Childish Gambino Lands First No. 1 on Top Album Sales Chart With ‘Kauai’ Vinyl Debut

Record Store Day 2022’s fingerprints are all over Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated May 7), as six of the top 10 have sales owed to a special release for the annual indie retailer holiday.

Leading the pack at No. 1 is Childish Gambino’s Kauai EP, which debuts atop the list with 17,000 sold in the U.S. in the week ending April 28, according to Luminate. It’s his first No. 1 on the chart, and third top 10.

Kauai was originally released in 2014 as digital download at retail, and charted for five weeks that year. It was issued on vinyl for the first time for Record Store Day (April 23) and nearly all of the album’s sales in the week ending April 28 were from its vinyl LP. Kauai was pressed on three surprise color vinyl variants randomly distributed globally.

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. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Bonnie Raitt’s new studio album Just Like That… bows at No. 2 on Top Album Sales with 14,000 copies sold. It’s her highest-charting effort on the tally since Longing In Their Hearts hit No. 1 in 1994. Jason Aldean’s Georgia – the second of his two-part album project, following last year’s Macon – starts at No. 3 with 13,000 sold.

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ former No. 1 Unlimited Love is a non-mover at No. 4 with 13,000 sold (up 42%). The album is in its fourth week on the list, but garnered a new silver-colored vinyl release for Record Store Day, which fueled its sales increase.

Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna debuts at No. 5 with 12,000 sold (up 6,984%) – nearly all from vinyl sales of its new Record Store Day pressing. The classic album, which was released in 1981 and hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, was reissued exclusively for Record Store Day retailers as a double-vinyl set with outtakes, b-sides and demo recordings added as bonus material.

Kirk Hammett’s solo debut effort, Portals, starts at No. 6 with a little over 11,000 sold. The four-track instrumentals EP from the Metallica guitarist saw most of its sales come from two editions released initially through participating Record Store Day retailers: an ocean blue-colored vinyl record and a standard CD.

Wallows’ Record Store Day-exclusive Wallows Singles Collection 2017-2020 enters at No. 7 with 10,000 sold. The compilation was pressed on sky blue-colored vinyl.

Anne Wilson’s My Jesus debuts at No. 8 with just over 9,000 sold, while Jack White’s former leader Fear of the Dawn falls 3-9 with 9,000 (down 21%).

The Cure’s Pornography debuts at No. 10 (9,000; up from essentially no sales in the week previous) thanks to sales generated by its Record Store Day-exclusive picture disc vinyl pressing. Pornography was originally released in 1982, but this week marks its debut on any U.S. Billboard chart. It also bows on The Billboard 200, Top Rock Albums, Top Alternative Albums, Catalog Albums, Vinyl Albums and Tastemaker Albums.

In the week ending April 28, there were 2.342 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 34.2% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.941 million (up 42%) and digital albums comprised 384,000 (up 4.9%).

There were 615,000 CD albums sold in the week ending April 28 (up 1.9% week-over-week) and 1.316 million vinyl albums sold (up 74.8%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 10.702 million (down 12.3% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 12.667 million (up 4%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 30.395 million (down 8% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 23.536 million (down 4.1%) and digital album sales total 6.869 million (down 19.3%).

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Jon Batiste Tests Positive for COVID-19, Postpones ‘American Symphony’ Premiere at Carnegie Hall

Jon Batiste has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be missing his musical appearances on The Late Show as well as postponing the premiere of American Symphony at Carnegie Hall.

The Grammy winner, 35, posted news of his diagnosis via Instagram on Friday. “Hey family, I woke up yesterday and tested positive for COVID-19,” Batiste’s message began. “To keep my family, my friends and our loyal fans safe, I will be absent from @colbertlateshow and will also unfortunately have to postpone the premiere of AMERICAN SYMPHONY at Carnegie Hall which – as many of you know – I have been working on for years.”

Batiste’s diagnosis comes days after he attended the Met Gala alongside numerous other high-profile names in Hollywood.

The musician added that he has “poured my heart and soul” into the American Symphony production and is “so disappointed” that he can’t see it through at the moment — “but it WILL happen one day,” he said.

“Thank you to my incredible team and all the musicians who have been on this journey with me,” Batiste wrote. “I look forward to the day I can share the stage with you all again and share this work with the world. Stay safe out there.”

Elsewhere, Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie shared on Instagram that she has tested positive for the virus for the second time and will be isolating during the Mother’s Day weekend. Guthrie wrote that she is only experiencing mild symptoms such as a “slight cold.”

Additional television personalities to test positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks and months include Stephen Colbert, who had to miss an episode of The Late Show; and Jimmy Kimmel, who recruited comedian Mike Birbiglia as a fill-in host for Jimmy Kimmel Live! Seth Meyers and James Corden are also among the hosts to receive positive tests in the late-night circuit.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

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UFC 274: When & How to Watch the ‘Oliveira vs. Gaethje’ Fight Online

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UFC fighters Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje are preparing to face off this weekend, but only one of them will have a chance at the lightweight title.

The UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje main card event will air live from the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Saturday (May 7) at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

Oliveira, a UFC Lightweight Champion, could win his 11th consecutive fight when he squares off against the No. 1 ranked Gaethje. However, Oliveira missed weight following two attempts on Friday, according to USA Today Sports. Oliveira weighed in at 155.5 pounds (0.5 pounds shy of the limit) forcing him to vacate the title. If Gaethje wins he will take the title, if he loses it will remain vacant.

The preliminary fight will air on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET and the Early Prelims begin at 5:30 p.m. ET.

The co-main card event will feature Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza. The match-up is seven years in the making as Namajunas, who is the only two-time women’s UFC champion, looks to avenge her loss to Esparza in 2014.

The PPV portion includes a lightweight matchup between Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler. Ferguson hopes to end a three fight losing-streak when he goes up against Chandler. UFC 274 is $74.99 (plus $6.99 if you’re not already subscribed to ESPN+) or you can purchase the Disney+ bundle for an additional $13.99 a month to watch the fight through ESPN+.

UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje

$74.99


Buy Now

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From preliminaries to the main fight card, catch every moment on ESPN+. Live coverage of UFC 274 includes two editions of UFC Live Presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Oliveira vs. Gaethje available on ESPNEWS on Friday at 4 p.m. ET and on ABC and ESPN3 on Saturday (May 7) at 2 p.m. ET. The show will feature exclusive insights and views leading up to the action-packed battle.

Jon Anik will call the action for UFC 274, alongside Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan. Megan Olivi will handle reporting while Troy Santiago, Alexa Grasso and Brandon Moreno will provide coverage in Spanish.

New to ESPN+? The streaming platform is the go-to-destination for UFC content, which includes Fight Nights, Dana White’s Contender Series, Detail with Daniel Cormier, UFC Destined and archives of the greatest UFC fights.

Besides UFC, sports lovers will find NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, soccer and other must-watch sports on ESPN+. Subscribers can binge the entire 30 for 30 series, Man in The Arena: Tom Brady and dozens of other sports series and TV shows in addition to UFC fights.

ESPN+ is available on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.

Other upcoming UFC events on ESPN+ include Blachowicz vs. Rakic on May 14 at 10 p.m. ET,  Holm vs. Vieira on May 21 at 7 p.m. ET., and Volkov vs. Rozenstruik, which takes place on June 4 at 4 p.m. ET.

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Jack Harlow Explains How He Got Dua Lipa’s ‘Blessing’ for His New Song… ‘Dua Lipa’

Jack Harlow’s debut studio album Come Home the Kids Miss You is out now, and the Kentucky native finally gave fans some inside details behind the making of his viral song “Dua Lipa.”

Chatting with The Breakfast Club in an episode that premiered Friday (May 6), the Grammy nominee explained that while Lipa has not publicly addressed the new song, he did reach out to her to receive her approval privately.

“I wanted to get her blessing, so I FaceTimed her and played it for her,” he told the co-hosts. “‘Cause I didn’t want her to be blindsided by that or feel like creeped out or anything.

“If she had said, ‘Yo, I hate it. I don’t want it to come out,’ it wouldn’t have come out,” Harlow went on. “But she was like, ‘Oh, I mean it’s not my song. I suppose it’s OK.’ She was just kinda thrown off and she just kinda let it go.”

That’s when host Charlamagne Tha God chimed in asking the hitmaker, “Is that a woman you fancy? Is that why you made the record?”

“I admire her,” Harlow replied.

He went on to say that conversations between the two artists are “less awkward” now that the song has broken the ice. “We’ll see how the record does. I think when the song comes out, she’ll grow to appreciate it even more,” he declared.

Of course Charlamagne joked, “Not if it flops. If it flops, you don’t stand a chance with her, buddy.”

Watch Harlow’s complete interview below:

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Billboard Executive News

Julian Holguin is stepping down as president of Billboard after a decade with the company.

“After years of admirable service at Billboard, president Julian Holguin is departing from the organization,” Billboard‘s parent company PMC said in a statement. “His leadership has been instrumental in helping Billboard achieve new heights, and he successfully spearheaded many initiatives across the brand. On behalf of Penske Media and the entire Billboard team, we thank Julian for his service and wish him success in all his future endeavors.”

Billboard will announce new executive leadership early next week.

Holguin joined Billboard in 2012 as vp of brand partnerships and was promoted to senior vp, head of revenue & partnerships in 2015. Prior to his promotion to president in January 2021, he served as Billboard’s executive vp, head of sales and partnerships for MRC Entertainment since 2018.

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Lil Wayne Calls Missy Elliott the Best Rapper Ever & She’s Forever ‘Grateful’

Lil Wayne is highlighting Missy Elliott and her incomparable music legacy.

When asked to name the top five best rappers while guesting on Fox Sports’ What’s Wright? With Nick Wright podcast Thursday (May 5), Lil Wayne made sure to spotlight Elliott.

“For me, it’s always going to be first, Missy Elliott,” he said. “She’s a huge influence of everything I’ve ever done. ”

Tunechi went on to name Jay-Z, the Notorious B.I.G., Goodie Mob and UGK before the host noted that he hadn’t included himself on the list. The five-time Grammy winner then replied,  “I can’t touch them guys. I would never put myself in my list.”

Elliott responded to Wayne’s mention with a heartfelt tweet on Thursday. Retweeting a clip from the segment, Elliott wrote, “Whenever @LilTunechi says my name in his interviews, twitter don’t have enough space for me to say my GRATEFULNESS because he is a LEGEND himself who birthed many emcees after him & as a man to acknowledge me as a big influence 4 him I send you love WAYNE.”

She added in a second tweet: “Another reason this warms my heart is because I’ve seen many times @LilTunechi has said my name over & over for years no matter who the interviewers are he has never been hesitant to say me as a female & for that I am forever GRATEFUL.”

This isn’t the first time Wayne has shouted Elliott out as an inspiration. In 2o2o while chatting with fellow hitmaker DJ Khaled for the premiere episode of  The First One podcast, Tunechi said, “Missy Elliott, that was my favorite rapper because that would be why I was making so many sounds. You know, Missy was into the whole ‘Brrrrt’ [sound]. You know what I mean? She’s about to make the ‘hehehehe ha’ [sound].”

“The ‘Block Burner’ song was my best favorite song because my favorite artist was Missy Elliott.”

Watch Lil Wayne’s complete What’s Wright? With Nick Wright interview below:

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Naniwa Danshi Bows at No. 1, BE:FIRST at No. 3 on Japan Hot 100

J-pop boy band Naniwa Danshi’s “The Answer” blasts in at No.1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated May 4, topping sales with 534,004 CDs sold in its first week.

The lead track off the new Johnny’s group’s second single is the theme of the new NTV drama series The Files of Young Kindaichi, starring member Shunsuke Michieda. The song came in at No. 1 for sales and look-ups, No. 3 for video views, No. 15 for radio airplay, and No. 38 for Twitter mentions, leading this week’s Japan Hot 100 fueled mainly by the physical metrics of the chart’s methodology.

The seven-member band’s debut single “UBU-LOVE” launched with 632,655 CDs sold, also ruling sales and look-ups and coming in at No. 2 for video, No. 8 for radio, and No. 20 for Twitter. “UBU-LOVE” stayed at No. 1 for two consecutive weeks, so how the group’s second single performs next week is something to keep an eye on.

At No. 1 for video this week is BE:FIRST’s “Betrayal Game,” the theme of another NTV drama series currently airing this season called Tantei ga hayasugiru. The track by the audition-born septet’s new track debuts at No. 3 on the Japan Hot 100 after topping video and downloads, while also faring well in streaming (No. 4), Twitter (No. 6), and radio (No. 10).

BE:FIRST’s previous track called “Bye-Good-Bye” (at No. 37 on this week’s chart) debuted at No. 1 after dominating video, downloads, streaming, Twitter, and radio. The boys are set to drop their second CD single containing these two tracks on May 18, and it looks like they’ll stay in the upper ranks of the charts for the foreseeable future.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, Twitter mentions, YouTube and GYAO! video views, Gracenote look-ups and karaoke data.

The full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Apr. 25 to May 1, is available here.

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Dave Chappelle Attack Suspect Charged With 4 Misdemeanors

The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office filed four misdemeanor charges on Thursday (May 5) against suspect Isaiah Lee after the onstage attack of comedian Dave Chappelle during his set at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday. This follows the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office announcing earlier in the day that it declined to pursue felony charges.

City Attorney Mike Feuer said his office has filed charges of battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance and commission of an act that delays an event or interferes with a performer.

“This alleged attack has got to have consequences,” Feuer said, in part, in video footage posted to his office’s official Twitter account after the charges were filed.

Earlier in the day, the D.A. said it referred the case to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office to consider possible misdemeanor charges. “After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct,” a spokesperson for the department said in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter. “The District Attorney’s Office does not prosecute misdemeanor crimes within the city of Los Angeles.”

The attack took place around 10:40 p.m. as Chappelle was attempting to leave the Hollywood Bowl stage upon finishing a set during the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival. That is when 23-year-old suspect Isaiah Lee rushed the stage and tackled Chappelle to the floor. The suspect was apprehended by venue security and eventually handed over to the LAPD. Lee was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $30,000 bail.

At the time of the attack, Lee was carrying a replica handgun with a knife blade inside, authorities said. Chappelle was not injured during the incident and is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

A statement provided to THR by Chappelle’s rep on Wednesday asserted that the comedian would refuse to allow the incident to “overshadow” his appearances during the comedy festival.

“The performances by Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl were epic and record-breaking and he refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment,” his rep, Carla Sims, said. “Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl. This run ties Chappelle with Monty Python for the most headlined shows by any comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, reaching 70,000 fans of diverse backgrounds during the first Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival.”

In its own statement, Netflix said, “We care deeply about the safety of creators and we strongly defend the right of stand-up comedians to perform on stage without fear of violence.”

The attack took place on the last night in a string of festival appearances for the comedian. Chappelle served as the festival’s opening night headliner on April 28, delivering three more sets — including Tuesday’s — before wrapping his run. During all four nights of the show, attendees were required to secure their phones at the venue’s entrance to avoid any potential recording. Festivalgoers also had to go through security and metal detectors.

Netflix Is a Joke is one of the streamer’s biggest forays into live event programming, with the company’s first-ever comedy festival hosting more than 250 events in Los Angeles between April 28 and May 8. Taking place across various venues, including the Hollywood Bowl, Dodger Stadium, the Improv and the Laugh Factory, the comedy fest boasts sets from some of the biggest names in the industry, including David Letterman, John Mulaney, Amy Schumer, Bill Burr, Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, Ali Wong, Chelsea Handler, Pete Davidson and Hasan Minhaj.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

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