Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape is the first rap album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2023.
On Monday (July 10), the outlet announced the top 10 projects on their latest Billboard 200 chart, revealing that Lil Uzi Vert’s third studio album made it to the No. 1 spot. Pink Tape earned 167,000 album-equivalent units, stamping it the biggest week for any rap or R&B album this year.
This accomplishment has ended the longest gap between No. 1 rap albums in nearly 30 years. According to Billboard, the last rap LP to debut at No. 1 was Metro Boomin’s Heroes and Villains in December of 2022, which spent one week at No. 1. Metro Boomin gave the Philly rapper a shout out yesterday by posting the report on his Instagram Story, tagging them and adding a handshake emoji. Uzi then reposted it to their Story.
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Uzi released their highly anticipated album on Sunday, June 30 and it features Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Snow Strippers, Bring Me The Horizon, Don Toliver, and BABYMETAL. The 26-track project is home to one of Uzi’s hit singles, “Just Wanna Rock,” which peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
As previously reported by REVOLT, Uzi opened up to TMZ about Pink Tape‘s recording process. “It was challenging at first. But then after probably after a month, I got used to it,” they began. “I thought that my creative process wasn’t going to be the same because I wasn’t on drugs no more. It was the same. Even better. Because I could think more clear and I could actually, like, instead of my words slurring, which is kinda of cool, everything made sense. I didn’t just make random music. How can I say? I didn’t play off the beat. I actually made songs with topics this time.”