Yuki Chiba, Loco and BabyTron all notch their first career entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated July 13) thanks to a series of A-list collaborations.

Yuki Chiba is already established in the Japanese hip-hop scene, but he earns his first crossover hit in the United States thanks to his featured appearance on Megan Thee Stallion’s “Mamushi.” Released June 28 on her third studio album Megan, the song debuts at No. 68 on the Hot 100 with 7.3 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week, according to Luminate. It also starts at No. 18 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 21 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The bilingual track features Megan dishing a few bars in Japanese. (Megan debuts at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.)

The Japanese-Korean artist, who primarily releases music under the name KOHH (his father’s surname), hails from Oji, Kita, Tokyo, and has been releasing music for over a decade. He has released six studio LPs (all as KOHH), most recently The Lost Tapes in 2022. Before “Mamushi,” Yuki Chiba had appeared on Billboard’s charts with Dirt II (Side A), which reached No. 14 on World Albums in July 2016.

Loco (real name: Kwon Hyuk-woo) makes his Hot 100 arrival thanks to his new track with Jimin, “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band.” The song, released June 28 via BigHit Music/Geffen/ICLG, debuts at No. 88 with 6.8 million U.S. streams and 11,000 sold. It also launches at No. 3 on Digital Song Sales, as well as No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales, earning Loco his first leader and Jimin his fifth (apart from BTS).

Loco, from South Korea, has been releasing solo music for over a decade, including two studio albums — Bleached in 2017 and Weak in 2023, with the former reaching No. 7 on World Albums. The rapper has additionally charted four tracks on World Digital Song Sales, including three top 10s: “Can’t Help Myself” (by Eric Nam featuring Loco; No. 4 peak), “Young” (with Baekhyun; No. 4) and “All I Wanna Do” (by Jay Park featuring Hoody and Loco; No. 9).

BabyTron (aka, James Johnson IV) likewise reaches the Hot 100 for the first time, thanks to his co-billed turn on Eminem’s “Tobey,” also with Big Sean. Released July 2 on Shady/Aftermath/Interscope/ICLG, the song debuts at No. 95 after just three days of tracking. It earned 5 million streams and sold 3,000 units. The song concurrently opens at No. 23 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 26 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

BabyTron, from Ypsilanti, Mich., is a member of hip-hop trio ShittyBoyz. He has also released five solo albums and multiple mixtapes, three of which have charted on the Billboard 200: Bin Reaper 3: Old Testament (No. 69 peak in 2022), Bin Reaper 3: New Testament (No. 100; 2023) and MegaTron II (No. 43; 2023).

Megan Thee Stallion’s new album Megan launches at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, giving the rapper her second career champ. Her new set crowns the list dated July 13 and arrives with 64,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. for the tracking week of June 28 – July 4, according to Luminate. The total marks the biggest debut, by units, for any rap album released by a woman in 2024.

Of Megan’s 64,000 first-week sum, streaming activity contributes 47,000 units – equal to 62.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams for the album’s songs. The figure translates into a No. 5 debut on the Top Streaming Albums chart, where it ranks as the week’s highest-charting rap album. 16,000 of Megan’s units come from traditional album sales — giving the artist her best-ever sales week — and the remaining 1,000 derive from track-equivalent units. (One unit equals the following levels of consumption: one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams for a song on the album.)

With Megan, Megan Thee Stallion nets her second No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, after Good News debuted atop the chart in 2020 for its sole week in charge. Beyond the two chart-toppers, the Houston-bred rapper has collected four top 10 projects: Fever (No. 6 in 2019), Suga (No. 6, 2020), Something for Thee Hotties: From Thee Archives (No. 3, 2021) and Traumazine (No. 3, 2022).

Plus, Megan Thee Stallion becomes only the sixth female rapper to achieve multiple leaders on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. She joins Nicki Minaj (who has four No. 1 albums), Eve, Missy Elliott (each with three), Da Brat and Foxy Brown (two each).

Elsewhere, Megan starts at No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums chart, where it likewise secures the rapper a second champ, and at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200. On the latter, Megan becomes the first top 10-charting rap set by a woman released this year.

Five Megan cuts debut on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, led by “Otaku Hot Girl” at No. 20. (It’s also the album’s most-streamed song for the week, with 7.5 million official U.S. streams.) “Mamushi,” featuring Yuki Chiba, begins at No. 21, followed by “Where Them Girls At” (No. 24), “Accent,” featuring GloRilla (No. 42) and “Rattle” (No. 47).

In addition to the new arrivals, three previously released Megan tracks have appeared on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: “Cobra,” which reached No. 10 last November, “Hiss,” a one-week No. 1 in February and “Boa,” which peaked at No. 13 in May. Thanks to the album’s streaming activity, “Boa” re-enters the chart at No. 27 and “Hiss” returns at No. 38.

A week after Grupo Firme scored its first career No. 1 on Latin Airplay, the group replaces itself at the summit with new single “El Beneficio De La Duda,” as the song flies 24-1 on the July 13-dated list. The new leader follows the one-week reign of “Te Va a Doler,” the group’s first collab with Thalia.

“We are grateful to our audience for supporting each one of our crazy ideas,” Eduin Caz, lead singer for Grupo Firme, tells Billboard. “Both songs are completely different and the fact that they have accepted them as such, to take them to No. 1 one after the other is incredible and only motivates us to keep going.”

“El Beneficio De La Duda” scores 6.2 million audience impressions, up 56%, earned during the June 28-July 4 tracking week, according to Luminate. “Te Va a Doler,” meanwhile, falls to No. 26 with a 48% decline in audience (down 48%) after one week on top.

Thanks to the 56% gain in audience, “El Beneficio De La Duda” takes home the Greatest Gainer trophy, a weekly award for the song with the largest increase in audience among the 50-title radio ranking. A pair of California stations lead the way with the most plays, KLAX in Los Angeles and KRZZ in San Francisco, in the latest tracking week, while KFZO in Dallas, rounds up the top three.

“El Beneficio De La Duda,” composed by singer-songwriter Joss Favela and released May 28 via Music VIP, grants the label its first ruler on the overall Latin radio ranking. Music VIP came close when “Que Onda Perdida,” another Grupo Firme song, with Gerardo Coronel, reached No. 3 in July 2023.

“For us, it is wonderful to continue to represent our Mexican music in the highest possible way,” Music VIP’s Isael Gutiérrez, founder and CEO of Music VIP Entertainment, tells Billboard. “Every achievement and every record we break drives us to keep innovating and creating music that continues to break boundaries.”

As “El Beneficio” lands at the summit on the overall Latin radio tally, Grupo Firme replaces itself at No. 1, the second act to achieve the feat in 2024, following Myke Towers whose “Borracho y Loco” with Yandel ceded the throne to his own “La Falda,” after the latter’s one week in charge (Feb. 24-dated list).

Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “El Beneficio” takes the lead on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart, for the group’s 10th No. 1 there, tying with Christian Nodal for second-most champs this decade, both trailing only Calibre 50’s 11 No. 1s since 2020.

“When Joss Favela sent me the first take of the song, he simulated the accordion with his voice because the song wasn’t produced yet,” Caz adds. “I still liked how his voice hummed the melody and decided to incorporate it, and that is one of the most special details of the song.”

Grupo Firme, comprising Eduin and Johnny Caz, Abraham Hernandez, Joaquin Ruiz, Christian Gutierrez, Jose Rubio and Dylan Camacho, celebrates its second No. 1 on the heels of the group’s La Última Peda Tour 2024, the 32-date run that launched in San Antonio, Texas on May 10 and will wrap up Nov. 2 at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

Just two weeks after its unveiling by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Hollywood Walk of Fame star dedicated to the late Jenni Rivera was vandalized with black paint.

Famously known as La Diva de La Banda, the Mexican-American singer was honored with a star on the illustrious walkway in front of Capitol Records on June 27. By Monday afternoon (July 8), Rivera’s daughter Jacquelin Marin Rivera — who serves as CEO of Jenni Rivera Enterprises — reported to her Instagram followers via a series of Instagram Stories that the star had been smeared with black paint, alongside another star dedicated to the late legend Selena Quintanilla.

“Through a fan from Texas, I found out they vandalized my mom’s star in Hollywood,” Rivera said in Spanish via her stories. “They went to visit and when they got there, it was completely covered in black paint. Obviously I was angry, I was pissed off. But they sent me pictures and videos, and the fans started cleaning up the stars. It was not only my mom’s star that was vandalized, but also Selena’s, and they cleaned both stars as best they could. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who are in charge of taking care of the stars are already cleaning them professionally.”

Both artists proudly showcased their Mexican-American heritage through their music, and largely contributed to the global reach of Latin music. Selena Quintanilla was murdered in 1995, and Jenni Rivera died in a plane crash in 2012.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame Instagram account stated that they have dispatched Terrazzo star maker Vince to conduct repairs. They expressed gratitude towards fans who attempted to clean the star and reported the incident. They also noted that the area is under surveillance with numerous cameras and that a police report has been filed.

“I cannot with this. Smh,” commented Chiquis Rivera, Jenni Rivera’s other daughter, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Instagram post. “Thank you for my momma’s fans that took the time to help clean it up. Shame on the person/people who did this.”

Jenni Rivera entered more than 30 songs on the Regional Mexican Airplay, 15 of those hit the top 10. On the Hot Latin Songs chart, she placed a total of 25 songs, two hit the top 10: “Ahora Que Estuviste Lejos” and “La Misma Gran Señora.”

See the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s post below:

Imagine Dragons land their sixth top 10-charting effort on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, as the band’s new studio set Loom enters at No. 3 on the chart dated July 13. The set sold 17,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending July 4, according to Luminate. All six of the group’s full-length studio albums have debuted in the top 10, stretching back to Night Visions (released in 2012).

Also in the top 10 of the latest Top Album Sales chart, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department returns to No. 1 for a fifth nonconsecutive week on top, Beyoncé’s former leader Cowboy Carter jumps back onto the list at No. 2 after the release of a deluxe vinyl edition, Megan Thee Stallion’s Megan starts at No. 4 with her best sales week ever, Camila Cabello’s C,XOXO enters at No. 5, and both The Warning and Omar Apollo log their first top 10s, as their latest albums bow at Nos. 6 and 10, respectively.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. The new July 13, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on July 9. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Loom’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across seven vinyl variants (mostly color variants or alternative packaging) and three CD variants (a standard album, a Target edition and a deluxe boxed set containing a branded puzzle). Target stores carried two exclusive versions of the album, one on vinyl and one on CD, each with a bonus track not available on any other physical configuration (“Eyes Closed” with J Balvin).

The Tortured Poets Department rises 2-1 on Top Album Sales with 35,000 copies sold. The album’s sales grew 27% in the tracking week thanks largely to two new CD variants of the set that shipped to customers. The two CDs, which were sold exclusively in Swift’s webstore, were briefly available to pre-order in early June for $7.99 each. Both CDs contain the standard album’s 16 songs and an acoustic bonus track (one includes “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone, and one includes “Fresh Out the Slammer”).

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 2 with 24,000 copies sold (up 1,673%) after a deluxe edition of the album was released on vinyl. Vinyl sales comprise a little over 23,000 of that figure (up 3,551%).

Megan Thee Stallion logs her highest sales week ever, as Megan debuts at No. 4 with 16,000 copies sold. The set marks her fourth top 10-charting effort. The set’s sales were aided by its availability across three CD variants (all with the same audio content, just different covers; all exclusively sold in the artist’s webstore) and five digital download album variants (a standard widely available edition; one exclusive to Amazon, with a bonus track; two with alternate covers; and one with a printed digital signature on its cover from Megan Thee Stallion. The latter three were exclusive to the artist’s webstore.)

Camila Cabello captures her fourth top 10-charting set on Top Album Sales – the entirety of her charting albums – as C,XOXO bows at No. 5 with 15,000 sold. The album was issued across six vinyl variants (all color variants, including a signed edition), two CD variants (one of which was signed) and three digital album download variants (a standard edition, and two additional versions that each carried a bonus a cappella track).

Rock trio The Warning makes its first appearance on Top Album Sales as the band’s new studio album Keep Me Fed debuts at No. 6 with nearly 15,000 sold – the act’s best sales week yet. The album was preceded by two charting hits on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart: “More” (No. 36 peak in August 2023) and “Sick” (No. 8 on the June 8, 2024 chart). The set’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across four vinyl variants (color variants, including one that was signed by the band) and four CD editions (a standard set, and three signed by the individual members of the group).

ATEEZ’s chart-topping Golden Hour: Part.1 rises 8-7 on Top Album Sales with just over 12,000 (up 18%), Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess falls 4-8 with 12,000 (down 18%) and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft slips 6-9 with 11,000 (down 15%).

Omar Apollo rounds out the top 10 on Top Album Sales, as his new God Said No starts at No. 10 with 10,000 sold. It marks his first top 10-charting effort. The set’s sales were aided by bolstered by its availability across nine vinyl variants (all color editions, including two that were signed), three CD editions (a Zine/CD package, a deluxe boxed set containing a CD and a branded T-shirt, and a standard CD) and two cassette tapes (one of which was signed).