Cardi B's Am I The Drama? debuts at No. 1 with 200k units

Cardi B's long-awaited sophomore album, Am I The Drama?, opened at the top of the U.S. albums chart this week, moving 200,000 album-equivalent units in its first week and earning rapid industry certifications. Chart data showed the 23-track project logged roughly 146 million on-demand streams and combined streaming and physical sales that delivered the 200,000-unit total. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album Platinum on its release day and upgraded it to double Platinum within 10 days.

Industry tallies attribute about 110,000 of the first-week units to streaming activity and roughly 90,000 to physical and pure album sales, boosted by several vinyl and CD variants. The album includes collaborations with a broad set of artists, among them Summer Walker, Kehlani, Megan Thee Stallion, Tyla, Selena Gomez, Janet Jackson and Lizzo, and was followed in its opening week by additional releases from the artist, including a bonus track and a remix featuring Latto.

The release marked a commercial milestone for Cardi B, who became the first female rapper whose first two albums both debuted at number one. The achievement follows her 2018 debut, which also opened at...