Make no mistake – Kanye West’s “Yeezus” drastically underperformed in the marketplace. Despite the buzz, the newsworthy interviews and the hubbub over his baby, West did not strike the appropriate fire behind his latest studio release.
But the acclaimed album still found enough of a market to best an overperforming rap album for the number one spot.
According to Billboard, “Yeezus” will reign atop the Billboard 200 courtesy a debut sales tally of 327,000. Drastically below the 500,000 initial forecast and short of even the revised 360-380,000 estimate, it was still enough to top J. Cole’s “Born Sinner,” which moved approximately 300,000 according to Hits Daily Double.
Initially pegged for a launch in the 200,000 range, “Sinner” caught fire from the get-go and never relented.
Mac Miller’s “Watching Movies with the Sound Off” is a lock for third on sales of roughly 100,000, while Kelly Rowland’s “Talk a Good Game” looks to have moved around 65,000. Black Sabbath’s “13,” last week’s champ, will be fifth on sales just shy of 50,000.