21 Savage’s I Am > I Was debuted at Number One in a charts week where the yuletide Top 10 witnessed an influx of decades-old Christmas albums.
The all-star, controversial I Am > I Was sold 131,000 total copies – but only 18,000 traditional copies, with the rest coming from streaming equivalent albums (SEAs) – to give the Atlanta rapper his first Number One on the Billboard 200, Billboard reports.
21 Savage, who previously peaked at Number Two with 2017’s Issa Album, is the second rapper in as many weeks to capture his first Number One following Kodak Black the previous week.
In a sales week tethered to Christmas, a trio of seasonal albums – including some decades old – landed back in the Top 10. Michael Buble’s 2011 LP Christmas rose one spot to Number Three, while Nat King Cole notched his best Billboard 200 placement since 1965 as the late crooner’s The Christmas Song collection jumped up to Number Seven.
Thanks in part to the biggest streaming day in Spotify history, Mariah Carey’s 1994 holiday album Merry Christmas, powered by the record-breaking “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” landed at Number Eight. Both The Christmas Song and Merry Christmas returned to the Top 10 largely due to holiday-themed playlists on streaming services.
One other new release, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s Hoodie SZN, opened in the Top 10, with the rapper entering at Number Two thanks to 90,000 total sales from 84,000 SEAs.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born soundtrack and The Greatest Showman soundtrack settled at Number Four and Five respectively, followed by Meek Mill’s Championships at Number Six. Kodak Black’s Dying to Live (Number Nine) and Travis Scott’s Astroworld (Number 10) closed out the Top 10.