TOP 20: A TIE HEADING INTO THE FINAL TURN (UPDATE)

Never count out K-pop fans. With only hours left in the chart week, YG/Interscope's BLACKPINK has tied it up in the race for #1.

The act's sophomore album, BORN PINK, is now tracking to open with 93k, which sets it up for a photo finish with 2022's YTD champ, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (Rimas), also projected at 93k.

Will Team Interscope get the win for BLACKPINK's first chart-topper? Or will Bad Bunny ride his 10 Latin Grammy nominations to a 12th nonconsecutive week at #1? We'd be lying if we said we had any idea how this one was going to turn out.

Check with us Friday for this week’s HITS Top 50.

Meanwhile, K-pop stans have another big release to cheer on this week as SM/Virgin sees NCT 127’s 2 Baddies–The Fourth Album open at #3.

Interscope also scores the only other debut in the Top 10, EST Gee’s I Never Felt Nun (CMG/Warlike). Columbia’s Koe Wetzel opens in the Top 15 with Hell Paso (YellaBush).

Now, if you'll excuse us, we're headed for the Kogi truck and a heaping order of kimchi carnitas fries.