It held up better in week two than Kanye West’s “Yeezus,” and in its third week, J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” could advance to number one on next week’s Billboard 200.
With Wale’s “The Gifted,” which claimed the top spot this week, expected to suffer the massive second-week drop common to most hip-hop albums, “Sinner” has a strong shot at the pinnacle on next week’s chart. Based on Tuesday’s sales data, Billboard forecasts a third-week total in the 60,000 range.
No new release is poised to challenge for the top spot. Of the July 2 releases, which also include Relient K’s “Collapsible Lung,” Joe’s “Double Back: Evolution of R&B” is likely to be the top performer with just 25,000 in weekly sales.
After debuting in the 300,000 ballpark two weeks ago, J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” held in second with 84,000 on this past week’s Billboard 200.
