Kendrick Lamar’s ‘GNX’ Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

Kendrick Lamar’s GNX jumps back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, for a second week atop the list (rising 4-1 on the survey dated Feb. 22), following his Super Bowl halftime show (Feb. 9) and the set’s release on physical formats. (It was previously only available to stream, and to purchase as a digital download album.)

Plus, two more Lamar albums return to the top 10 in the wake of the halftime show: 2017’s chart-topping DAMN. drives 29-9 and 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city vaults 27-10. The latest Billboard 200 reflects activity generated in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 13.

With GNX, DAMN. and good kid, m.A.A.d city all in the top 10, Lamar is the first rap act with three albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 at the same time. The chart began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March 1956.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Feb. 22, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Feb. 19, one day later than usual, owed to the Presidents’ Day holiday in the U.S. on Feb. 17. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

According to Luminate, of the 236,000 equivalent album units earned by GNX in the week ending Feb. 13 in the U.S., SEA units comprise 117,000 (up 86%; equaling 161.01 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it jumps 4-1 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 116,000 (up 10,100%; it reenters at No. 1 on Top Album Sales for its first week at No. 1 on that chart) and TEA units comprise 3,000. The set’s 236,000 units earned mark its largest week since it debuted at No. 1 on the Dec. 7, 2024-dated chart with 319,000.

With GNX selling 116,000, that marks Lamar’s largest sales week for an album since DAMN. debuted with 353,000 sold in its first week (chart dated May 6, 2017). Of GNX’s 116,000 sold, vinyl sales comprise 87,000 — Lamar’s best week ever on vinyl. GNX was released on physical formats for the first time on Feb. 7, on CD, cassette and five vinyl variants.

As Lamar has three albums concurrently in the top 10 on the Billboard 200, he’s the first living male artist to achieve that feat since Herb Alpert on the Dec. 24, 1966-dated chart (when he, along with the Tijuana Brass, had three titles in the top 10). The most recent act, overall, with at least three albums in the top 10 was Taylor Swift on the Dec. 9, 2023, chart, when she had five in the region.

Before Lamar, the last male artist — or anyone aside from Swift — to have at least three albums in the top 10 at the same time was Prince, following his death, in 2016. That year, on the May 14 chart, he logged five titles in the region; and on the May 7 chart, he had three in the top 10. Prince died on April 21, 2016.

GNX is currently in its 12th consecutive week on the chart and has yet to depart the top five on the weekly tally.

Former No. 1 DAMN. drives 29-9 on the Billboard 200 with 39,000 equivalent album units earned (up 93%) and good kid, m.A.A.d city jumps 27-10 with 37,000 units (up 71%). DAMN. spent four weeks atop the list in 2017, and it was last in the top 10 on the March 17, 2018-dated chart, when it ranked at No. 9. The good kid album peaked at No. 2 in 2012 and was last in the top 10 on the Nov. 24, 2012-dated chart, when it placed at No. 9.

SZA, who was a special guest performer during Lamar’s halftime show, sees her former No. 1 SOS climb 3-2 on the latest Billboard 200 with 109,000 equivalent album units earned (up 33%). The album was reissued on Feb. 9 with four additional tracks.

The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow falls 1-3 on the Billboard 200 in its second week (101,000 equivalent album units; down 79%), Bad Bunny’s chart-topping Debí Tirar Más Fotos descends 2-4 (78,000; down 17%) and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess climbs 6-5 (59,000; up 19%).

Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft falls 5-6 (56,000 equivalent album units earned; up 6%), Sabrina Carpenter’s former leader Short n’ Sweet is steady at No. 7 (51,000; up 5%) and Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 8 (41,000; down 8%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.