André 3000 defied expectations earlier this month with the release of his experimental jazz album “New Blue Sun,” a project that eschews rapping altogether. While the album may not be considered a commercial blockbuster, it still managed to outperform several popular rappers in its first week.
According to Billboard, “New Blue Sun” moved 23,783 total album-equivalent units in its opening week, securing the No. 34 spot on the charts. This figure surpasses first-week sales managed by the likes of Nas, City Girls, Ice Spice, Rae Sremmurd and for their recent albums.
Nevertheless, New Blue Sun (If it can be classified as a rap album) continues a lackluster year for rap album sales, with only four albums reaching No. 1: Travis Scott’s “UTOPIA,” Lil Uzi Vert’s “The Pink Tape,” Rod Wave’s “Nostalgia,” and Drake’s “For All The Dogs.”
Last week, Kodak Black’s latest release, “When I Was Dead,” sold just 14,067 units, landing at No. 74, while Larry June’s “The Night Shift” moved under 11,000 units, debuting at No. 112. Trippie Redd’s “Saint Michael” fared even worse, selling 8,892 units to hit No. 161.
André 3000, anticipating the potential backlash for delivering an album without a single rap verse, aptly titled the project’s opening track: “I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time.” In an interview with GQ, he explained the decision behind releasing an all-instrumental album: “There’s this misconception that I just won’t do it. I think people feel like I’m sitting around on rap albums, or sitting around and I’m just not putting them out in that way. And no, it’s not like that… In my mind, I really would like to make a rap album. So maybe that happens one day, but I got to find a way to say what I want to say in an interesting way that’s appealing to me at this age.”
Elsewhere on the charts, Drake’s “For All the Dogs” reclaimed the No. 1 spot thanks to its “Scary Hours 3” deluxe edition, which racked up 145,000 units over the last week. Meanwhile, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz’s collaborative project “Welcome 2 Collegrove” moved 34,000 copies in its first week, debuting at No. 20 on the Billboard 200.
