Nicki Minaj is making her mark on the charts. The rap queen’s third album The Pinkprint enters the Billboard 200 at No. 2.
The star-studded set, which features appearances from Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and Drake, opens with 244,000 units in its first week, according to Billboard. Of that total consumption number, 194,000 were actual copies sold.
Her last album, 2012’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and sold 253,000 in its opening week.
After topping the charts last week, J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive slips to No. 4 with 135,000 units (119,000 copies).
D’Angelo returns to the charts with Black Messiah, which debuts at No. 5 with 117,000 units (111,000 in sales). His first album in nearly 15 years follows 1995’s Brown Sugar (No. 6) and Voodoo (No. 1, 320,000 copies).
Rounding out the top 10 is Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour, which rises 8-6 with 102,000 units (79,000 in sales), while Ed Sheeran’s x moves 9-8 with 100,000 (61,000 copies).
Billboard 200 Top 5
1. Taylor Swift – 1989 – 375,000
2. Nicki Minaj – The Pinkprint – 244,000
3. Pentatonix – That’s Christmas to Me – 214,000
4. J. Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive – 135,000
5. D’Angelo and the Vanguard – Black Messiah – 117,000
