Drake & NBA Youngboy In A Tight Race For #1 On Billboard 200

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NBA Youngboy's "Sincerely, Kentrell" is inching closer towards dethroning Drake's "Certified Lover Boy" from #1 on the Billboard 200.

Once again, Drake proved that he can't be topped on the Billboard 200 with the release of Certified Lover BoyThe Toronto MC delivered his latest studio album at the top of the month and it's remained at #1 since its debut. Last week, it prevented Lil Nas X's highly anticipated debut album, Montero, from debuting at the top. In a sense, it's surprising considering the amount of hype that was built around the project.

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NBA Youngboy is no Lil Nas X, though. The Louisiana rapper unveiled his latest project, Sincerely, Kentrell on Friday which contains absolutely no features. Additionally, NBA Youngboy has been locked up for the better part of 2021. Still, it seems like NBA Youngboy could end up dethroning Drake from the top of the Billboard 200, according to HitsDailyDouble. An updated look at the sales projection indicates that Drake's CLB and NBA Youngboy's Sincerely Kentrell are practically neck-in-neck for the #1 spot next week. Youngboy's album is expected to move upwards of 131K in its first week while Drake's CLB could outsell Sincerely by just 1,000 units.

If NBA Youngboy manages to outsell Drake, he will join the ranks of 2Pac and Lil Wayne as one of three rappers to debut at #1 from prison. Even if he doesn't end up outselling Drake, debuting at #2 from behind bars and with little promotion is quite the accomplishment. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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