Rap-Up.com || Drake’s ‘Take Care’ Scores Third Biggest Debut of 2011

Drake’s fans took very good care of him this week. The Canadian rapper-singer lands his second No. 1 on the charts with his sophomore album.

Take Care places first on the Billboard 200 with 631,000 copies sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The impressive figures best his debut Thank Me Later, which opened with 447,000 in June 2010.

He also earns the third biggest debut of the year behind Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV (964,000) and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way (1.1 million).

A humble Drizzy took to Twitter to express his gratitude. “I can’t even find the words to express my appreciation…’thank you and I owe you’ is all that comes to mind…truly,” he wrote to his 4.3 million followers.

Drake will face off against rock band Nickelback for the top spot on next week’s chart, which will also see debuts from Rihanna and Mary J. Blige.

Posted in Drake | Permalink

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

62 Comments

uhuh
November 23rd, 2011 at 8:46 am
Second* Gaga dont count
[Reply]
StarsAreBlind Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:24 am
@uhuh, You’re right. I only count the numbers she did that didn’t cost a dollar at Amazon.com. Which is around what Drake got for Thank me Later.
[Reply]
lil wayne Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:25 am
@StarsAreBlind, clever
[Reply]
Alejandro Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 5:36 pm
@uhuh, Too bad NEITHER of you work for Billboard whom counts GaGa sales.
Billboard>>> You
Y’all so bitter all the while totally misinformed.
[Reply]
Peasant Reply:
November 24th, 2011 at 9:47 am
@Alejandro, yeah selling your album for a dollar dosen’t even count …like wtf. lady gaga is all hype…drake sell his album 13x that and still sold over 63k..when you compare…lil wayne and drake sell more from a technical perspective. hence lady gaga is like at 3rd or 4th place behind WTT.
[Reply]
mike Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 5:51 pm
@uhuh,
lawl too bad they put her as number one. already at 8 million+ around the world for her…she’s number one.
[Reply]
chrischris1992 Reply:
November 25th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
@mike, It still counts as 1.1 million copies. All stores can offer this sale, but Amazon.com chose to do the sale. It does count. I wish people would stop knocking Lady Gaga. She has the highest debut of the year; life goes on let it go! I guarentee that if Lil’ Wayne or Drake sold that many copies (based on the $.99 price tag) everyone would be all for it. Just realize that she sold that much, Wayne sold that much, and Drake came in third.
[Reply]
montreal
November 23rd, 2011 at 8:47 am
Yo I swear Birdman be buying their albums, Drake’s fan base is not bigger than Rihanna’s not to mention she has a number one single….
[Reply]
m.i.k.e. Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 8:50 am
@montreal
have you even listened to his album?! it oozes QUALITY in every single note, in every single word
not to mention Talk That Talk is pretty whack and disappointed a lot of people, not the Navy obviously but the people who dont stan for her. Talk That Talk is a watered down compilation of Rihanna’s past hits
[Reply]
montreal Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:03 am
@m.i.k.e., yea i listened to the album its a solid album but do i believe he’s really pullin in these numbers, no. With downloads, and his album leaking, plus not scoring a bug hit from it, i just dont see his fan base being that big. I mean really, beyonce only did about half these numbers, and lets bet Nicki Minaj almost goes platinum her first week…thanks Young Money/Cash Money. and btw they should invest in their other artists ex. Tyga, Bow Wow, and I think Busta made a mistake going over there
[Reply]
StarsAreBlind Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:22 am
@montreal, They do invest in there other artists. Lil Twist has put out 3 music video and Tyga released one a while ago. Money can’t generate buzz. It kind of just happens. Plus, you might just not have any friends because the Drake numbers make since to me, and that’s because I know a lot of people who did buy it, as oppose to the one person I know that bought a Rihanna CD.
[Reply]
me Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 8:52 am
@montreal, AMEN!
[Reply]
uhuh Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 8:55 am
@montreal, Rihanna is a singles artist. So is Katy Perry, So is Flo Rida, So are Black Eyed Peas. Rihanna only pushes for hit songs. She has never been taking serious as a album artist.
- Rihanna Stans Come At Me.
[Reply]
:) Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:21 am
@uhuh, I agree! She doesn’t even care about #1 albums! She just loves her singles! :)
[Reply]
Drizzy Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:30 am
@uhuh, Yes I agree. Drizzy makes more music with substance so he has fans that will buy his album.
I didn’t buy any of Drakes singles but I bought 2 copies of his album. One for crib and one for the ride. Standard!
I did the same with Yeezy’s albums. Rihanna only scores high singles not albums.
[Reply]
lonnie Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:58 am
@Drizzy, I guess Nicki Minaj makes music with substance too? I bet regardless of her single she’s gonna come close to platinum her first week. Young Money/Cash Money only cares about being on top. If ‘Watch the throne’ didn’t do these numbers in da first week with two power house names in it, let’s be real…
[Reply]
OVOXO Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:12 am
@montreal, Rihanna never sold much albums …
[Reply]
is you serious Reply:
November 24th, 2011 at 10:02 am
@OVOXO, are you for real.. GGGB sold over 12mill
[Reply]
Ice Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:01 am
@montreal, Drake’s album is actually worth buying though
[Reply]
DRB Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:51 am
@montreal, So Birdman wasted millions of his own dollars for Drake to sell more and since he does that for Wayne and Nicki too, he should be more than bankrupt.
Alright ——>
[Reply]
jj Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:40 am
@montreal, i would like to know you are so sure about drakes fan base?
[Reply]
Joyams Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 4:39 pm
@montreal, LOL someone had to say this sh!t again i guess
[Reply]
Brionna Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 6:42 pm
@Joyams, i think Drake sold those albums white ppl love YM
[Reply]
THETRUTH Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:40 pm
@montreal, Hip hop artist usually sell more than pop/r&b artists in the 1st week besides Rihanna is a singles artist ppl hardly hype up about her albums. Its not about how large your fan base is its about how many of them are willing to buy your music.
[Reply]
chrischris1992 Reply:
November 25th, 2011 at 4:49 pm
@montreal, That would be dumb on Birdman’s part to buy copies of his albums. He is not going to get back the $12 (the average cost of a CD) by buying Drake’s album. He will get back half; if that. So I think maybe Drake sold off of a fan base. Statics also prove that usually (minus Lady Gaga) Rap artist sale the most in there first week, and die of slow. On the other hand POP/ROCK/R&B artist sale decently in their first week, and are constant with average sales every week.
[Reply]
A Realist
November 23rd, 2011 at 8:51 am
Rihtard could NEVER.
[Reply]
Kyler, The Creator
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:00 am
Atta boy Jimmy! way to rep YMCMB even tho Lil Wayne is a Homo rapper.
[Reply]
lil wayne Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:27 am
@Kyler, The Creator, hi sweety, no homo.
[Reply]
RDK
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:04 am
gratz drake.
[Reply]
The College Dropout Reply:
November 24th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
@RDK, Kanye West is wayy better than Drizyy bro, he kills what Drake is doin with the College Dropout and Late Regristration….#justsayin
[Reply]
Real Issh
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:35 am
He deserves it all . Album is flawless .
[Reply]
p.s my cookies slippery
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:44 am
Congrats Drake…p.s take could care of me
[Reply]
Holtz
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:49 am
wow, great
[Reply]
Flop That Flop
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:52 am
Congrats to Drake. As much as i love him, i’m really here for Rihanna (Lol hahahahah)
I feel it’s time we Bey stans strike the final blow to this un-ending war between Rih and Bey stans. Hell, even chris brown sold about 260,000 units. Bey had to deal with her album leaking entirely, no number ones and bad music choice and even bad management but she still snatched Rih’s wig. Where are Rih stans now? COME OUT FROM YA HIDING PLACE!!! Yall called Bey’s album 4closure. Dont get mad now coz Karma is a bitch!!!!
Bey Hive!!! Hear my call!!! Let’s put an end to this once and for all!!! Come out and sting!!!! We have endured so much for Bey and her album but our patience has paid off.
If i did not convince you enough, then take a look at these comments RihFlops stans made about Beyonce’s album on a post ON THIS SAME WEBSITE >>
http://www.rap-up.com/2011/08/01/beyonces-4-certified-platinum/
[Reply]
lil wayne Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:27 am
@Flop That Flop, you have way too much free time =\
creepy
[Reply]
THETRUTH Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:45 pm
@lil wayne, I KNOW I am obsessed with Bey but really? ppl like that make everyone think beyonce fans are crazy smh thanks @flop that flop…
[Reply]
chrischris1992 Reply:
November 25th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
@THETRUTH, I don’t think anyone is Obsessed with celebrities. It is kinda simple to go to Yahoo.com and see headlines of album sales and such. It isn’t stalking when it is one every cover of ever magazine.
[Reply]
lonnie
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:56 am
I guess Nicki Minaj makes music with substance too? I bet regardless of her single she’s gonna come close to platinum her first week. Young Money/Cash Money only cares about being on top. If ‘Watch the throne’ didn’t do these numbers in da first week with two power house names in it, let’s be real…
[Reply]
DrakeTakeCare
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:05 am
YEEEEEEES CONGRATULATIONS DRIZZYYYY!!! well deserved!!!!
[Reply]
TeamDrickiNYC
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:32 am
Yes! #TeamDrizzy is so proud of you!
Congrats Drake. You deserve it.
[Reply]
MottoisYOLO
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:52 am
Congrats Drake! Take Care really deserved it.
[Reply]
Triniti
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:14 am
I don’t know about Birdman buying albums, but for me, Take Care was very underwhelming. It’s always the same thing with Drake: his mother, strippers, pressures of fame, alcohol, money, etc….
[Reply]
jj
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:46 am
congrats to him,i liked the cd and for a sophomore cd I thought the quality was excellent I hope he will grow and mature and not let this get to his head …that’s where a lot of artist fall off
[Reply]
Jerome
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:49 am
I swear Birdman ain’t buying no albums. YMCMB knows how the industry works. They make music for the kids and younger people. That’s who they stand for and why they count so many young artist in their team. YOUNG money cash money. And what the kids are doing? They listen to music cuz they only got enough cash to buy albums. No cars, no rents, no food, nothing. Music is business which means you need to target the fans. Look at Justin Bieber and you’ll see what i’m talkin bout cuz they are in the same category. Also wayne and nicki dress everyday and act on a daily basis just like KIDS do.
[Reply]
JAy-Z-Z Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:48 pm
@Jerome, Young kids dont buy albums, they download that ish
[Reply]
jj
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:53 am
and people kill me with that “oh he raps about the same thing” crap to be honest all rappers generally rap about the same damn thing even the politically revolutionary conscious rappers sound the same.
its all about word play…catchy beats are a plus but clever and witty perspectives are what impresses me
[Reply]
Jerome
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:53 am
Ohhh and Drake even if he make mature music he’s part of the team so he’s blessed buy Wayne and Nicki fans trust me.
[Reply]
unknown
November 23rd, 2011 at 12:10 pm
who said drake didn’t have a big hit from this record? have you heard headlines? have you heard marvin’s room? yea, that’s what i thought.
[Reply]
London In The House !
November 23rd, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Uhh, aaw yeaah…
[Reply]
bknyhustle
November 23rd, 2011 at 1:38 pm
“I just been playing, I aint even notice I was winning…
And this is the only sound you should fear…
Man, these kids wear crowns over here and everything is alright…”
smh #forgivethemJewGawd
[Reply]
Big nuts
November 23rd, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Amazing album, success well deserved, dude hardly promoted it too, only one official video.
The fans have just been hungry.
Ovoxo
[Reply]
Neon
November 23rd, 2011 at 6:44 pm
You deserve it, Drake
[Reply]
Hugh
November 24th, 2011 at 4:31 am
Congrats! I got mine on Friday
But Im in Australia
[Reply]
FANS "TAKE CARE" OF DRAKE | Carlton Jordan
November 24th, 2011 at 5:59 am
[...] Source: Rap-Up [...]
H-Town
November 24th, 2011 at 6:24 am
That’s good numbers there. However, one would think if you have 4.3 million followers then sales would be a little close to that number. I guess all the followers not true supporters or they were broke LMBO. Got mine in heavy rotation all day.
[Reply]
MAYA
November 24th, 2011 at 11:32 am
leave gaga OUT!
[Reply]
Yas
November 24th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
MARY J’S ALBUM IS CRAAAAAAZY!
[Reply]
Birdman
November 25th, 2011 at 3:47 am
Hi. I bought 300k of these.
[Reply]
The Truth Reply:
November 25th, 2011 at 8:42 am
@Birdman, you lying again..you mean 500k
[Reply]
Jcole1
November 25th, 2011 at 6:26 am
J Cole will destroy drake and lil Wayne careers soon guys
[Reply]
blueangle
November 25th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
drake has a sexy voice……….
[Reply]
London Removals Company dealing with House Or Office Moves. Home removals, relocation and storage services and cost-free removals quotes.
February 23rd, 2012 at 6:38 am
London Removals Company dealing with House Or Office Moves. Home removals, relocation and storage services and cost-free removals quotes….
[...]Rap-Up.com || Drake’s ‘Take Care’ Scores Third Biggest Debut of 2011[...]…