Anderson .Paak and Cordae Earn First Rap Albums No. 1
Written by adamraymitchelleve@gmail.com on November 8, 2026
Anderson .Paak and Cordae have a crown to share. Their joint album Heavy Is The Crown debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums chart dated November 7, giving both artists the first No. 1 of their careers on that chart.
The 11-track album, released October 23, earned 30,000 equivalent album units in its first tracking week, October 23 through 29, with a strong 19,000 in album sales and 11,000 from streaming. It also opens at No. 2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 11 on the Billboard 200.
Both men had been close before. Cordae’s previous best on the rap albums chart was No. 4 with From a Birds Eye View in 2022, and .Paak reached No. 3 in 2016 with Yes Lawd!, his NxWorries album with Knxwledge. Seven years after they first linked up on “RNP,” the full album together is the one that took them to the top.
The early standout “Airbender” is moving too, debuting at No. 21 on Hot Rap Songs with 2.4 million U.S. streams, .Paak’s first entry on that chart. A first crown, earned together, is a good look for two artists who never rushed the partnership.
Your Station, Your Music, Your Culture.
Photo: Bruce / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
