Lil Uzi Vert’s “Pink Tape” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums list, ending the rap drought.

In 2023, rap albums have been lackluster in performance and popularity. 

Despite being the most listened to music genre, until Lil Uzi Vert dropped “Pink Tape,” there was no No. 1 rap album on the Billboard charts in 30 weeks.

The closest rap album to have reached No. 1 was Gunna’s “A Gift & A Curse” debuted

 at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart with 85,000 equivalent album units, but it also reached No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. 

According to Billboard, the record by Atlantic Records sold 167,000 equivalent album units in the US for the week ending July 6. 

“Pink Tape” is the third studio album by the rapper and singer-songwriter, and it debuted at No. 1, making it the third album to do so. 

The album boasts 26 tracks that blend hip hop, trap, rap rock, and fury rap. It also features the popular dance single “Just Wanna Rock.”

Alternative hip hop, which Lil Uzi Vert is leading the way, is a broad term that encompasses a variety of subgenres, including cloud rap, trap metal, and experimental hip hop. These subgenres are often characterized by their dark, experimental soundscapes and their focus on introspection and personal expression. 

In 2023, alternative hip hop is expected to continue to grow in popularity, as more and more listeners are drawn to its unique sound and its raw, unfiltered emotion.

The previous rapper who achieved a No. 1 album is Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” his fourth number-one album that was released on May 13, 2022. 

Leading up to the BET Awards on June 25, Bow Wow said to Los Angeles radio station Power 106 about the current state of hip-hop that modern hip-hop records were not selling because rappers were making “trash.”

“I think people are starting to get tired of it, that’s why you don’t see nothing charting,” he said. “Everything sounds the same, every girl wants to get a bag, get a rich ni–a… it’s time to shake the game up and get it back to what it needs to get back to, and that’s just the real essence of artistry, and real good music that’s gone last forever.”