On the Charts: Drake’s ‘Scorpion’ Rides Best Streaming Week Ever to Number One

Fueled by record-breaking streaming numbers, Drake”˜s Scorpion opened atop the Billboard 200 with the best sales week of 2018 so far.

Scorpion sold over 732,000 total copies in its debut week, with the vast majority of that sum drawn from streaming equivalent albums (SEAs): According to Billboard, Scorpion tracks generated 746 million on-demand streams in its first week stateside ”“ and 1 billion worldwide ”“ resulting in 551,000 SEAs. Scorpion added another 160,000 traditional copies to post the best sales week since Taylor Swift’s Reputation went instant-platinum in November 2017.

With his eighth straight Number One album, Drake matches the record currently shared by the Beatles, Eminem and Kanye West, whose own streak continued (with Ye) and ended (with Kids See Ghosts) in June.

Three more new releases entered the Top 10 this week behind Drake: Florence and the Machine’s High as Hope hit Number Two with 84,000 total copies, while Gorillaz’ The Now Now dropped in at Number Four and 63,000 total copies.

Also back in the Top 10 after a long absence was Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, which returned at Number 10 thanks to 33,000 copies sold of the album’s deluxe reissues. Appetite for Destruction last graced the Top 10 in August 1989, Billboard reports.

Post Malone’s Beerbongs and Bentleys once again led the returnees at Number Three, ahead of XXXTentacion’s ? at Number Five, Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy at Number Six, Juice WRLD’s Goodbye & Good Riddance at Number Seven and the Carters’ Everything Is Love at Number Eight. Last week’s Number One, Panic! At the Disco’s Pray for the Wicked, closed out the Top 10 at Number Nine.

While new releases from Future and Meek Mill arrived on Friday, expect Scorpion”˜s reign to continue for the foreseeable future.