Photo of Kendrick Lamar by Kevin Mazur
Kendrick Lamar's new album DAMN. is aiming for the top spot on the charts next week.
According to preliminary estimates from industry forecasters, the record could earn 475,000 equivalent album units through the sales tracking week ending on April 20. That would be enough to easily nab the No. 1 title on the Billboard 200 album chart.
It's worth noting, Hits Daily Double's projections similarly have DAMN. tracking in the 480,000 to 510,000 range, suggesting Lamar's latest effort may be in a tight race for the top debut of 2017. So far, Drake's More Life holds the crown, with 505,000 units when it debuted last month.
Like Drake's set, Lamar's LP is benefiting heavily from a surge in streaming, with some estimates showing the latter may surpass 200 million streams in its first week.