Month: July 2023

Jasiel Nuñez makes an impressive arrival on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated July 8) as he debuts for the first time with two songs.

Nuñez launches with a pair of Peso Pluma collaborations: “Lagunas” at No. 90, and “Rosa Pastel” at No. 93. Both songs are on Peso Pluma’s new studio album, Génesis, which debuts at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums and No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 73,000 equivalent album units earned in its first full tracking week (June 23-29), according to Luminate. (The original version of the album, comprising 14 tracks, was released on an off-cycle Thursday, June 22, the final day of the June 16-22 tracking week. The newer edition, containing three bonus tracks, dropped June 30. Both versions of the album have been combined for tracking and charting purposes, while the original has been removed from platforms.)

“Lagunas” also debuts at No. 19 on Hot Latin Songs, as well as No. 140 on the Billboard Global 200.

“Rosa Pastel” jumps 36-20 on Hot Latin Songs and re-enters the Global 200 at No. 121, both new best ranks.

Both songs debut on the Hot 100 largely thanks to their respective streaming totals, each just over 6 million in the U.S. June 23-29.

Nuñez, from Guadalajara, Mexico, is a newcomer to Billboard’s charts. He first appeared on a ranking in May, when “Rosa Pastel” debuted at No. 24 on Hot Latin Songs and No. 163 on the Billboard Global 200.

Nuñez was one of the first artists that Peso Pluma signed to Double P Records after launching the label, as CEO and head of A&R, in April.

Houston rapper Big Pokey was laid to rest Sunday (July 2), a week after he collapsed onstage and died during a performance.

A week ago, Big Pokey was onstage in front of an audience in Beaumont, Texas, when he suddenly collapsed. A video circulating online and on social media shows Pokey taking the microphone in front of a crowd. He takes a breath and then falls backward.

He was 48. The cause of death is not yet known; a preliminary autopsy report was inconclusive.

He was laid to rest following a service at Fountain of Praise church in Houston. Among the luminaries turning out to pay their respects were Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and rappers Paul Wall, Trae Tha Truth and Slim Thug, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Pokey, whose real name was Milton Powell, was a founding member of the Screwed Up Click, a rap collective led by DJ Screw, who is credited with developing “a slowed, pitched-down music style” that became known as “chopped and screwed,” according to the Associated Press.

“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved Milton ‘Big Pokey’ Powell. Big Pokey passed away on June 18, 2023,” read a statement posted on his Instagram following his death. “He was well-loved by his family, his friends, and his loyal fans. In the coming days, we will release information about his celebration of life and how the public can pay their respects. We ask that you respect his family and their privacy during this difficult time. Big Pokey will forever be ‘The Hardest Pit in the Litter.’”

The Hardest Pit in the Litter is a reference to Pokey’s 1999 debut LP. A year later, he released the album D-Game, and his third album, Da Sky’s Da Limit, was released in 2002.

Other notable credits include his appearance on Paul Wall’s “Sittin’ Sideways” and DJ Screw’s “June 27th.”

More recently, his released his last album, Sensei, in 2021 and appeared on Megan Thee Stallion’s 2022 track “Southside Royalty Freestyle” alongside Sauce Walka and Lil Keke.

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

Beyoncé is kicking off the North American leg of her Renaissance World Tour in fashion: She’s partnering with Canadian retailer Holt Renfrew to launch merchandise for her recent album and tour.

The Renaissance Flagship, an installation that celebrates the fashion of the singer’s Renaissance era, album and tour, will transform the third floor of Holt Renfrew’s 50 Bloor Street West store in Toronto from July 5-11. The merchandise launch coincides with Beyoncé’s two-night stint at Toronto’s Rogers Centre on July 8-9.

This is the first time the 21-piece collection, priced from about $20 to $250, will be available in North America. Beyoncé first launched the Renaissance Flagship in London as she toured the European leg of her world tour in May.

“We, at Holt Renfrew are thrilled and honoured to be the home to the RENAISSANCE FLAGSHIP in Toronto. At Holts, we stand behind empowering self-expression and igniting positive change and we truly believe that the RENAISSANCE FLAGSHIP is an incomparable Illustration of this spirit,” Sebastian Picardo, president and CEO of Holt Renfrew, said in a statement. “We can’t wait to welcome all to this unforgettable experience in partnership with one of the greatest icons in entertainment.”

Items in the collection include Beyoncé’s signature silver Renaissance cowboy hat; a “Summer Renaissance” hoodie featuring an oversized “B”; a white T-shirt with artwork inspired by a segment from the tour; a long-sleeved T-shirt featuring the Renaissance album cover but in green screen form; an 80-page Renaissance World Tour art book; and a “We Shut This City Down” T-shirt in homage to the singer’s Toronto takeover.

The Renaissance Flagship will also include an exhibition of Renaissance Couture by Beyoncé x Balmain, which is making its North American debut. The star announced the collaboration, which she co-created with Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing, in March. It includes 16 couture outfits dedicated to the 16 songs on Renaissance and the collaboration marks the first time a Black woman has overseen the couture offering from a historic Parisian house.

In addition to Renaissance Couture by Beyoncé x Balmain, the singer is launching a four-piece, limited-edition product extension titled Renaissance: Beyoncé with Balmain. Drawing inspiration from the couture pieces that will be on display at Holt Renfrew, it includes two oversized tees, a dropped-shoulder hoodie and giant tote emblazoned with the collection’s moniker. They will be priced from about $150 to $450.

Beyoncé launched her Renaissance World Tour on May 10 in Stockholm, Sweden. After two nights in Toronto, she will also visit stadiums in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta, Inglewood and Houston, her hometown. The tour will wrap on Sept. 27 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Renaissance debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart last August, for Bey’s seventh solo leader.

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

Kelly Clarkson earns her fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated July 8) as her latest studio effort, Chemistry, debuts atop the list. The set sold 43,000 copes in the U.S. in the week ending June 29, according to Luminate. Clarkson previously led the tally with Piece by Piece (2015), All I Ever Wanted (2009) and Thankful (2003). All told, Chemistry is her 10th top 10-charting title on Top Album Sales.

Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, Young Thug nabs his sixth top 10 set as Business Is Business bows at No. 6.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. The new July 8, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on July 5, one day later than usual, owed to the Independence Day holiday in the U.S. on July 4.  For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Chemistry’s 43,000 copies sold in its first week, physical sales comprise 25,500 (18,000 on CD and 7,500 on vinyl) and digital album sales comprise 17,500. The set also enters at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart (her first leader there), and with 7,500 sold, Chemistry lands Clarkson her best week ever on vinyl.

Chemistry’s sales were bolstered by its availability across multiple vinyl variants, including exclusive color editions for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Clarkson’s webstore, Spotify, Target, Urban Outfitters and Walmart. (Target’s edition also had an alternative cover.) Clarkson’s CD sales were enhanced by multiple editions, including a signed version sold through her webstore, an Amazon-exclusive that contained a poster and a Target-exclusive variant with an alternative cover.

ATEEZ’s The World EP.2: Outlaw falls to No. 2 in its second week, with 32,000 sold (down 68%) after debuting atop the list a week ago. Stray Kids’ former No. 1 5-STAR is a non-mover at No. 3 with 19,000 (down 28%) and ENHYPEN’s Dark Blood is also stationary at No. 4 with 11,000 (down 10%). Taylor Swift’s chart-topping Midnights is steady at No. 5 with nearly 11,000 sold (down 4%).

Young Thug’s Business Is Business is the second and final debut in the top 10, as it starts at No. 6 with 8,500 sold, with 97% of that figure from digital album sales. A small number of sales were generated by a CD edition of the album that was released late in the tracking week to a limited number of independent record stores. Business is the sixth top 10-charting set for the rapper.

Swift has two more albums in the top 10, as her former No. 1s Folklore (10-7 with 8,000; up 4%) and Lover (16-8 with 7,000; up 16%) both climb. Two more chart-topping sets round out the top 10, as SEVENTEEN’s SEVENTEEN 10th Mini Album: FML is a non-mover at No. 9 (nearly 7,000; down 19%) and TWICE’s Ready to Be rises 13-10 (6,000; down 9%).

In the week ending June 29, there were 1.708 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 13.6% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.363 million (down 17%) and digital albums comprised 346,000 (up 3.1%).

There were 620,000 CD albums sold in the week ending June 29 (down 14.4% week-over-week) and 735,000 vinyl albums sold (down 19.1%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 17.537 million (up 3.9% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 23.606 million (up 21.7%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 50.641 million (up 7.9% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 41.407 million (up 13.3%) and digital album sales total 9.234 million (down 11.2%).

Nothing But Thieves are about to steal the U.K. chart title.

The five-piece indie rock band from Essex, England leads the midweek chart with Dead Club City, their fourth LP.

Whatever happens between now and when the chart is published this Friday, July 7, Dead Club City should give the act their fourth consecutive top 10 appearance, following 2015’s self-titled debut (peaking at No. 7), 2017’s Broken Machine (No. 2) and 2020’s Moral Panic (No. 3).

Coming in at No. 2 on the Official Chart Update is Grian Chatten’s debut solo album Chaos For The Fly (via Partisan). As frontman of Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C., Chatten has enjoyed top 10s with each of their three albums: 2019’s Dogrel (No. 9), 2020’s A Hero’s Death (No. 2) and a chart title for 2022’s Skinty Fia.

Closing out the top three on the midweek tally Elton John’s Diamonds (Mercury/UMC). The Rocket Man’s career retrospective is at No. 3, and still flying after his spectacular finale at Glastonbury Festival 2023.

Close behind at No. 4 on the chart blast is Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape. If it holds its position, it’ll give the U.S. rapper his second U.K. top 5, following 2020’s Eternal Atake, which peaked at No. 3.

Also poised for a top 10 debut is British alt-pop newcomer Olivia Dean with Messy. It’s new at No. 8 on the midweek tally, and could earn the artist her first U.K. top 10.

Following news of her health problems, Madonna’s latest hits collection, Finally Enough Love (Rhino), is set to reenter the top 10, roaring 96-9 on the chart update. The Queen of Pop reportedly spent several days in the ICU after she developed a serious bacterial infection on June 24. Though she’s said to be on the mend, Madonna’s massive, career-spanning Celebration tour has been put on pause for the time being. Finally Enough Love originally peaked at No. 3 in the U.K. following its release in 2022.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday.

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” is striking fear in its U.K. chart rivals.

The U.S. pop phenomenon’s latest release starts at No. 2 on the midweek singles survey, and is challenging Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter” (Live Yours/Neighbourhood) for the crown.

“Vampire” is the first official release from Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts, the followup to her record-breaking 2021 debut Sour.

With Sour and its single “Good 4 U,” Rodrigo became, at 18 years and three months, the youngest solo artist in history to snag the Official U.K. Chart double.

The Grammy Award winner’s debut also broke the U.K. record for most first-week streams ever for a debut album, and she’s the first female solo artist to bag three simultaneous U.K. top 5 singles with “Good 4 U,” “Deja Vu” and “Traitor” (Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” also went to No. 1).

“Vampire” should give Rodrigo her fifth U.K. top 10.

“Sprinter” is racing to a fifth consecutive week at No. 1, while the midweek podium is completed by J Hus and Drake’s “Who Told You” (Black Butter/OVO/Republic). The rap collab appears to have missed its chance to hit the summit, dipping 2-3 in its fourth week on the Official Chart Update.

Meanwhile, Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam” (BMG) is on the rise, and appears set for a No. 8 spot, a new peak.

Also on the climb is Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (EMI), which is on the verge of its first stint in the top 10. The Lover track lifts 13-9 on the Official Chart Update, and could net Swift her 22nd top 10.

The next highest new entry on the chart should be a homegrown hip-hop number, “Pakistan,” by rap collective D-Block Europe and Londoner Clavish. It’s new at No. 11 on the midweek tally.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published Friday, July 7.