Rapper NF Has the No. 1 Album in the Country This Week
This year, rappers like JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Drake have topped the Billboard 200 chart with their albums 4:44, DAMN. and More Life, respectively. But this week, a rapper you might not have heard of named NF sits at the top.
The Michigan rapper's third studio album, Perception, which was released on Oct. 6 through NF Real Music/Capitol/Caroline, sold 55,000 equivalent copies in the U.S. first week, with 38,000 traditional copies sold and 21 million streams, Billboard reports.
NF is what many might consider a "Christian rapper," but he's discussed his rejection of the label before, saying it's not what he considers himself. "I mean, I'm a Christian, but I'm just an artist," he told Idolator. "I’m a musician. You know what I mean? To me it’s like if you’re a Christian and you’re a plumber, are you a Christian plumber? That’s the easiest way for me to explain it. I just make music."
TobyMac and Lecrae, who are also considered by many to be Christian rappers, have topped the Billboard 200 in the past.
While Lil Pump's self-titled debut album was expected to reach No. 1 on the chart, the Miami rapper had to settle for the third spot as the album moved 6,000 traditional units and garnered close to 57 million streams. He moved 46,000 total equivalent units first week.
Post Malone is also in the top five of the Billboard 200, as his 2016 album, Stoney, made its way to No. 4. The album has seen a surge in popularity thanks to the recent viral success of the song "I Fall Apart" and the rapper's new single with 21 Savage, "Rockstar," which just topped the Hot 100 today.
Listen to NF's "Let You Down" below and stream Perception via Spotify below.
See 21 of Hip-Hop's Biggest First-Week Sales in 2017 (So Far)