Lil Baby Tops Billboard 200 with "WHAM," Secures Fourth Consecutive No. 1 Album
Lil Baby has achieved another milestone in his career, claiming his fourth consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with WHAM. The album, which debuted atop the chart dated January 18, earned an impressive 140,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. during its first week, according to Luminate. This achievement solidifies Lil Baby’s dominance in the hip-hop landscape, following previous chart-topping successes with It’s Only Me (2022), The Voice of the Heroes(with Lil Durk, 2021), and My Turn (2020).
Breaking Down WHAM’s Success
Of the album's 140,000 units, 90,000 were attributed to streaming equivalent album units, representing 119.77 million on-demand streams. Album sales accounted for 50,000 units, bolstered by the release of a deluxe edition with four additional tracks, and track equivalent album units contributed a smaller portion. The album’s guest features include notable names such as 21 Savage, Future, GloRilla, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Rod Wave, and Rylo Rodriguez.
WHAM’s release was further supported by strategic pricing, with the album being discounted to $4.99 on digital platforms such as the iTunes Store and the artist’s webstore.
Bad Bunny Claims No. 2 Spot
Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS debuted at No. 2 with 122,000 equivalent album units. This total included 113,500 streaming equivalent album units, equaling 152.16 million on-demand streams for its 17 tracks. The album, released on January 5, had only five days of activity in the tracking week, highlighting its strong debut performance.
The Rest of the Top 10
The Billboard 200’s top 10 also features notable entries from various artists:
SZA’s SOS (No. 3) with 113,000 units
Kendrick Lamar’s GNX (No. 4) with 67,000 units
Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet (No. 5) with 51,000 units
The Wicked film soundtrack (No. 6) with 45,000 units
Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft (No. 7) with 43,000 units
Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time (No. 8) with 40,000 units
Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us (No. 9) with 38,000 units
Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA (No. 10) with 37,000 units.
A Tight Race for No. 1
Lil Baby’s and Bad Bunny’s releases sparked a closely watched battle for the first No. 1 album of 2025. Ultimately, WHAM took the top spot, but both artists demonstrated the immense reach and loyalty of their fanbases. Lil Baby has hinted at releasing another album, Dominique, later this year, potentially setting the stage for even more chart dominance.
Looking Ahead
With WHAM’s success, Lil Baby has once again proven his staying power in the music industry. Despite some critics questioning the album’s creativity, fans embraced it eagerly after a two-year wait. As Lil Baby and Bad Bunny continue to promote their projects, the year ahead promises exciting developments for both artists and the broader hip-hop and music culture.
Whether it’s chart-topping hits or fresh sounds on the horizon, 2025 is shaping up to be another big year for music.
