Playboi Carti’s ‘Music’ Debuts At No. 1, But The Rapper Doesn’t Agree With The Official ‘Billboard’ Sales Numbers
Playboi Carti had some thoughts about the first-week sales numbers for his latest album, MUSIC. The set debuts with 298,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 20, according to Luminate. That marks the biggest week of 2025 for a rap album. It also arrives with the biggest streaming week [...] Read More... from Playboi Carti’s ‘Music’ Debuts At No. 1, But The Rapper Doesn’t Agree With The Official ‘Billboard’ Sales Numbers The post Playboi Carti’s ‘Music’ Debuts At No. 1, But The Rapper Doesn’t Agree With The Official ‘Billboard’ Sales Numbers appeared first on LBS.
Playboi Carti had some thoughts about the first-week sales numbers for his latest album, MUSIC.
The set debuts with 298,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 20, according to Luminate. That marks the biggest week of 2025 for a rap album. It also arrives with the biggest streaming week for a rap set since 2023.
Playboi Carti previously topped the chart with his last release, Whole Lotta Red, which debuted atop the ranking dated Jan. 9, 2021. MUSIC is the artist’s third top 10-charting set, as he previously visited the region with 2018’s Die Lit, which reached No. 3.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, LE SSERAFIM collects its fourth top 10-charting project, as 5th Mini Album HOT debuts at No. 9.
Of MUSIC’s 298,000 first-week equivalent album units, SEA units comprise 283,000 (equaling 384 million on-demand official streams of the 30 songs on the streaming edition of the album; it debuts at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart), album sales comprise 14,500 (it debuts at No. 3 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 500.
With 298,000 units earned in its first week, MUSIC lands the biggest week in 2025 for a rap album, and the second largest overall among all albums — only the debut of The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow was bigger so far this year, when it launched with 490,000 units (Feb. 15 chart). Further, as MUSIC’s songs tallied 384 million on-demand official streams combined, that marks the biggest streaming week for any album in nearly a year, since Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department collected 428.54 million clicks for its songs in its second week (May 11, 2024, chart). MUSIC nets the largest streaming week for any rap album since Drake’s For All the Dogs debuted with 514.01 million (Oct. 21, 2023, chart).
via: Billboard
However, Carti doesn’t agree with that number: In response to an Akademiks tweet noting the 298K sales number, Carti responded, “320.”
— . (@playboicarti) March 24, 2025
Even with Billboard‘s lower figure, Music still had the biggest week for a rap album in 2025 so far, and the second biggest week overall for all genres; The only album ahead of it is The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, which racked up 490,000 units in its opening week in February.
The post Playboi Carti’s ‘Music’ Debuts At No. 1, But The Rapper Doesn’t Agree With The Official ‘Billboard’ Sales Numbers appeared first on LBS.
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