If people thought that Lil Nas X was a one-hit-wonder, they better think again because the rap-pop newcomer’s debut album, Montero, is off to a flying start, according to reports.
The “Old Town Road” star’s first project is said to be on course to earn the No. 1 spot on next week’s Billboard Hot 200, with sales projected to reach 130k-140k, per Hits Daily Double.
Of those units, 12k-20k are expected to be from pure sales, which may seem quite low, but considering the state of the music industry, even some of the biggest artists aren’t pulling big numbers from CDs and digital sales anymore.
Needless to say, however, Nas could very well be earning his first No. 1 album with Montero, while the 15-track LP has already surpassed over 130 million plays on streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify.
Nas’ closest contender to beat on Billboard’s Hot 200 is Drake, whose latest album Certified Lover Boy has dominated the charts since its release on September 3, having already surpassed a billion streams on Spotify.
In a recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the 22-year-old stressed that recording his album helped him overcome some of the biggest insecurities he’d dealt with since his teenage years.
“I guess I was always and still am afraid of being any kind of vulnerable,” he shared. “Because the way the world works, if you tell them your darkest secret, the second somebody doesn’t like you, they’re going to throw that shit in your face.
“Music saved my entire life, like all artists say, and I truly get it now,” he goes on. “It gave me an outlet to just have more of a purpose, have something that I want to dedicate myself to, have something I love, have something that I’m not doing for somebody else.”
Montero, which includes featured appearances from the likes of Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, and Megan Thee Stallion, appears to be a solid first offering from Nas.
Time will tell if fans feel the same.