Hip hop has never seen a rapper with the same sustained commercial success as Drake. Not in the 40 plus years that the culture has been around, and in 2023 Drake was announced the most streamed artist of the year. Adding to the accolades was the release of For All The Dogs which reached an epic 411,000 sales in the first week and claimed the #1 Billboard 200 Chart immediately.
There have been artists who have come and had bigger moments ( DMX , 50 Cent ), or have been successful for much longer (Jay-Z, Eminem), but when it comes to consistently staying at the top of the charts, Drake has no competitor. He was arguably the best rapper of the 2010s , and undisputedly best-selling rapper of his generation .
The crazy thing is that when it comes to having the most number ones on the Billboard 200 , Drake’s only behind Jay-Z and Eminem – two rappers who have been in the game for over a decade longer than he has been.
So let’s get into it. From his 2009 debut So Far Gone to his star-making turn on Take Care to his latest release, 2022’s Her Loss with 21 Savage, here are the rankings for all of Drake’s first week album sales.
1 Views – first week album sales
Released: April 29, 2016
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Republic
First week album sales: 1,040,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Hotline Bling”, “One Dance”, “Pop Style”, “Controlla”, “Too Good”
Features: PartyNextDoor, Pimp C, Future, Dvsn, Wizkid, Kyla, and Rihanna.
2 Scorpion – first week album sales
Released: June 29, 2018
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Republic
First week album sales: 732,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “God’s Plan”, “Nice for What”, “I’m Upset”, “Don’t Matter to Me”, “In My Feelings”, “Nonstop”, “Mob Ties”
3 Nothing Was The Same – first week album sales
Released: September 24, 2013
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Republic, OVO Sound
First week album sales: 658,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Started from the Bottom”, “Hold On, We’re Going Home”, “All Me”, “Pound Cake”, “The Language”, “Too Much”, “Worst Behavior”
Features: 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Majid Jordan, Jay-Z, Jhené Aiko, Detail, and Sampha.
4 Take Care – first week album sales
Released: November 15, 2011
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Republic
First week album sales: 631,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Marvins Room”, “Headlines”, “Make Me Proud”, “The Motto”, “Take Care”, “HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right)”, “Crew Love”
Features: The Weeknd, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Birdman, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and André 3000.
5 Certified Lover Boy – first week album sales
Released: September 3, 2021
Label: OVO, Republic
First week album sales: 613,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: N/A
Features: Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Giveon, Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Future, Young Thug, Yebba, 21 Savage, Project Pat, Tems, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Kid Cudi.
6 If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late – first week album sales
Released: February 13, 2015
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Republic
First week album sales: 535,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Preach”, “Energy”
Features: PartyNextDoor, Travis Scott, and Lil Wayne.
7 More Life – first week album sales
Released: March 18, 2017
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Republic
First week album sales: 505,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Fake Love”, “Passionfruit”, “Free Smoke”, “Portland”, “Glow”
Features: Kanye West, Young Thug, Giggs, Skepta, Quavo, Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, Jorja Smith, Sampha, and PartyNextDoor.
8 Thank Me Later – first week album sales
Released: June 15, 2010
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown, Aspire
First week album sales: 447,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Over”, “Find Your Love”, “Miss Me”, “Fancy”
Features: Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, T.I., Swiss Beatz, The-Dream, Young Jeezy, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne.
Features: Jay-Z, Ty Dolla Sign, Michael Jackson, and Static Major.
9 Her Loss (with 21 Savage) – first week album sales
Released: November 4, 2022
Label: OVO, Republic, Slaughter Gang, Epic
First week album sales: 411,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: N/A
Features: Travis Scott
10 For All The Dogs – first week album sales
Released: October 6, 2023
Label: OVO – Republic
First week album sales: 411,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Slime you out”, “8AM in Charlotte”
Features: Teezo Touchdown, 21 Savage, J. Cole, Yeat, SZA, PartyNextDoor, Chief Keef, Bad Bunny, Sexyy Red, and Lil Yachty.
11 What A Time To Be Alive (with Future) – first week album sales
Released: September 20, 2015
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Republic, Epic, A1, Freebandz
First week album sales: 375,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: “Jumpman”
Features: N/A
12 Dark Lane Demo Tapes – first week album sales
Released: May 1, 2020
Label: Republic, OVO Sound
First week album sales: 223,000
Billboard 200 position: 2
Singles: “Toosie Slide”, “Chicago Freestyle”
Features: Future, Young Thug, Chris Brown, Playboi Carti, Giveon, Fivio Foreign, and Sosa Geek.
13 Honestly, Nevermind – first week album sales
Released: June 17, 2022
Label: OVO Sound, Republic
First week album sales: 204,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: N/A
Features: 21 Savage.
14 Care Package – first week album sales
Released: August 2, 2019
Label: OVO Sound, Republic
First week album sales: 109,000
Billboard 200 position: 1
Singles: N/A
Features: J. Cole, Rick Ross, and James Fauntleroy.
15 So Far Gone (EP) – first week album sales
Released: September 15, 2009
Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown, Aspire
First week album sales: 73,000
Billboard 200 position: 6
Singles: “Best I Ever Had”, “Successful”, “I’m Goin’ In”
Features: Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, Bun B and Young Jeezy.
