And it hasn’t even been a week since it was released.
After being delayed multiple times since July 2020, Kanye West’s newest release, Donda, is now being deemed worth the wait, and the chart numbers definitely show it.
‘Ye’s tenth studio album, which dropped by surprise last Sunday, set a new record by reaching the top spot on Apple Music’s Top Albums chart in 152 countries within just 24 hours of its release. According to data from Apple, in the album’s first full day of release, “Donda” was streamed over 60 million times in the US alone.
Of the record’s expansive 27-song tracklist, 19 made it to the top 20 spots of Apple Music Daily’s Top 100 Global songs chart. It also became the third most-played album on its first day of release on Apple Music ever. To top it off, Donda also broke this year’s record for being the most-streamed album and Kanye as the most-streamed artist in a single day.
On other platforms, Kanye’s latest release also broke the record for the most-streamed album in a day in 2021, a title it took from Olivia Rodrigo.
That is, until Friday, when Drake’s Certified Lover Boy came out, wrestling the title that Donda held for just five days out of Yeezy’s grasps.
The two rapper’s real-life beef is expected to be a chart battle in the coming days now that both have released their much-awaiting albums just days apart.
Nonetheless, Kanye’s Donda came out with considerably more intrigue, arriving at the wake of three stadium-size listening parties, and boasting its own bench of superstar features and guest vocals. It’s also on track to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and claim one of the biggest opening weeks of the year.
