‘$ome $exy $ongs 4 U’ Is More Proof That R&B Projects Still Have Commercial Appeal
BY Malcolm Trapp / 2.24.2025
$ome $exy $ongs 4 U debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, which should surprise absolutely no one given Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s star power.
The 21-song project, which, according to the publication, saw the largest streaming week of the year since Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, moved an impressive 246,000 album-equivalent units. As expected, nearly 90 percent of that total came from streaming-equivalent album units, which accounted for 219,000 (or 287 million on-demand streams). Pure sales, on the other hand, made up 25,000.
$ome $exy $ongs 4 U also marked the first collaborative LP to go No. 1 in 2025 — granted, we’re only two months into the year. The project leaned heavily into R&B with tracks such as “CN TOWER” and “DEEPER,” but there were definitely some rap-heavy moments too, like “SMALL TOWN FAME,” “BRIAN STEEL” and “GIMME A HUG.”
It’s PARTYNEXTDOOR’s First No. 1 Album
The Valentine’s Day release notably served as Drake’s 14th overall No. 1. He now ties JAY-Z and Taylor Swift, whom — if his burner Instagram account is anything to go by — he could possibly surpass later in the year. For PARTYNEXTDOOR, however, the achievement was a major first.
The "Break From Toronto" singer's most recent solo album, PARTYNEXTDOOR 4 (P4), debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 in 2024. Meanwhile, his previous releases, PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 and PARTYMOBILE, fared slightly better at No. 3 and No. 8, respectively.
‘$ome $exy $ongs 4 U’ Is The Second R&B Album To Top The 200 Chart In 2025
Historically, R&B projects haven’t had an easy path to No. 1, but the past few months have been a welcoming change of direction. SZA’s sophomore album, SOS, returned to the top in December 2024, largely thanks to the release of its deluxe edition, LANA. Then, in February 2025, The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow opened the new year with a record-setting 490,500 units.