Chance The Rapper Loses Out On His First No. 1 To Another Rap Superstar

Chance the Rapper’s Star Line opens at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums chart, his third project to peak in the runner-up spot, following The Big Day and Acid Rap. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 19: Chance the Rapper looks on during the ’50th Anniversary Of Hip Hop’ keynote at SXSW Sydney on October 19, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney)

Getty Images for SXSW Sydney

Chance the Rapper made fans wait more than half a decade in between his two most recent albums. Between his only two albums, actually, as all of the other musical projects he’s released during his career have been marketed as mixtapes.

The just-dropped Star Line debuts in lofty positions on a number of Billboard tallies this week, and it almost helps the Grammy-winning powerhouse score his first No. 1 on a list many might assume he’s already conquered – but sadly, he will have to try again next time.

Chance the Rapper’s New Album Debuts at No. 2

Star Line, Chance’s sophomore album, opens at No. 2 on the Top Rap Albums chart. This frame, Chance is beaten by Gunna, who keeps One of Wun atop the list of the most consumed rap projects in the country after debuting in that spot several days ago.

Acid Rap, The Big Day, and Now Star Line

Frustratingly, Chance misses hitting No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums list by just a single spot for the third time in his career. He has seen Acid Rap, The Big Day, and now Star Line peak at No. 2 on the rap-only ranking.

Coloring Book Spent the Most Time

Throughout his career, Chance has reached the Top Rap Albums chart with four projects, and all of them have spent at least one turn inside the top 10. In addition to his trio of runners-up, Coloring Book peaked at No. 6. That mixtape might be his lowest-peaking of the bunch, but it has spent 35 weeks on the rundown — more than all of his other charting wins combined.

Star Line Launches Inside the Top 10

Star Line also opens inside the top 10 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Album Sales lists, beginning its time on those tallies at Nos. 5 and 7, respectively. The set misses the highest tier on both the Billboard 200 and Top Streaming Albums rundown, as it kicks off at Nos. 22 and 43, respectively.

Luminate reports that in the first seven days Star Line was available, the album moved 21,400 equivalent units. Of that sum, 6,700 were pure purchases, and plays on platforms like Spotify made up the rest.