Posted by Future‘s decision to take two years off between albums has paid dividends as his latest effort I NEVER LIKED YOU has made his biggest dent on the Billboard charts as a solo artist thus far.
According to Billboard, the Atlanta rapper’s ninth studio album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after notching 222,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Streaming-equivalent albums (SEA) accounted for 214,000 units (283.75 million on-demand streams), while 6,500 came from pure album sales.
Billboard 200: #1(new) @1future, I NEVER LIKED YOU 222,000 [283.75 million on-demand streams | 6,500 pure sales].
— chart data (@chartdata) May 8, 2022
I NEVER LIKED YOU not only boasts the biggest debut of 2022 so far, but it marks the highest first-week sales for a solo album in Future’s career. His previous best was 2020’s High Off Life, which opened with 153,000 album-equivalent units.
The only time he’s topped that figure was in 2015 when his What a Time To Be Alive collaboration with Drake moved 375,000 first-week copies.
I NEVER LIKED YOU also earns Future his eight consecutive No. 1 album in seven years, a streak that dates back to 2015’s DS2. Hendrix is now fifth on the list of rappers with the most Billboard 200 No. 1s behind only JAY-Z (14), Drake (10), Eminem (10) and Kanye West (10).
Rappers with the most #1 albums in US Billboard 200 history:
#1 Jay-Z (@sc) 14
#2 @Drake 10
#2 @Eminem 10
#2 @kanyewest 10
#5 @1future 8— chart data (@chartdata) May 8, 2022
The 16-song project arrived on April 29 featuring appearances from Drake, Kanye West, Young Thug, Gunna, Kodak Black, EST Gee and Tems. A deluxe edition arrived just days later, boasting a further six songs and guest spots from Lil Baby, Lil Durk, 42 Dugg, Babyface Ray and Young Scooter.
Future is poised for more chart success as as his Drake and Tems-assisted “WAIT FOR U” single is expected to battle it out with Harry Styles’ “As It Was” for the No. 1 spot on this week’s Billboard Hot 100. The song recently received a Game of Thrones-esque visual makeover that saw the Freebandz boss embrace his title as the “Toxic King.”
Review – Future ‘I Never Liked You’ Is Fan Service Held Back By Dull Beats & Marketed Toxicity
Elsewhere on this week’s Billboard 200, The Weeknd‘s Dawn FM surged from No. 35 to No. 2 following the release of its vinyl LP, cassette and deluxe box sets, which accounted for an additional 57,000 equivalent album units.
Lil Durk‘s 7220 fell from No. 3 to No. 6 after moving 33,000 units, while NoCap’s Mr. Crawford debuted at No. 8 thanks to 29,000 first-week sales. Drake’s Certified Lover Boy (No. 9) and Doja Cat’s Planet Her (No. 10) continue to hold firm in the top 10.
Stream I NEVER LIKED YOU below.