Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department hits an 11th consecutive and total week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated July 13) — tying 1989 and Fearless as her longest-leading No. 1 albums. The last album by a woman to spend 11 weeks at No. 1 was 1989, which notched 11 nonconsecutive weeks atop the list in 2014-15. If Poets reaches a 12th week at No. 1, it will be the first album by a woman with at least 12 weeks at No. 1 since Adele’s 21 rang up 24 nonconsecutive weeks on top in 2011-12.

The Tortured Poets Department earned 114,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending July 4 (down 1%), according to Luminate. The album debuted atop the chart dated May 4 and has yet to yield the No. 1 slot.

The Tortured Poets Department is the first album by a woman to spend 11 weeks in a row at No. 1 since the Whitney Houston-led soundtrack to The Bodyguard strung together 13 straight weeks at No. 1 (of its total 20 nonconsecutive weeks atop the list) from December 1992 to March 1993.

Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 chart, Megan Thee Stallion collects her sixth top 10 as Megan bows at No. 3, while Beyoncé’s chart-topping Cowboy Carter gallops 50-10 following the release of a deluxe vinyl edition.

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 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 X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of The Tortured Poets Department’s 114,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 78,000 (down 10% — it’s No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums for an 11th week; its SEA units equal 102.09 million on-demand official streams of the deluxe edition’s 31 songs), album sales comprise 35,000 (up 27%; it’s No. 1 on Top Album Sales for a fifth nonconsecutive week) and TEA units comprise less than 1,000 (down 22%). 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”).

The Tortured Poets Department matches Whitney Houston’s 1987 album Whitney as the only two albums by women to spend their first 11 weeks at No. 1. All 11 of the latter’s total weeks at No. 1 were from its debut atop the chart.

Just two other albums have spent at least their first 11 weeks at No. 1: Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time (first 12 weeks at No. 1, of its total 19 weeks at No. 1 in 2023-24) and Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life (first 13 weeks at No. 1, of its total 14 weeks at No. 1 in 1976). (For context, today it’s common for albums to debut at No. 1. However, before 1991, when the Billboard 200 began utilizing Luminate’s electronically monitored tracking information, only six albums debuted at No. 1, including Whitney and Songs in the Key of Life.)

Swift is only the third act with three or more albums to spend 11 or more weeks at No. 1, following Whitney Houston (her self-titled album with 14 weeks in 1986, Whitney with 11 in 1987 and The Bodyguard soundtrack with 20 in 1992-93) and The Beatles (Meet the Beatles! with 11 in 1964, A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack with 14 in 1964, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with 15 in 1967 and Abbey Road with 11 in 1969-70).

Swift adds her 80th career week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, extending her record among soloists. (Elvis Presley has the second-most among soloists, with 67.) The total encompasses her 14 No. 1 albums. (She’s tied with Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among soloists.)

At No. 2 on the latest Billboard 200, Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time rises 3-2 with 74,000 equivalent album units (up 1%). It’s also the last album to spend at least 11 weeks at No. 1, prior to Poets. Wallen’s album logged 19 total weeks at No. 1 in 2023-24 (spending its first 12 in the top slot).  

Megan Thee Stallion scores her sixth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as Megan enters at No. 3 with 64,000 equivalent album units earned. That marks the biggest debut, by units, for any rap album released by a woman in 2024. It’s also the first top 10-charting rap set by a woman released this year.

Of the album’s 64,000 units earned in its first week, SEA units comprise 47,000 (equaling 62.67 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 18 songs), album sales comprise 16,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000. The album was announced on June 2 and was preceded by a trio of charting songs on the Billboard Hot 100: “Cobra” (peaking at No. 32 last November), “Hiss” (No. 1, February) and “Boa” (No. 39, May). 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.)

Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is a non-mover at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 (63,000 equivalent album units earned; down 10%) and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess reaches the top five for the first time, rising 6-5 (60,000; down 2%). With Swift, Megan Thee Stallion, Eilish and Chappell Roan at Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 5, there are four albums by women, or women-led acts, in the top five for the first time in over a year. It last happened on the March 25, 2023-dated list, when the all-women group TWICE was No. 2 with Ready to Be, followed by Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation (No. 3), SZA’s SOS (No. 4) and Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito at No. 5. (Wallen’s One Thing at a Time was No. 1 that week.)

Wallen’s former leader Dangerous: The Double Album rises 7-6 on the new Billboard 200 (44,000 equivalent album units; up 1%), Peso Pluma’s Éxodo falls 5-7 (just over 40,000; down 37%), Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going climbs 10-8 (40,000; down 1%) and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season rises 11-9 (39,000; up less than 1%).

Beyoncé’s former No. 1 Cowboy Carter charges back into the top 10 (50-10) after a deluxe edition of the album was released on vinyl. The set surges with 39,000 equivalent album units earned (up 133%), with 24,000 of that sum in traditional album sales (up 1,673%). Vinyl sales comprise a little over 23,000 of that figure (up 3,551%).

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.

Lana Del Rey and Quavo‘s “Tough” tops this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (July 5) on Billboard, choosing the duo’s just-dropped, Western-trap track as their favorite new music release of the past week.

Lana and Quavo’s fresh new collab brought in more than 66% of the vote. Voters this week chose “Tough” over new music releases from Kesha, Childish Gambino, Eminem feat. Big Sean and BabyTron, Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan.

Lana Del Rey brought the Migos rapper to the stage to surprise-debut “Tough” at her sold-out (and delayed, due to inclement weather) stadium show at Fenway Park on June 20, right after he’d hyped the song in a clip on Instagram that week.

A little bit country, a little bit trap and alt-pop, the Andrew Watt- and Cirkut-produced track has a dreamy hook that’s tough to quit humming when the song’s over, with a chorus the two share: “Tough like the scarf on a pair of old leather boots/ Like the blue-collar, red-dirt attitude/ Like a .38 made out of brass/ Tough like the stuff in your grandpa’s glass/ Life’s gonna do what it does/ Sure as the good lord’s up above/ I’m cut like a diamond shining in the rough, tough.”

“I’ll show you around … Come take a ride with me. Whenever. Whenever you ready, call on me,” Quavo tells Lana as the song comes to a close.

“Our new song is out with the toughest rapper I know @quavohuncho,” Del Rey wrote in an Instagram post on release day, while Quavo predicted the track will be “Song Of The Summer” on his own post.

A music video for “Tough” with home-video vibes was also unveiled alongside the single’s release this week, putting the pair’s chemistry on display as they spend a sweet, intimate day together out in the countryside.

Among the new music trailing behind “Tough” on this week’s poll is Kesha’s brand-new song “Joyride,” with 21% of the vote, and Childish Gambino’s “Lithonia,” with 5% of the vote.

See the final results of this week’s new music poll below.

Just after the launch of Missy Elliott‘s headlining tour, Out of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience, the star will be hosting a special event in downtown Los Angeles, on Wednesday, July 10.

Fans are invited to Missy Elliott Presents Party on the Plaza: An Out of This World Experience, presented in partnership with The Music Center and Gloria Molina Grande Park, at Jerry Moss Plaza this week.

Starting at 7 p.m. PST on July 10, it’s free and open to the public; you can RSVP and get all the details here. Elliot is expected to give an onstage welcome at 7:30 p.m. By the end of the dance party, a “can’t-miss surprise” is planned to wrap the hip-hop icon’s fun night.

The party, which is set to feature live DJs and Elliott’s tour dancers, coincides with the Out of This World Dance Challenge Elliott recently announced, and takes place ahead of her duo of headlining dates at the Crypto.com Arena on July 11-12. Party on the Plaza is produced by Monami Entertainment and Wright Productions, and sponsored by adidas, PATRÓN EL ALTO Tequila. and Monster Energy.

“As a cultural destination in Los Angeles County where dancing and artistry thrive, The Music Center is proud to be a vital part of Missy Elliott’s OUT OF THIS WORLD Dance Challenge — it is an exciting opportunity to highlight L.A.’s vibrant dance community and encourage people to be creative and connect,” Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center, said in a statement released about the event. “Bring on your best dance moves, Angelenos, and get ready to share them with the world!”

Elliott’s 30-date North American tour kicked off on July 4 with a sold-out concert at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, with DJ Navarris, Timbaland, Ciara and Bust Rhymes featured on the bill.

She’ll next perform Saturday night, July 6, in Seattle, before heading to California. Elliott’s tour, which even with a decades-long career behind her is actually her first headlining run, goes through Aug. 23: see what cities she’ll be heading to on her official website here.

Named a must-see tour by Billboard, UPROXX, NYLON, Pitchfork, Consequence, Newsday, VIBE, and more, the launch set an electrifying tone for the 29 remaining dates. Starting off with a bang before the megawatt artist’s set, DJ Navarris pumped up the wall-to-wall audience before back-to-back high-octane sets from mega producer Timbaland, Multi-Platinum selling superstar Ciara, and Hip Hop legend Busta Rhymes.

Pepe Aguilar is all about tradition, Mexican pride and family, and that’s exactly what takes centerstage at his Jaripeo Hasta Los Huesos Tour.

With back-to-back performances by the Aguilar dynasty, including Antonio Aguilar Jr. (Pepe’s brother), and Leonardo and Ángela Aguilar (Pepe’s children), the show is an homage to the legendary Don Antonio Aguilar, who pioneered the jaripeo-style spectacle back in the ’60s alongside singer and actress Flor Silvestre, his wife and mother to Pepe and Antonio Jr.

“Antonio was a visionary,” Pepe said about his father on Friday, July 5, during a tour stop in Chicago’s Allstate Arena. “To present my family and culture in this way is honestly the best. I don’t do these shows for the money. It’s to honor to my parents and pride for my culture.”

Pepe and his son Leonardo further honored Don Antonio by singing “Bandido de Amores,” his collaboration with another late legend, Joan Sebastian, originally recorded more than 30 years ago. The new version, included in Leonardo’s Soy Como Quiero Ser, a tribute album to Sebastian, recently hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Regional Mexican Airplay chart (dated July 6).

Before singing it alongside Leonardo, Pepe explained the backstory of how the original collaboration came about. “My dad and Joan didn’t get along,” he said candidly. “But I made them get together for a song. I had to do it. I mean I really admired Joan and, well, Antonio was my dad. And now, 30 years later, I record it with my son, and now it’s No. 1 thanks to you all.”

Leonardo and Antonio Jr. each performed a set of approximately 30 minutes before Ángela took the stage to a roaring crowd, riding a majestic white horse as she wore a gorgeous, long black dress adorned with pink, orange and yellow flowers. She sang “Que Agonía” and the fan-favorite “Dime Como Quieres,” her collaboration with recently-confirmed boyfriend Christian Nodal. “I miss you, my love,” she said in the middle of the song.

Inspired by Mexico’s Día de Muertos, the three-hour show — with a 360-degree-style stage filled with altars, catrinas that come to life and colorful Mexican artesanía — features all four artists singing while horseback riding (no easy feat) and charros who literally risk their lives riding bulls. At one point, one of the Mexican cowboys was kicked by the bull he rode for a competition and had to be taken out on a stretcher. Pepe assured concertgoers he was “fine,” adding, “Thank God nothing major happened and we can go on with the show.”

Pepe was the last to take the stage and did it to a packed house filled with multi-generational families who applauded his commitment to put Mexican music, culture and tradition at the forefront of his shows. His children, who had performed him, watched their father from afar in admiration. “I promise to bring you a different show each year if you let me,” Pepe declared.

After an encore show in Chicago on Saturday (July 6), the Jaripeo Hasta Los Huesos Tour continues with two back-to-back stops in Los Angeles on July 13-14.