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Playboi Carti’s closely anticipated I AM MUSIC is already off to an enormous begin. On Tuesday (March 18), Hits Double Day by day reported that the Atlanta rapper’s third studio album is presently pacing towards the most important U.S. streaming debut since Taylor Swift’s THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, which logged a whopping 891 million upon its preliminary launch.
In keeping with the publication, the 31-track physique of labor is projected to maneuver upwards of 310,000 album-equivalent models, all however securing a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 chart. As a reminder, 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams equate to 1 SEA unit, which means I AM MUSIC might very properly surpass 400 million in its opening week.
For context, Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U pulled practically 90 % of its 246,000 complete models from streaming, with 219,000 SEA models translating to 287 million on-demand streams. In the meantime, The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow leaned heavier on pure gross sales, with 130,500 SEA models — equal to 171.5 million on-demand streams — contributing to its huge 490,500 in general gross sales.
The closest Hip Hop or R&B launch to match that since THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, which dropped in April 2024, can be Kendrick Lamar’s shock sixth studio LP, GNX. Debuted in November of that very same 12 months, it opened with 319,000 album-equivalent models, of which SEA models made up 285,000 or 379.72 million on-demand streams.
After all, few artists have constructed up as a lot anticipation for a full-length mission as Carti, who has been teasing new music since simply months after 2020’s Complete Lotta Purple. The “EVIL J0RDAN” rapper additionally shares one key similarity with Swift, on condition that each of their respective albums push previous the 30-track mark.
To not point out, I AM MUSIC, which arrived on streaming providers as simply MUSIC, got here with three visitor appearances from Lamar, in addition to collaborations with Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, and extra.