Elite 100: Nipsey Hussle Skyrockets, Moneybagg Yo, Brandi Carlile Chart

Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images) – Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile performs at Americanafest Pre-Grammy Salute to Emmylou Harris at City Winery on Jan. 27, 2018 in New York City

The undeniable standout on this week’s Elite 100 Artists chart is Nipsey Hussle, who went from not being on the chart last week to No. 7 this week.

The Los Angeles rapper possibly best known for his anti-Donald Trump anthem “FDT” with YG released his Victory Lap album Feb. 16, meaning his numbers for the week ending Feb. 22 were great. He was strong in all three categories on the chart, with 24,100 album sales; 15,500 song sales; and 30.3 million streams.

Nipsey Hussle is mostly looking at festivals so far this year, with his next scheduled appearance being at “Grits & Biscuits” April 28 in Washington, D.C., along with Miguel and Migos.

Brandi Carlile also dropped new album, titled By The Way, I Forgive You, Feb. 16. Her strongest metric was album sales, with 24,100 albums sold, showing that a loyal fanbase will still buy the album. She also logged 10,300 song sales and 3.8 million streams.

“The album, By The Way, I Forgive You, speaks for itself.  Brandi and the twins made a record that is deeply personal and resonates with everyone that hears it,” Carlile’s manager Mark Cunningham of Red Light Management told Pollstar.

Her itinerary is pretty packed, with headline dates at theatres booked from March until August. Some highlights on her schedule include Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., Aug. 12 and Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre Aug. 17.

A highlight of her routing last year was the Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees show in Portland, Ore.’s Aladdin Theater, which also featured Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, and Steve Earle. Proceeds from that event helped support expanded education opportunities for dislocated people via the Jesuit Refugee Service’s Global Education Initiative. The gig reported 624 tickets sold, generating a gross of $69,350.

Other new artists on the chart this week include Moneybagg Yo at No. 27; Young Dolph at No. 75; and Zedd & Maren Morris & Grey at No. 93.

Moneybagg Yo released a new album, 2 Heartless, Feb. 14 and had a strong showing in terms of On Demand streams, with 27.7 million. Young Dolph released a six-track EP Feb. 16, which got him 14.1 million streams. The two rappers were once collaborators, but it will likely be some time before they work together again, as Moneybagg Yo is signed to Yo Gotti, who has traded diss tracks with fellow Memphis rapper Young Dolph.  

The trio of Zedd, Morris, and Grey are on the chart for their single “The Middle,” which appeared on the chart in the week ending Feb. 1, after they premiered the video at the Grammy Awards. They fell off in the following weeks, but are back, likely because radio has picked up the song.

Plenty of albums released Feb. 23, including projects from Black Milk and Femi Kuti. Bert Jansch, who died in 2011, also had a two-part box set drop on that date.