NEW RELEASES: NF'S HOPE LOOKS HUGE
NF Real/Virgin artist NF leads new releases with his first album in four years, HOPE, which is on pace for a strong #2 bow. Republic's Daniel Caesar could debut in the Top 20 with his third LP, Never Enough. And the new Drake track explodes.
NF's HOPE (NF Real/Virgin) could debut in the 90-110k range on Friday's HITS Top 50. This is the rapper's first proper album since 2019's The Search, which opened at #1 with 130k (he released the mixtape CLOUDS in 2021). HOPE is expected to enter at #2 as Morgan Wallen's One Thing at a Time (Big Loud/Mercury/Republic) spends a sixth consecutive week at #1.
Daniel Caesar's Republic debut, Never Enough, will make a run at the Top 20 with first-week activity projected at 25-30k.
In singles news, Drake's new track, "Search & Rescue" (OVO/Republic)—whose artwork deftly trolls rival Kanye with an assist from his ex-wife, Kim—was streamed more than 7m times Friday, putting it on track for first-week on-demand audio of around 30m.
Now, if you'll excuse us, it's time to partake in a tradition unlike any other: sabotaging any hope of getting our summer bod into shape.