“WHAM” racked up some very good numbers last week.
The first major release of the year dropped shortly after the ball dropped. Lil Baby released WHAM, an album featuring big-name artists like Young Thug, Travis Scott, Future, Rod Wave, and more. While it received mixed reviews (I didn’t love the album), that didn’t matter because it sold extremely well in its first week.
According to multiple reports, WHAM sold 145,000 units in its first week, which secured the No. 1 spot on the charts. This marks a significant lead, selling 26,000 more units than Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS did in its debut week (Here’s the major caveat: Bad Bunny’s album dropped just two days after Lil Baby’s, giving WHAM a head start in the same tracking week).
“WHAM” Snags Number 1 on the Billboard Charts
Lil Baby’s “WHAM” is on track to move 130K in its first week and debut at #1
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) January 8, 2025
This will be his 4th #1 album. ?? pic.twitter.com/Vs99LLAjVh
Say what you want about Lil Baby (and I’ve heard plenty of people claim he’s fallen off), but he handled the marketing for this album almost perfectly. He strategically timed his press runs a few weeks before the release and built anticipation by revealing the features and sharing his mindset behind the project. These days, if you can generate enough buzz to get people to check out your work, that’s already a win. That said, I still don’t love the album.
How do you feel about WHAM? Let us know in the comments section below!
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
