Based on these numbers, it’s safe to say that Drake IS hip-hop.

Drake’s ICEMAN is reportedly aiming for a number one debut on the Billboard 200 with 480K-520K first-week units, according to Hits Daily Double.

If those projections hold, the album will become Drake’s fifteenth number one project, allowing him to surpass Jay-Z for the most number one albums by a rapper in history.

What’s interesting about these numbers is the context in which they’re presented. While the projected debut would still trail some of Drake’s biggest releases like If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (535K) and More Life (505K), it would remain one of the strongest rap debuts of the modern streaming era. Bigger first-week totals than this are becoming increasingly rare for hip-hop artists.

To put it into perspective, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX reportedly moved around 319K units in its first week. That’s still a major number, but ICEMAN is currently projected to finish significantly ahead of it.

Considering Drake spent nearly two years teasing this album while also coming off one of the most publicized rap battles ever, the level of curiosity surrounding the release was always going to be enormous.

Quincy

Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.