As Pop Smoke’s Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon leads Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for an 11th week, the late rapper’s debut studio set becomes the longest-running champ in nearly a decade and posts the third-longest stay at No. 1 for a rap album in the chart’s history.
Shoot for the Stars rebounds from No. 2 on the list dated Nov. 21 to capture an 11th frame in charge. The project, released July 3 (four-and-a-half months after Pop Smoke’s death on Feb. 20), debuted at No. 1 in July and has reigned for 11 of its first 19 weeks on the list. Since its arrival, Shoot has yet to fall below No. 3 on the weekly rankings.
With an 11th frame at No. 1, Shoot surpasses two high-profile projects, Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN., to claim the longest run at No. 1 in recent years. Lemonade and DAMN. each ruled for 10 weeks, respectively, in 2016 and 2017. Shoot now owns the most time at the summit since Drake’s Take Care scored 12 weeks in charge in 2011-12.
As Shoot leapfrogs Lamar’s DAMN., it also moves on to the podium as one of the three longest-running No. 1 rap projects in the history of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, which began in 1965. Drake’s Take Care ranks second with its dozen leading frames, while Eminem’s Recovery is the reigning champ with 16 weeks at No. 1 in 2010.
Shoot traces its longevity to the strength of its multiple singles that have proven staying power with consumers, especially in the streaming sector. Despite its July 3 release, Shoot claims four songs in the top 20 of the most recent Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, dated Nov. 21.
On the latest edition, “For the Night,” featuring Lil Baby and DaBaby, reaches a new peak of No. 4, outdoing its No. 5 previous best upon its July debut. “What You Know About Love” holds at No. 10, while “The Woo,” featuring Roddy Ricch and 50 Cent, dips 10-11 and “Mood Swings,” featuring Lil Tjay, slips 13-16.
Official radio singles “The Woo” and “For the Night” have additionally bolstered Pop Smoke’s impact on the R&B/hip-hop charts this year. “The Woo,” serviced to radio in July release, ranks at No. 4 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, while “Night” races 29-18. The latter cut also secures the week’s Airplay Gainer prize, surging to 7.6 million in audience impressions in the week ending Nov. 15, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, up 32% from a 5.7 million audience reach in the prior tracking week.
