The contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top Advertising sign charts and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated April 27), Future and Metro Boomin look to go two-for-two at No. 1 with We Still Don't Trust You album, after the peak of March We Don't Trust You group-up.
Future & Metro Boomin, We Still Don't Trust You (Freebandz/Boominati/Epic/Republic): Part of the reason why We Don't Trust You generated the immediate buzz it did – including a No. 1 Billboard 200 debut with a 2024-best first-week 251,000 units – was because fans knew it was just the first part of a two-parter for Future and Metro Boomin. The superstar hip-hop duo also promised a follow-up just a few weeks later, and as of last Friday, here it is: We Still Don't Trust Youthe big-budget follow-up to their March blockbuster, with the same rapper-producer chemistry and stacked (albeit incredible, at least initially) guest list as its predecessor.
Yet It's actually much longer than her previous run, with an official 18-song tracklist and then a seven-track bonus set – like a deluxe edition that Future and Metro didn't even expect to drop on fans. And the supporting cast is perhaps even stronger this time around, with the 25-track total boasting The Weeknd, Lil Baby, Chris Brown, A$AP Rocky, Ty Dolla $ign and of course J. Cole – whose appearance is particularly headline-making given his (brief) involvement with hip-hop's ever-expanding civil war that began with Kendrick Lamar's shocking Billboard Hot 100 verse “Like That” off the previous Future/Metro set.
Despite the expanded tracklist and guest list, it seems unlikely Yet will debut with the same strong first week number as the original Confidence. On DSP, the songs in the set don't have the same sonorous flow – in fact, on the daily charts for both Spotify and Apple Music, the top two Future and Metro songs are currently “Like That” and ” Type Shit,” both from March. release. However, songs from Yet still dot both charts – led by the set's throbbing neon title track, its leadoff cut – and with a whopping 25 tracks garnering streams, it's still in prime position to compete for the No. 1 spot on Billboard 200 next week. (And with three different CD editions out this Friday – vinyl to follow in July – it might stay in the mix well into next week.)
Linkin Park, Paper cuts (Warner/Machinery): It's already been a big year for Linkin Park, with their new, old single “Friendly Fire” topping the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, and an upcoming biography about the band announced for October, written by Advertising signby Jason Lipshutz himself. On Friday, they also released their first hits collection Paper cutsa 20-track set spanning the band's 20-plus year career — which still seems as relevant and vital as ever in 2024, even six years after the death of lead singer Chester Bennington.
In addition to signature smashes like “In the End,” “Numb” and “What I've Done,” Paper cuts includes “Friendly Fire” (originally recorded for 2017 One more light), as well as last year's radio rocker “Lost” (originally recorded for 2003 Meteora), and the limited release “QWERTY” (previously released only in the 2006 fan club LP Underground 6.0 EP). While garnering the usual streams for these metal and alternative classics, the set is also expected to sell strongly, thanks to the availability of eight different vinyl colors, including exclusives to Target, Barnes & Noble, Walmart and the band's official store, as well as options CD and cassette.
Maggie Rogers, Do not forget me (Debay Sounds/Capitol): Five years after her debut album I heard it in a past life turned heads with her No. 2 Billboard 200 debut — which eventually led to a Best New Artist Grammy nomination for Maryland singer-songwriter — Maggie Rogers seems to be bigger than ever. Her recently announced spring and summer Don't Forget Me tour will feature her first arena shows on its second leg, including dates at New York's Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles' Kia Forum.
These shows will, of course, come in support of her third album of the same name: Do not forget me released last Friday and met with some of them her best reviews Yet. The set isn't expected to hit blockbuster numbers, but should sell well, with five different vinyl variants – including exclusives to Spotify and indie retailers, and a signed edition sold through her website, as well as a CD (also available on signed webstore version) and a cartridge option.
IN THE MIX
Chris Brown, 11:11 (RCA/CBE): Brown set in late 2023 11:11 was already packed to the gills, its title referring to the number of tracks on each of the album's two streaming halves, including minor Hot 100 hits like “Sensational” and “Summer Too Hot.” But the new deluxe edition of the set adds a new third tier with 13 new cuts, bringing the total from 22 to 35, including new collaborations from recognizable names like Bryson Tiller, Lil Wayne and (again) Davido. (Neither the original nor the deluxe editions are available yet for what would surely be a cumbersome physical release.)
lana del rey, Did you know there is a tunnel under Ocean Blvd (Polydor/Interscope): It looks like Lana Del Rey will never run out of vinyl reissues of her famous 2023 set, and in this case the timing makes perfect sense: She's offered up a new “festival orange” pressing of Ocean Blvd to go with her Friday night headlining act at one of the weekend's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festivals. The reissue should sell well, and the album will also be helped by the general boost to her buzzy set flow that her catalog has given in the days since – aided by an appearance from fellow alt-pop superstar (and longtime LDR collaborator) Billie Eilish.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/future-metro-boomin-we-still-dont-trust-you-number-one-billboard-200-1235659062/