Kendrick Lamar Makes History: First Rapper With Three Albums in Billboard 200 Top 10 Simultaneously

Kendrick Lamar Just Rewrote Hip-Hop History — And You Won’t Believe How He Did It

Let’s cut through the noise: Kendrick Lamar isn’t just a rapper. He’s a cultural force, a Pulitzer winner, and now, a chart-shattering legend. Fresh off his electrifying Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show — a whirlwind of Compton pride, pyrotechnics, and surprise guests — K.Dot has done what no rapper before him could: land three albums in the Billboard 200’s top 10 simultaneously.

The numbers? GNX, his latest studio album, roared back to No. 1 with 236,000 equivalent album units — a jaw-dropping 86% streaming surge fueled by 161 million on-demand spins. But here’s the kicker: 87,000 of its 116,000 physical sales came from vinyl, making it Lamar’s biggest week ever on wax. Not since DAMN.’s 2017 debut has hip-hop seen sales like this.

Then there’s the nostalgia factor. DAMN. (2017) and good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012), two era-defining classics, catapulted from the chart’s basement to Nos. 9 and 10, respectively. Think about it: good kid hadn’t sniffed the top 10 since Obama’s first term. “This isn’t just a comeback — it’s a resurrection,” one fan tweeted, echoing the sentiment of a generation raised on Kendrick’s storytelling.

Why This Feat Feels Like a Revolution

You could chalk this up to the Super Bowl bump, but Lamar’s dominance runs deeper. While SZA (No. 2 with SOS) and The Weeknd (No. 3) rode the Halftime wave too, Kendrick’s trifecta taps into something visceral. Maybe it’s the way GNX blends razor-sharp lyricism with SZA’s honeyed hooks on “Luther,” or how “Not Like Us” — his Drake-dissing Grammy magnet — became a 430% streaming monster post-game. Or perhaps it’s the vinyl revival, proving that even in 2025, fans crave something tangible from their heroes.

“We’re witnessing a legend in real time,” another fan wrote, and they’re not wrong. Kendrick joins an elite club: Herb Alpert (1966) and Taylor Swift (2023) are the only living acts to achieve this three-album feat before him. But let’s be clear: No rapper has ever pulled this off. Not Jay-Z. Not Drake. Just K.Dot.

The Ripple Effect on the Charts
While Lamar’s albums hog the spotlight, the rest of the top 10 reads like a who’s who of 2025’s hitmakers:

• SZA (SOS) climbs to No. 2
• The Weeknd (Hurry Up Tomorrow) slips to No. 3
• Bad Bunny (Debí Tirar Más Fotos) holds at No. 4
• Breakout star Chappell Roan cracks the top 5

But let’s not kid ourselves — this week belongs to Compton.

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