped his new album during a less competitive week. The Beautiful & d---ed is currently being powered by lead single “No Limit,” which features fellow musician Cardi B and A$AP Rocky. The song has peaked at No. 7 thus far, which the rapper has now seen a pair of tunes stall at. Second single “Him & I,” which is a duet with his girlfriend Halsey, has now reached No. 21 on the Hot 100. Down just one rung are both Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) and Pentatonix’s A Pentatonix Christmas, which slide to Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. The third and final new album that begins inside the uppermost tier comes courtesy of another rapper, Jeezy. The hip-hop artist, who has now been charting top 10 albums for well over a decade, sees his new project Pressure open at No. 6 with 72,000 equivalent units. The title is his eighth solo record to break into the highest area on the Billboard 200, and his tenth when including albums he’s released as a member of two groups that are no longer active: Boyz n da Hood and U.S.D.A. The final four positions inside the top 10 this week are filled by holdovers that have earned several frames within Nos. 1 and 10. First up of the bunch is Sam Smith’s The Thrill of It All, which is back at No. 7. Country superstars Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks and Chris Stapleton own the rest of the tier, with Bryan’s former leader What Makes You Country at No. 8, Brooks’ The Anthology: Part I, The First Five Years at No. 9 and finally Stapleton’s From A Room: Vol. 2 rounds out the top 10.
