Future has earned his 12th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as The Real Me debuted atop the latest chart, strengthening his position among hip-hop’s most successful chart performers, reports Hypebeast.
According to Luminate, the album opened with 131,000 equivalent album units in the United States during the tracking week ending 16 July.
Streaming accounted for the majority of the album’s success, contributing 118,000 streaming equivalent units from 120.29 million on-demand official streams.
The release also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart. Traditional album sales added 13,000 units, placing the project at No. 9 on the Top Album Sales chart.
The Real Me was released in multiple formats, including an 11-track digital edition, a 22-track streaming version, two CD editions, one of which was signed, and four vinyl variants.
The latest chart-topper gives Future sole possession of the third-most No. 1 albums among rap artists, moving ahead of Eminem, who has 11.
Only Jay-Z, with 14, and Drake, with 15, have earned more No. 1 albums among rappers.
Across all genres, only The Beatles, Drake, Taylor Swift and Jay-Z have achieved more Billboard 200 chart-toppers.
The album marks Future’s first solo studio release since his back-to-back collaborative No. 1 albums with Metro Boomin in 2024, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You.
He announced The Real Me in June before releasing its lead single, Radio, which has since reached the top 25 on both the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
Elsewhere on the Billboard 200, Olivia Rodrigo’s You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love remained at No. 2 with 96,000 units.
Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem climbed to No. 3. Ella Langley’s Dandelion held No. 4, Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide rose to No. 5, and Drake’s ICEMAN slipped to No. 6.
The Rolling Stones debuted at No. 7 with Foreign Tongues, earning 53,000 units and extending their record to 39 top-10 albums on the Billboard 200.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller remained at No. 8 with 41,000 units.
The Heated Rivalry soundtrack entered at No. 9 after the release of its CD and vinyl editions, becoming the first television soundtrack to debut in the chart’s top 10 in more than a decade.
Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time rounded out the top 10, climbing to No. 10 with 37,000 equivalent album units.
