Fuerza Regida celebrates its first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums, as its seventh studio release Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada, climbs 2-1 to lead the April 27-dated ranking.

Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada ascends to No. 1 with 24,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending April 18 (up 17%), according to Luminate, almost entirely driven by streaming activity (up 17% in streaming equivalent album units, equaling 36.06 million on-demand official streams for the set’s songs during the tracking week).

Top Latin Albums ranks the most popular Latin albums of the week by 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 units 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 30-track set, released via Oct. 20 via Street Mob/Rancho Humilde/Sony Music Latin, visits the penthouse for the first time on Top Latin Albums in its 26th week. That is the longest climb to No. 1 since the Oct. 10, 2015-dated chart, when Juan Gabriel’s Mis Numero 1… 40 Aniversario rose 4-1 in its 60th week. Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada debuted at No. 2 on the Nov. 4, 2023, chart and has never departed the top five.

Notably, Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada becomes only the fifth regional Mexican album to lead Top Latin Albums this decade; all one-week rulers except for Peso Pluma’s Génesis, which has dominated for 28 non-consecutive weeks. Let’s look at those No. 1 albums since 2020:

Artist, Title, Peak Date, Weeks at No. 1
Alejandro Fernández, Hecho En México, Feb. 2020, one
Eslabon Armado, Vibras de Noche, Aug. 1, 2020, one
Eslabon Armado, Desvelado, May 13, 2023, one
Peso Pluma, Génesis, July 8, 2023, 28
Fuerza Regida, Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada, April 27

Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada also rebounds to No. 1 for its second week atop Regional Mexican Albums, where it launched at the summit last November.

Fuerza Regida’s new Top Latin Albums coronation arrives a week after the group announced its 37-date U.S. and Mexico summer arena tour, Pero No Te Enamores, will kick off June 6 in Austin, Texas.

The news perhaps ignited similar gains for two other Fuerza Regida efforts on Top Latin Albums: streaming activity drives Dolido Pero No Arrepentido (EP) to its No. 5 peak with an 18% gain, to 13,000 units (essentially all from SEA units), a figure that equates to 19.35 million on-demand official streams registered for its songs during the same period. Pa Que Hablen.: I., meanwhile, jumps 22-20 — after its No. 3 peak in April 2023 — likewise through streaming movement. The album generated 5,000 units (effectively all from streams), up 9%, which equals to 8.4 million streams in the U.S.

Beyond this weekly slate of Fuerza Regida’s albums gains, the San Bernardino, Calif. group, also expands on a song level. Eight entries on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, which combines airplay, streams, and downloads, move ahead boosted by streaming growth, starting with “Tu Name” which rises 4-3, led by with 8.8 million on-demand official streams, up 14%.

“Crazyz,” meanwhile, logs the biggest streaming percentage gain out of the eight, with a 44% growth, to 4.5 million.

Taylor Swift is ready for her chart crown.

Predictably, Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department (via EMI) flies out the gate in the U.K., where it’s set to become her 12th No. 1.

Based on midweek sales and streaming data captured by the Official Charts Company, Tortured Poets has already collected 197,000 chart units, good enough for the title as the fastest-selling album of 2024 so far.
When the full-week’s result is tallied, Tortured Poets will stand tall as Swift’s biggest opening week in the U.K. Her current record holder is 2022’s Midnights, with 205,000 first week U.K. chart units, a result that Tortured Poets has almost certainly eclipsed (with half a week to spare).

When the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published later this week, Swift should notch a 12th No. 1 with Tortured Poets, equaling Madonna at the top of the leaderboard of solo female artists. She’s also the first and only artist this century to rack up 10 U.K. No. 1 albums.

As previously reported, Swift respectively locks up the top three spots in the singles chart race with “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone, the title track, and “So Long, London.” With that form, expect the U.S. pop superstar to nab the chart double. “Fortnight” should become TayTay’s fourth U.K. No. 1, after “Look What You Made Me Do” (from 2017), “cardigan” (2020) and “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version)” (2023).

Swift’s 11th studio album has already smashed Spotify streaming marks, blasting away with more than 300 million streams in a single day.

Also on the Official U.K. Albums Chart Update, Pearl Jam’s 12th and latest studio album Dark Matter (Monkeywrench Records/Republic Records) is predicted to give the Rock Hall inductees their highest-charting LP in 11 years, at No. 2.

Completing the podium on the chart blast is UB40’s UB45 (Sono Recording Group), new at No. 3. UB45 is the 21st studio album from the British reggae/pop act, gathering seven new songs and as many revisions of older works.

All will be revealed when the national chart is published late Friday, April 26.

Chris King, the rapper who was close friends with Trippie Redd and Justin Bieber and started the label Snotty Nose Records, was fatally shot in Nashville early Saturday morning. He was 32 years old.

According to Nashville homicide detectives, King (real name: Christopher Cheeks) was with friends at 2:30 a.m. CT when three suspects attempted to rob the group. Both King and his 29-year-old friend were struck by gunfire. After running in separate directions, the 29-year-old victim was located and treated, while King was pronounced dead at Vanderbilt hospital.

On social media, there was an outpouring of love for the late rapper, who was born in Fontana, Calif. King briefly lived with Bieber, who took to his Instagram Story on Saturday to write, “Love you bro,” with a broken-heart emoji over a photo of the pair hugging. “This one hurts. Please keep his family in your prayers. See you in paradise, brother.”

On Saturday, Redd — described as King’s best friend — posted a carousel of photos of the late rapper along with the caption “I am so hurt rn I can’t even think I love you bro come back!!!!!” He posted a longer tribute to Instagram on Sunday, writing, “Original 1400 I love you until we meet again twin! I would not be where I am today without @whoischrisking.” In the caption, Redd credited King with introducing him to 10K Projects CEO Elliot Grainge as well as Create Music Group founding partner Milo Stokes. “He had the best energy always. He had so many friends and it shows. I love you guys for supporting one of my best friends ever my brother.”

Machine Gun Kelly responded in Redd’s comments, writing, “chris was rare.”

Keke Palmer also shared a tribute to King on Instagram, posting a photo of the two talking on Facetime. “Chris King! I wish I had more photos but it’s actually perfect because this is exactly how it began,” she wrote. “iChat sessions with you and Marcel back in the 2Much days. Wow. I can’t believe I’m saying rest in peace. This is terrible. I really don’t know what to say. I just want to share that I loved you and I remember all the city walk, grove moments. That was my high school. When we were babies before everyone knew you was a real rockstar. We were kids! And you always knew how to make everyone laugh. Your kindness was present no matter what room you were in, everybody was and wanted to be your friend. We will miss you until we meet again, rest heavenly brother.”

On April 8, King released his final music, a song called “Seeing Double Seeing Double.” The rapper was in Tennessee to perform Friday night at the Nashville Cannafest.

See some of the tributes to King below: