Drake’s ‘More Life’ Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200, Trey Songz Debuts at No. 3

Drake’s More Life rules the Billboard 200 albums chart for a second week, as the set earned 225,000 equivalent album units in the week ending March 30, according to Nielsen Music. It declined 55 percent compared to its blockbuster debut frame of 505,000 units.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new April 15, 2017-dated chart (where More Life is No. 1 for a second week) will be posted in full to Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, April 4.

More Life debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 8, earning 505,000 units in its first tracking week, according to Nielsen Music. It also set a streaming record, for the largest number of SEA units racked up in a single week by an album: 257,000.

More Life continues to be a streaming powerhouse in its second week, as traditional album sales equaled 43,000 while it collected another 169,000 SEA units (the second largest streaming week ever for an album, behind only More Life’s debut). The rest of the title’s units came from TEA (13,000).

More Life is Drake’s second album to earn more than a single week at No. 1, following Views, which tallied 13 nonconsecutive weeks atop the list in 2016. His other No. 1 albums all had singular weeks at No. 1 (What a Time To Be Alive, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Nothing Was the Same, Take Care, Thank Me Later).

With More Life clocking a second week at No. 1, it marks the 20th cumulative week at No. 1 for Drake as an artist, combining the two weeks atop the list for More Life with his previous 18 weeks leading the tally with his six earlier No. 1s. Among hip-hop acts, the only artists with more weeks at No. 1 are Jay Z (with 23 weeks from 13 No. 1s) and M.C. Hammer (with 21, all from his only No. 1: Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em).

At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Ed Sheeran’s former No. 1 ÷ (Divide) holds its position, with 98,000 units (down 17 percent).

Trey Songz’s Tremaine debuts at No. 3 — the only new arrival in the top 10 — with 67,000 units (45,000 in traditional album sales). It’s the fifth top 10 for the singer, and first since Trigga, which debuted at No. 1 in 2014 with 105,000 in album sales (this was before the chart transitioned to a units-based ranking). He previously visited the region with Chapter V (2012), Passion, Pain & Pleasure (2010) and Ready (2009).

The new live action Beauty and the Beast film soundtrack holds steady at No. 4 with 64,000 units (down 36 percent), while Metallica’s Hardwired… To Self-Destruct blasts 19-5 with 50,000 units (up 110 percent) and 48,000 in traditional album sales (up 120 percent). The set continues to profit mostly from a concert ticket/album bundle sale redemption promotion with the act’s stadium tour that went on sale on Feb. 17.

Metallica is followed by a pair of stationary titles, as Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic sits still at No. 6 for another week (49,000 units; down 4 percent) and the Moana soundtrack is a non-mover at No. 7 (46,000 units; down 8 percent).

Rick Ross’ Rather You Than Me dips 3-8 in its second week on the list, with 40,000 units (down 62 percent), and Future’s self-titled album falls one rung to No. 9 with 39,000 units (down 3 percent). The Weeknd’s Starboy closes out the top 10 at No. 10 with 36,000 units (down 6 percent).

Source billboard.com