On the charts for the week ending Oct. 20: Lil Baby logs his third No. 1 album to top the Billboard 200 with “It’s Only Me.” Fueled by 216,000 album equivalent units out the gate in the U.S., the Atlanta rapper previously peaked at the top spot with 2021’s “The Voice of the Heroes” (a collaborative set with Lil Durk) and 2020’s “My Turn.”
Released Oct. 14, “It’s Only Me” features guest performances from Fridayy, Nardo Wick, Future, Rylo Rodriguez, Young Thug, Jeremih, EST Gee, and Pooh Shiesty across its 23-song tracklist. It’s his sixth top 10 album to chart on the Billboard 200. On the Hot 100, Lil Baby charted three songs from the set in the top 10: “California Breeze,” “Forever, feat. Fridayy, and “Real Spill” – at Nos. 4, 8 and 10, respectively.
Topping the singles chart is Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” who both earn their first No. 1 on the list. “Unholy,” released on EMI/Capitol Records, has tallied 25.3 million streams (up 9%) and 21.5 million in radio airplay audience impressions (up 40%); it also logged 19,000 downloads sold, marking an increase of 60% led by 69-cent sale-pricing. The song will be included in Smith’s upcoming fourth LP, “Gloria,” slated for release on Jan. 27.
The duo makes history on the chart as the first publicly non-binary (Smith) and transgender (Petras) soloists to top the Hot 100. In conversation about the song’s positive reception, Petras recently shared with Variety, “If you work really hard and you believe in yourself, amazing things can happen…My own little fairy tale is happening right now. I’m just so grateful to Sam and everyone that likes the song.”
New in the top 10 this week, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 13th studio album, and second of 2022, “Return of the Dream Canteen,” debuts at No. 3 with 63,000 equivalent album units earned. Most of that total is comprised of album sales, as it’s claimed the title of the top-selling album for the week — a feat they’ve already managed to score twice this year. The band’s 12th studio album “Unlimited Love” debuted atop the list back in April with 97,500 equivalent album units earned (it was also the funk-rock band’s first Billboard 200-topper since 2006’s “Stadium Arcadium”).
The 1975’s “Being Funny in a Foreign Language” bows at No. 7 (their fourth top 10) with 32,500 equivalent album units earned. Also debuting in the top 10, country artist Bailey Zimmerman’s first album “Leave the Light On” opens at No. 9. The nine-song project features standouts like “Trainwreck,” co-written with Morgan Wallen and “Fall In Love,” which is currently at No. 29 on the Hot 100.
Bad Bunny sits snug at No. 2 with “Un Verano Sin Ti,” earning the equivalent of 72,000 units (down 5%). Morgan Wallen’s “Dangerous: The Double Album” also remains static at No. 4 (45,000 units; down 2%), while the Weeknd’s “The Highlights” is steady at No. 5 (40,000 units; down less than 1%) and Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” slips 3-6 (33,000 units; down 56%).
Rounding out the top 10 of the albums chart is Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House,” which fell 6-8 with 32,000 equivalent album units earned, and Zach Bryan, whose “American Heartbreak” slips 8-10 with 28,000 equivalent album units earned (up 1%).
This week Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 album, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City” also made history on the list as the project celebrated its 10th anniversary; it’s spent every single one of those years on the Billboard 200.
On the Hot 100, Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” slips to No. 2, with 47 million in airplay audience (up 9%) and 20.5 million streams (up 2%). Styles “As It Was” remains at No. 3 on the chart, after spending 15 weeks at the top. The set also extends its record of 29 weeks — the most in the chart’s history — in the top three. Post Malone and Doja Cat’s “I Like You (A Happier Song),” is at No. 5; OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” keeps at No. 6; Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof” drops 5-7, and Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” lands at 9.
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