K-pop group Stray Kids make a historic debut atop the Billboard 200 (dated Aug. 3), with their latest mini-album, ATE. The group joins DMX as the only acts in history to debut their first five charting albums at No.1 on the Billboard 200.
Between 1998 and 2003 DMX, born Earl Simmons, known for his powerful lyricism and emotional delivery released It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot (May 19, 1998), Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (December 22, 1998), … And Then There Was X (December 21, 1999), The Great Depression (October 23, 2001) and Grand Champ (September 16, 2003).
… And Then There Was X is his best-selling record featuring hits like “Party Up (Up in Here)” and “What’s My Name?”. By February 2001, the album was certified 5x platinum by the Recording industry Association Of America (RIAA), for sales of five million copies sold in the U.S.
This week BTS member Jimin’s MUSE, lands at 2 on the Billboard 200 marking the first time that K-pop albums have secured the top two spots on the Billboard 200.
Stray Kids’ ATE achieves the group’s fifth consecutive No. 1, setting a record as the first group to debut at No. 1 with their first five charting albums. Their previous chart-toppers include ODDINARY and MAXIDENT (both in 2022), and ROCK-STAR and 5-STAR (both in 2023).
ATE amassed 232,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. for the week ending July 25, according to Luminate, marking the largest week for any K-pop album in 2024 and the sixth-biggest debut for any album this year. MUSE follows with 96,000 units, making it Jimin’s second solo album to reach No. 2, following last year’s FACE.
Also in the top 10, the Twisters soundtrack debuts at No. 7 with 57,000 equivalent album units, becoming the first soundtrack to reach the top 10 in 2024 and achieving the year’s largest week for any soundtrack. It’s the first country soundtrack from a theatrical film to enter the top 10 in over a decade.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, including album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Aug. 3, 2024-dated chart will be posted on Billboard’s website on July 30.
Of ATE‘s 232,000 first-week units, album sales comprise 218,000, SEA units account for 13,000 (equaling 19.05 million on-demand streams), and TEA units make up 1,000. With 218,000 copies sold, ATE is the top-selling album of the week and debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales. It also achieves the largest sales week for any K-pop album this year and the second-largest for any album in 2024, trailing only Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department.
Jimin’s MUSE debuts at No. 2 with 96,000 equivalent album units, including 74,000 in album sales, bolstered by nine CD variants containing collectible items, and exclusive editions at Barnes & Noble, Target, and Walmart. SEA units comprise 15,000 and TEA units 7,000. His first solo set, FACE, debuted and peaked at No. 2 in 2023.
The Twisters soundtrack, featuring new country music from stars like Luke Combs and Miranda Lambert, debuts at No. 7 with 57,000 units. It is the companion album to the film Twisters, a sequel to 1996’s Twister. It marks the first country soundtrack to enter the top 10 since 2014 and the first from a theatrical film since Country Strong in 2011.
Other top 10 entries include Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) at No. 3, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department at No. 4, Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene at No. 5, and Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time at No. 6. Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft, and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season round out the top 10.
