Kodak Black Scores First No. 1 Album On Billboard 200

Rapper Kodak Black scores his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, as Dying to Live debuts atop the tally.

The set, which was released on Dec. 14 via Dollaz N Dealz/Atlantic Records, earned 89,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Dec. 20, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 5,000 were in traditional album sales -- as the bulk of the album’s units were driven by streaming activity.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units are comprised of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Dec. 29-dated chart (where Dying to Live debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard's websites on Tuesday, Dec. 25.

Dying to Live’s opening frame is largely pushed by streams, as the set garnered 82,000 SEA units, which translates to 114.2 million on-demand audio streams for the album’s tracks during the tracking week (which also makes Dying the most-streamed album of the week).

Dying to Live marks the third top 10 effort for Kodak Black (real name: Bill Kapri), as he previously logged visits to the region with Project Baby Two (No. 2 debut and peak on the Sept. 9, 2017-dated chart) and Painting Pictures (No. 3 debut and peak, April 22, 2017). Earlier in 2018, the 21-year-old notched a top 40-charting album with Heart Break Kodak (No. 25), a set which came out while he was in jail. Dying is the rapper’s first album since being released in August.

Kodak Black is currently basking in the success of his biggest hit single yet “ZEZE,” featuring Travis Scott and Offset. The track -- which is among the 16 songs on Dying -- earlier debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, and at No. 1 on Streaming Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs (all charts dated Oct. 27). The tune has also given Kodak Black his first top 40-charting effort on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. On the most recently published tally, dated Dec. 22, the track rose 30-23.

The rest of the new Billboard 200’s top four are rounded out by former No. 1s: Meek Mill’s Championships holds at No. 2 (83,000 units; down 36 percent), Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born soundtrack climbs 4-3 (64,000 units; up 16 percent) and Michael Bublé’s Christmas slips 3-4 (63,000 units; up 10 percent).

The Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack debuts at No. 5 with 52,000 units (14,000 in album sales). The hip-hop collection -- which boasts new tracks from acts such as Post Malone, Juice WRLD, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne -- benefits from buzz generated by its parent film, which arrived in U.S. movie theaters on Dec. 14 (the same day as the soundtrack’s release). The animated film was the highest-grossing movie at the U.S. and Canada box office in its opening weekend, earning $35 million. The warmly reviewed film currently has a 97 percent Fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes, and in its first 10 days has earned an estimated $65 million.

Travis Scott’s former No. 1, Astroworld, is steady at No. 6 with 48,000 units (up 9 percent), Pentatonix’s Christmas Is Here! rises 11-7 with 45,000 units (up 12 percent) and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack jumps 13-8 with a little more than 43,000 units (up 14 percent).

Drake’s Scorpion, which topped the list earlier in 2018 for five weeks, ascends 10-9 with 43,000 units (up 3 percent). The Greatest Showman soundtrack (another former No. 1) moves 12-10 with 43,000 units (up 12 percent).

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