Welcome to The Contenders, a mid-week column that examines artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming Billboard 200 album chart dated Nov. 12): Taylor Swift’s Midnights the blockbuster faces competition from superstar Drake’s team up with 21 Savage, while fellow pop icon Rihanna leads the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sequel soundtrack.
Drake and 21 Savage, His loss (OVO/Republic/Slaughter Gang/Epic): Following the rare commercial slowdown of the surprise club detour in June Honestly it doesn’t matter — who still debuted atop the Billboard 200, albeit with relatively low numbers by Drake’s pace standards — the historic hit rapper is looking to bounce back with this past Friday’s (November 4) one. His loss. It’s a 16-track team with frequent collaborator 21 Savage (who also appeared on It does not matter single hit, the Billboard Hot 100 “Jimmy Cooks”) and many of the album’s nasty bars set social media on fire over the weekend (for both positive and less positive reasons).
Collaborative albums in hip-hop often add up to less than the sum of their parts – take March’s Better than you, a team of DaBaby and YoungBoy Never Broke Again that charted lower on the Billboard 200 (No. 10) than either rapper’s last solo album. Both Drake and 21 Savage have scored down this path before, though – Drake topped the Billboard 200 in 2015 with the Future team What a time to live and 21 Savage did the same in 2020 with the album he made with acclaimed producer Metro Boomin, Wild Mode II.
various artists, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music by and inspired by (Roc Nation/Def Jam/Hollywood Records): The original soundtrack Black Panther The film was a smash hit almost on par with the superhero movie it accompanied, topping the Billboard 200, spawning a pair of Top 10 Top 10 hits and even earning a rare nomination for Album of the Year. at the 2019 Grammys. This soundtrack benefited from the curation of a then very hot Kendrick Lamar, who also appeared on several tracks (including the two best hits, “All the Stars” with SZA and “Pray for Me” with The Weeknd) and stitched his disparate tracks into a cohesive complete listen.
Lamar is not involved in the 19 titles Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, which is built around Afrobeats hitmakers like Tems, CKay, Rema and Burna Boy. But the set is led by another Lamar-level veteran global superstar: Rihanna, who makes her long-awaited return to popular music with “Lift Me Up,” the set’s first single and Bad Gal’s first new solo song. six years. The ballad, written in homage to the late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, debuts at No. 2 on the Hot 100 this week and is expected to give wakanda forever a great head start in next week’s Billboard 200 race.
Joji, PARTS (88rising/Warner): Few artists probably cursed the news of Drake and 21 Savage bumping into each other His loss back a week after its original October 29 release date than Joji, who would have been a favorite for the highest debut in another week with his new PARTS. That’s thanks to a sizable cult fan base and strong streaming numbers – boosted in half a decade since the entertainer formerly known as Filthy Frank transitioned from internet comedy to intimate R&B. — and the recent success of lead single “Glimpse of Us,” which became his first major crossover on the Billboard Hot 100 over the summer, reaching the top 10 on the chart.
IN THE MIX
Russell Dickerson, Russell Dickerson (Triple Tigers): Dickerson has been a regular visitor to the top of Billboard Country Airplay chart, beating the tally with four consecutive singles in the late 10s and early 20s. None of the anticipated cuts from his self-titled third album reached the top of the chart, but Jake Scott The “She Likes It” collaboration was one of the longest-lasting country songs on the Hot 100 this year, lasting 30 weeks before finally dropping this week.
Billy Joel, Live at Yankee Stadium /Barbra Streisand, Live at Good Evening (Colombia): A pair of new live albums released by Columbia threaten to put the charts in a New York State of Mind this week, as Joel’s 1990 set at the Bronx baseball stadium and Streisand’s 1962 gig at the famed club Greenwich Village are released on streaming and CD. (The No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 is a familiar place for both artists, who have topped the chart 15 times.)
Quavo and Takeoff, Designed for Infinity Links only (Quality Control/Capitol/Motown/YRN): Cuban links debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 on October 7 and had fallen to No. 84 on the November 5 chart. However, the set has garnered renewed interest following the tragic Nov. 1 death of co-creator Takeoff, leading to a rebound to No. 12 on this week’s Billboard 200 — and possibly an even higher placement the week. next.