Tyler, the Creator Beats DJ Khaled for No. 1 Album
IGOR came to win.
Tyler, the Creator earns his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his sixth solo album IGOR, which moved 165,000 equivalent album units (74,000 in album sales) in its first week. The Odd Future alum also makes history as the first solo rapper to have a No. 1 album he produced and arranged by himself.
His previous album, 2017’s Flower Boy, debuted at No. 2 with 106,000 equivalent album units, of which 70,000 were pure album sales.
Taking to Twitter, a grateful Tyler thanked his supporters. “IGOR, NUMBER UNO, STANK YOU,” he tweeted. “honestly didnt think people would enjoy this album based on alot of thing, so again, thank you, i mean it.”
IGOR, NUMBER UNO, STANK YOU
— Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) May 27, 2019
honestly didnt think people would enjoy this album based on alot of thing, so again, thank you, i mean it
— Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) May 27, 2019
alot alot of effort put into this. not that that should dictate if people like it or not but im happy all that time and attention paid off
— Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) May 27, 2019
He beat out another high-profile release, DJ Khaled, whose 11th album Father of Ahsad debuts at No. 2. The star-studded project, featuring Cardi B, Chris Brown, and Travis Scott, moved 136,000 units in its first week, of which 34,000 were traditional sales. Father follows 2017’s Grateful, which debuted at No. 1 with 149,000 album equivalent units.
As The New York Times points out, merchandise bundles were offered with both albums, which included downloadable copies. Tyler, the Creator sold apparel, stickers, and lawn signs, while DJ Khaled sold energy supplements including Awake Energy Shot drinks.
Elsewhere on the Billboard 200, Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? slides 2-3, while Khalid’s Free Spirit falls to No. 4.