Just when it seems like Drake might finally be working his way down the charts, he bounces right back up again and steals the spotlight. Views is back at No. 1 this week, which is really quite the feat considering how long it’s been available to the public. The set first debuted in the top spot on the Billboard 200 back in May, when it easily dethroned Beyoncé’s latest visual album Lemonade, which only got to rule for a single frame because of Drake’s appearance. Since then, the title hasn't strayed too far from the top, and this time around, it shifted just 53,000 equivalent copies, which is not a lot, but apparently enough to win the week.
When Views finally dropped after much anticipation, it made quite the impressive splash. The album kicked off its charting run with more than one million equivalent units moved in just its first full week, which is something that very few albums in history have ever managed to do. The big start was thanks to more than 245 million individual track streams, which more than doubled the previous best for one-week plays. That number is massive enough to turn heads on its own, nevermind the fact that when it first hit, Views was only available on
Since it first hit the No. 1 spot, Drake’s blockbuster record has ruled on the Billboard 200 for a dozen nonconsecutive weeks, only stepping aside once to make room for Blink-182’s “comeback” album California. After that title took its one-week turn at the top, Views was back in the driver’s seat, where it stayed for three more weeks. Eventually, everything comes to an end, and beginning with DJ Khaled’s Major Key, a number of titles have all debuted at No. 1 , inducing new titles from the likes of Frank Ocean, Barbra Streisand, Travis Scott, and most recently, Jason Aldean. All of these have kept Views at bay, though this week there wasn't anything powerful enough ton conquer the blockbuster.
It is worth noting that Drake might be back in the No. 1 spot not necessarily because his record is performing especially well, but rather because this week was apparently lacking when it came to serious competition. Views does still have two singles—the Rihanna-assisted “Too Good” and former chart leader “One Dance,” which credits WizKid and Kyla as contributors—in the top 20, which would be a serious accomplishment for anyone other than Drake, but it's unlikely that those are to thank entirely for the ascension of Views.
This week might not come with an impressive number of units moved, but No. 1 is No. 1, and this time around marks a very lucky thirteenth week at the top for Drake. It's unlikely that Views has any more turns at the top in its future, especially considering the fall is when many new titles by superstars are released, but clearly with him, anything can happen, so it's impossible to rule it out.
