This week on Scoreboard Post Malone takes #1 on the Hot 100 and Kane Brown sets a country charts record
Billboard Artist Top 10
For the magazine dated October 28, 2016
See the full chart at http://www.billboard.com/charts/artist-100
| Billboard Artist Top 10 | Name | Billboard 200 Album Rank | Billboard Hot 100 Singles | Highest Charting Single |
| 1 | Tom Petty | 2 | – | |
| 2 | Imagine Dragons | 9 | 2 | 8: Thunder |
| 3 | Ed Sheeran | 10 | 2 | 18: Shape Of You |
| 4 | Post Malone | 4 | 4 | 1: Rockstar |
| 5 | Kane Brown | 5 | 2 | 27: What Ifs |
| 6 | Taylor Swift | 83 | 2 | 4: Look What You Made Me Do |
| 7 | Sam Smith | 48 | 2 | 7: Too Good At Goodbyes |
| 8 | NF | 1 | – | |
| 9 | Bruno Mars | 24 | 1 | 30: That’s What I Like |
| 10 | Cardi B | – | 2 | 1: Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) |
Although fall remains major album release season, this week on the Billboard charts we get the lowest selling new album to take #1 in 2017: NF‘s Perception. The Christian rapper, whose government name is Nathan Feuerstein, starts out with 55,000 album consumption units, which comes in below the 58,000 unit low achieved by rock band Brand New in September. On the Artist 100, the late Tom Petty remains at #1 and his Greatest Hits (with The Heartbreakers) stays at #2 on the Billboard 200. Read Scoreboard’s tribute to Petty here.
The Billboard Hot 100 this week has a change at the top. After three weeks, Cardi B‘s “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” drops from #1, losing the summit to Post Malone‘s “Rockstar” ft. 21 Savage. That performance has @postmalone surging to #4 on the Artist 100. On that chart, right behind him is country singer Kane Brown who sets a record this week by topping all five major country charts at the same time.
NF is ready to go on tour after achieving his first #1 on the Billboard 200
Post Malone’s Star Turn
Austin Post’s rise to the top of the Hot 100 was not a sure thing. Having grown up in upstate New York and suburban Dallas, Post dropped out of college and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a hip-hop career. Success came quickly. One of his first recordings, “White Iverson,” debuted on the Hot 100 in the fall of 2015 and spent 30 weeks on the chart, peaking at #14. The NBA-referencing track set @postmalone’s career in motion with his signature slow tempo rap-sung delivery delivering more hits like “Congratulations” (ft. Quavo) and “Deja Vu,” a Justin Bieber collaboration that demonstrated how Post can excel in trap-R&B. @postmalone’s debut album Stoney came out in the competitive holiday period of 2016-17, starting at #6. Here on Scoreboard, I was covering J. Cole‘s big week with 4 Your Eyez Only, yet more than 10 months later, Stoney sits at a new peak of #4 on the Billboard 200 while @realcoleworld is at #108.
How did Post Malone do it? First, the hip-hop audience needed to adjust to his style, which was different enough to be distinctive. The Weeknd became an underground favorite by slowing R&B to a dark crawl before topping the charts. Similarly @postmalone’s slow style seemed bizarre at first but two years later it’s #1. Bringing in collaborators like @justinbieber and @quavohuncho also gave Post credibility and expanded his appeal beyond hip-hop. “I Fall Apart,” a heartbreaking ballad off of Stoney just made the top 40 as a result of a viral video filmed at a Post concert. And “Rockstar” not only brought in the hot 2017 rapper 21 Savage, but also made the phrase “Rockstar” cool again, bringing back memories of 2007. This week the (rock) stars have aligned for @postmalone and on the Hot 100, “White Iverson” has already gotten his Billboard ring. And he’s not even finished, second album Beerbongs & Bentleys is in the works and when it comes out, expect more Scoreboard fireworks.
@postmalone does not need a caption, but you can still say congratulations
Kane Brown Sets A Country Milestone
Post Malone’s turn at #1 as a laid back Caucasian rapper resembles the success achieved by Kane Brown on the country charts. Brown is of African-American, Cherokee, and Caucasian descent and although his appearance could be mistaken for a hip-hop artist, Brown’s music is pure country. His new single “Heaven,” which takes #1 on the Country Digital Songs, recalls Thomas Rhett‘s “Die A Happy Man” and could make a run on the adult contemporary charts. Then there is the juggernaut “What Ifs,” which has been out since last December’s release of Brown’s self-titled debut album. The duet with Lauren Alaina picked up steam after the music video was released this summer and the hit was finally able to knock off Sam Hunt‘s “Body Like A Back Road” from #1 on Hot Country Songs, where @samhuntmusic was on top for a record 34 weeks (see the August Scoreboard post regarding Hunt’s achievement here). The Deluxe edition of Brown’s debut album has him reaching new peaks on the Billboard 200 and the Artist 100 this week and positions him as one of the biggest new country stars of 2017.
Kane Brown has set the country charts on fire
