21 Savage began 2019 the same way he ended 2018: Atop the Billboard 200. Facing no new competition for the top spot, the Atlanta rapper’s I Am > I Was spent a second consecutive week at Number One.
The all-star I Am > I Was sold 65,000 total copies in its second week of release – down 51 percent from its debut week, Billboard reports – but a complete lack of impactful new releases helped 21 Savage remain at Number One.
Thanks to the now-departing Christmas season, no new albums debuted in this week’s Top 10. Instead, the top tier was packed with many of the albums that dominated the Billboard 200 in 2018, including Post Malone’s Beerbongs & Bentleys (Number Four), Drake’s Scorpion (Number Six), Travis Scott’s Astroworld (Number Seven) and the resilient The Greatest Showman soundtrack (Number Eight).
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s Hoodie SZN spent a second straight week at Number Two, followed by Meek Mill’s Championships at Number Three. Two more soundtracks rounded out the Top 10: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at Number Five and A Star Is Born at Number 10.
While the Top 10 lacked excitement to open 2019 – and will likely remain static next week due to no major new releases – there was some surprise on the Hot R&B Songs chart as Barack Obama landed at Number 22 thanks to his appearance on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “One Last Time (44 Remix).”