With all of the months-long trolling on social media and at award shows, how much did that viral marketing pay off for Lil Nas X? Well, the sales projections for his Montero album have been calculated.
According to HitsDailyDouble, Lil Nas X’s debut full-length studio LP is on pace to amass 130,000-140,000 first-week units. That range should be enough for LNX to end Drake’s two-week reign atop the album chart.
Montero is the follow-up to 2019’s 7 EP. The new 15-track project includes guest appearances by Megan Thee Stallion, Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Elton John, and Miley Cyrus.
Lil Nas X’s Montero received nearly universal acclaim from professional music critics. As of press time, the body of work scored 89/100 on Metacritic.
Montero is one of the best-reviewed 2021 albums on the website. It is presently inching out Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler, The Creator (88/100 Metacritic score).
— ☆ (@LilNasX) September 18, 2021
Comparative 2021 First-Week Numbers
7 was regularly placed in rap categories, but Montero is listed as a Pop album. Moving close to 140,000 units would mean Montero fell behind the 2021 first-week numbers for other high-profile Pop projects like Justin Bieber’s Justice (154,000 units) and Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour (218,000 units).
When it comes to rappers on the Billboard 200 rankings in 2021, Drake is in the lead for first-week sales. The OVO star’s Certified Lover Boy pulled in 613,000 album-equivalent units in its initial seven days of release.
Additionally, Kanye West’s Donda debuted with 309,000 units. J. Cole’s The Off-Season opened with 282,000 units, and Tyler, The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost moved 169,000 first-week units.
Lil Baby & Lil Durk’s The Voice Of The Heroes collected 150,000 first-week units. Polo G’s Hall of Fame brought in 143,000 first-week units. Migos’ Culture III and Rod Wave’s SoulFly both compiled 130,000 first-week units, respectively.