Kendrick Lamar and To Pimp A Butterfly pulled off something that few performers outside of Taylor Swift have managed to wrangle in the last few months: holding the no. 1 position on the Billboard 200 for more than one week. The album spent a second week at the top spot on the chart-the only performer aside from Swift (who spent a total of 11 weeks at no. 1 with 1989) to have done so since November, having sold 123,000 equivalent units during its second full week of sales. The accomplishment is even more relevant for the R&B/Hip-Hop genres, where Butterfly becomes the first album since 2013's Beyoncé to spend multiple weeks at no. 1.
Last week's no. 1 remains the same, as does last week's no. 2: The Season One soundtrack of Empire sold 61,000 equivalent copies during its third week. It's the first soundtrack to spend three weeks in the top two spots since 2007's High School Musical 2. Another soundtrack comes in at no. 3, as Fifty Shades of Grey moves up one spot with 54,000 copies moved.
Sam Smith got an unexpected bump in sales during the last week, with In The Lonely Hour moving 53,000 copies, a 15 percent jump, while taking no. 4. The aforementioned Swift remains at no. 5 with 1989, which sold 52,000 equivalent copies. Swift's most recent release hasn't fallen out of the Top 5 during its 22 weeks on the chart. Ed Sheeran also got a slight boost as his x finished its 40th week of sales, moving 50,000 copies and taking no. 6.
The first new album featured on the Billboard 200 this week comes from Action Bronson, who cracked the Top 10 for the first time with his first major label release, Mr. Wonderful. That release sold 49,000 equivalent copies. Another rapper, albeit one in his seventh week on the charts, follows at no. 8 as Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late slips with 44,000 copies sold.
One more old standard and one more new album round out the Top 10 this week: Maroon 5 and V takes no. 9 with 42,000 equivalent albums sold while Kidz Bop 28 debuts with 40,000 copies sold.
