Kanye West achieves 10th number-one album with ‘Donda’

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Kanye West is 10 for 10 now that his latest album, Donda, bowed atop the Billboard 200.

Donda, Ye’s 10th studio effort, is the biggest release of 2021 after moving a jaw-dropping 309,000 units in its first week.  The previous record holder was Olivia Rodrigo‘s SOUR, with 295,000 units. Ye’s album also was streamed 357.39 million times, the largest number of any album this year, and sold 37,000 physical copies.

With the “Stronger” rapper celebrating his 10th number one, he’s now among an elite class of only seven artists who’ve accomplished the feat, tied with Elvis Presley and Eminem, both of whom have 10 number-one albums.  Ahead of him are Barbra Streisand and Bruce Springsteen, with 11, Jay-Z with 14, and The Beatles, who have 19 chart-toppers.

Ye’s current rival, Drake, stands to tie with him should Certified Lover Boy bow atop the chart next week.

Also, Kanye ties with Eminem for having 10 consecutive number-one albums.  Only the pair’s debut efforts, The College Dropout and The Slim Shady collection, missed the milestone after both peaked at #2 in 2004 and 1999, respectively.

Donda, which boasts 27 tracks, was released late last month after numerous delays. The album is named after Ye’s late mother, Donda West, who died in 2007.

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