NEW RELEASES: SWIFT, CUDI DUE FOR BIG BOWS

Republic will have the #1 and #2 albums on Friday's  HITS Top 50. Taylor Swift will once again lead the chart with evermore, having spent eight weeks on top with her late-summer release, folklore. Swift will now have the first- and fifth-biggest debuts of 2020.

Kid Cudi will land in the runner-up spot with the long-awaited third chapter of his Man on the Moon series, Man on the Moon III: The Chosen. Previously, it was Pop Smoke who followed Swift, spending an incredible 11 weeks at #2.  

With Swift fans lending folklore a resurgence and Ariana Grande and Pop Smoke albums holding strong, expect to see a handful of Republic titles in the Top 10. Will Grande or Smoke outlast the holiday boom to crack the Top 5? Stay tuned.

Taylor Swift (Republic) 300-350k total activity, 150-170k album
Kid Cudi (Republic) 150-175k, 15-18k