The results are in

 

There are two major charts that the industry goes to, and has done so for decades: Billboard’s Hot 100 if you’re chasing after singles, and the Billboard 200 for albums. Year in and year out, those two charts still rule the musical world, with Kendrick Lamar largely ruling those today:

When it comes to albums

It was to be expected, and we at Sondz expected it: Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, the incredible new album by Mr. Kendrick Lamar, topped the charts in high fashion this past week. With almost 300 000 equivalent units sold, it actually constitutes the largest week of the year for any album. To compare, Future’s massive chart topper from 2 weeks ago, I Never Liked You, “only” sold 220 000. Meanwhile, Pusha T had his own #1 album before that, It’s Almost Dry, with a meagre 55 000 units. That last figure is actually low by Billboard standards, but Future’s is not: Kendrick is simply on a different trajectory…

To be fair, this is not however the only noteworthy album in the charts this week. Bad Bunny, last week’s #1, is down one notch with Un Verano Sin Ti, pushing Future down one slot as well: it all makes sense. As for Jack Harlow’s Come Home the Kids Miss You, which debuted the week prior at #3 (an admirable achievement given the current competition), it manages to remain in the top 10 at #6. Florence + The Machine is back with album #5 at #7, i.e. its 4th top 10 — and The Black Keys start at #8 with Dropout Boogie, their 6th top 10 album… If you’re fed up with numbers, you should probably stop reading right about now.

When it comes to singles

The singles charts are a little different, insofar as Harlow is actually on top. His “First Class” hit is back for a third non-consecutive week. Given the veritable musical fight going on right now, we say that’s a feat: Harry Styles’ own enduring chart-topper “As It Was” is right behind… then Kendrick pops up with “N95”, his first of four songs in the top 10. While that is not unheard of (last September, Drake held 9 of those 10 positions!), it is still a sign that two things are happening:

1. Kendrick Lamar is undoubtedly a major driving force in music right now, if the not the biggest driving force, as we alleged in our review on his latest masterpiece to date. That he is the biggest name in hip hop in 2022 is quite clear. As a matter of fact, the only artist who could claim to best him at this point is Drake, albeit only in sheer numbers: the complexity and subtlety of Lamar’s recent musical crop is no match for Certified Lover Boy…
2. This week confirms what we already knew: more than perhaps ever before, today’s singles charts reflect album charts insofar as we are witnessing tidal waves the likes of which we only saw with superhero movies before. Indeed, in the streaming age, “it” albums tend to take over the singles charts wholly, regardless what songs actually come out as singles. Case in point: the entire track listing of Kendrick’s album features in this week’s Hot 100…