Beyoncé’s twentieth-anniversary edition of ‘B’Day’ debuts at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart, dethroning Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller.’ HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 09: Beyoncé attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” at Dolby Theatre on December 09, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
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Beyoncé fans are waiting patiently for a new album from the superstar, and that patience will have to continue for an undetermined length of time. Several years ago, she began a three-part series, which sees the singer exploring genres she’s not typically connected to and, in some cases, ones that few would ever predict she’d delve into.
The venture began in 2022 with the electronic dance-oriented Renaissance. Beyoncé followed that up with her first country project, Cowboy Carter. Both became No. 1s on the Billboard 200 and produced Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping smashes, though tracks that sound drastically different from one another.
Before delivering the as-yet-unannounced act three, Beyoncé looked into her vaults to deliver a twentieth-anniversary edition of her sophomore solo set, B’Day. That project becomes a quick winner on several rosters published by Billboard, debuting on some and returning to others decades after it helped certify her as a powerhouse outside of Destiny’s Child.
Destiny’s Child with their Grammys backstage at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2001. Photo by Scott Gries/ImageDirect
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B’Day leads only one ranking, and as it launches, Beyoncé ousts one of the greatest musical superstars of all time.
Beyoncé’s B’Day Debuts at No. 1 on a Billboard Chart
B’Day opens at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart, which ranks the most-consumed R&B projects in the United States using both sales and streaming activity. Beyoncé scores her sixth leader on the tally and her first since Renaissance, which also conquered Billboard’s dance and electronic rankings.
Beyoncé first dominated the Top R&B Albums chart in 2013 with her surprise self-titled release. She found her way back to the summit the following year with Beyoncé: More Only, her most successful EP. Two years later, Lemonade opened at No. 1 and went on to spend 19 weeks ruling, and that stretch remains her longest reign. In 2019, Beyoncé, credited alongside the vague phrase “various artists,” pushed The Lion King: The Gift to the top spot as well.
Beyoncé Dethrones Michael Jackson
As B’Day arrives at No. 1, Beyoncé pushes Michael Jackson out of the highest space on the Top R&B Albums chart. Last frame, the late King of Pop’s Thriller, the most successful traditional studio album of all time, led the charge once more.
Thriller debuted on the Top R&B Albums list in February 2017, but it did not climb to the pinnacle until May of this year, nearly a decade later. Like so many other projects and tunes within Jackson’s discography, the blockbuster enjoyed a huge boost in popularity around the release of the Michael biopic. Since then, Thriller has commanded the roster for 17 weeks, rarely stepping aside.
Beyoncé’s B’Day Reaches No. 2 on Two More Charts
B’Day sits in the runner-up rung on another pair of Billboard rankings this week, missing out on hitting No. 1 by just a single spot. The full-length debuts at No. 2 on the Vinyl Albums chart, immediately giving Beyoncé her fifth top 10 on the format-specific sales roster.
The twentieth-anniversary edition also returns to the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the same spot. B’Day has previously ruled that broader genre-specific ranking, though it hasn’t been seen on the list in some time.
B’Day Returns to the Billboard 200’s Top 10
Beyoncé also lands inside the top 10 on another two rosters in America with her second release. B’Day reenters the Top Album Sales chart at No. 4 and the Billboard 200 at No. 8.
Out of the half-dozen rankings where B’Day can be found in at the moment, it misses the top 10 on only one of them. The project kicks off its time at No. 19 on the Top Streaming Albums chart, earning Beyoncé only her second appearance on the relatively new streaming tally.
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