NF Scores Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'The Search'

NF scores his second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as the rapper’s latest studio effort, The Search, enters atop the tally.

The set, which was released on July 26 via NF Real Music/Caroline, starts with 130,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 1 according to Nielsen Music -- the fourth-largest week for a rap album released in 2019. Of that sum, 84,000 were in album sales, which made it the biggest sales week for a rap set this year.
The Search’s first-week more than doubles the debut frame of NF’s last album, Perception, which opened at No. 1 with 55,000 units earned (of which 38,000 were in album sales) on the chart dated Oct. 28, 2017.

The Search starts with a larger-than-forecast number, as some industry prognosticators thought the album would bow with around 95,000 units. The Search benefited from sturdy sales sold through traditional means like the iTunes Store, a range of merchandise/album bundles sold via NF’s official webstore -- including a few late-in-the-week new offers of signed merch bundled with an album -- and a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer.  
Also helping The Search’s first-week: a much larger streaming number as compared to the debut frame of NF’s last album, Perception. The Search garnered 43,000 SEA units, which translates to 58.4 million on-demand audio streams for the set’s songs. Comparatively, Perception bowed with 14,000 SEA units, equaling 21.1 million on-demand audio streams. 

At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Chance the Rapper’s The Big Day debuts with 108,000 equivalent album units earned (with 27,000 of that figure in album sales). The Big Day marks Chance’s highest-charting album yet, and third top 10 overall.

Ed Sheeran’s No.6 Collaborations Project falls from No. 1 to No. 3 after a pair of weeks in the penthouse. The set logged 58,000 units earned in its third frame (down 25%).
Two former No. 1s are next on the Billboard 200, as Billie Eilish’s When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? dips 3-4 (47,000 units; down 8%) and Chris Brown’s Indigo climbs 6-5 (40,000 units; up 9%). Lil Nas X’s 7 falls 4-6 with 39,000 units (down 9%).
Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You is steady at No. 7, but with a 15% gain in units, as it earned 37,000 units for the week.

Credit: Billboard.com