Image via Complex Original
So the first-week sales for Joey Bada$$' debut album, B4.DA.$$, finally came in, and the 20-year-old rapper did pretty damn well for himself. For one, he outsold Lupe Fiasco, an established act who has seen several gold and platinum plaques in his fruitful career. Lupe's fifth studio release, Tetsuo & Youth, moved close to 36,000 copies, while Joey tallied up 58,000, good enough for a top five debut on the Billboard 200.
Just as impressive is the number of rap artists on major labels who Joey outsold in his debut week. The Brooklyn MC is an independent act through and through, yet he was able to move more units than Wale, Future, French Montana, and even Iggy Azalea, proof that he's a much bigger force than people may have realized. Scroll down to see who else Joey beat out.
Maino, If Tomorrow Comes
Release Date: June 30, 2009
Label: Hustle Hard/Atlantic
First-Week Sales: 18,000
Wale, Attention Deficit
Release Date: Nov. 10, 2009
Label: Allido/Interscope
First-Week Sales: 28,000
Travie McCoy, Lazarus
Release Date: June 8, 2010
Label: Nappy Boy/Atlantic/Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen
First-Week Sales: 15,000
Curren$y, Pilot Talk
Release Date: July 13, 2010
Label: DD172/BluRoc/Def Jam
First-Week Sales: 10,800
Waka Flocka Flame, Flockaveli
Release Date: Oct. 5, 2010
Label: 1017 Brick Squad/Asylum/Warner Bros.
First-Week Sales: 37,000
Tinie Tempah, Disc-Overy
Release Date: May 17, 2011
Label: Disturbing London/Capitol
First-Week Sales: 16,400
Theophilus London, Timez Are Weird These Days
Release Date: July 15, 2011
Label: Reprise/Warner Bros.
First-Week Sales: 2,800
Yelawolf, Radioactive
Release Date: Nov. 21, 2011
Label: Ghet-O-Vision/DGC/Interscope/Shady
First-Week Sales: 41,000
Yo Gotti, Live From the Kitchen
Release Date: Jan. 10, 2012
Label: Polo Grounds/RCA
First-Week Sales: 16,000
Chiddy Bang, Breakfast
Release Date: Feb. 21, 2012
Label: I.R.S./Virgin
First-Week Sales: 31,000
Diggy Simmons, Unexpected Arrival
Release Date: March 20, 2012
Label: Violator/Atlantic
First-Week Sales: 22,100
Future, Pluto
Release Date: April 13, 2012
Label: A1/Freebandz/Epic
First-Week Sales: 41,000
Travis Porter, From Day 1
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Label: Porter House/RCA
First-Week Sales: 14,000
Slaughterhouse, Welcome to: Our House
Release Date: Aug. 28, 2012
Label: Shady/Interscope
First-Week Sales: 52,000
Machine Gun Kelly, Lace Up
Release Date: Oct. 9, 2012
Label: Bad Boy/Intercope
First-Week Sales: 57,000
Chief Keef, Finally Rich
Release Date: Dec. 18, 2012
Label: GBE/Intercope
First-Week Sales: 50,000
French Montana, Excuse My French
Release Date: May 21, 2013
Label: Coke Boys/Bad Boy/MMG/Interscope
First-Week Sales: 56,000
A$AP Ferg, Trap Lord
Release Date: Aug. 20, 2013
Label: A$AP Worldwide/Polo Grounds/RCA
First-Week Sales: 32,000
Earl Sweatshirt, Doris
Release Date: Aug. 20, 2013
Label: Tan Cressida/Columbia
First-Week Sales: 49,000
Angel Haze, Dirty Gold
Release Date: Dec. 30, 2013
Label: Island/Republic
First-Week Sales: 1,000
Kid Ink, My Own Lane
Release Date: Jan. 7, 2014
Label: Tha Alumni Music Group/88 Classic/RCA
First-Week Sales: 50,000
Sage the Gemini, Remember Me
Release Date: March 25, 2014
Label: HBK Gang/Empire/Republic
First-Week Sales: 7,200
Iggy Azalea, The New Classic
Release Date: April 21, 2014
Label: Island
First-Week Sales: 52,000
Bas, Last Winter
Release Date: April 29, 2014
Label: Dreamville/Interscope
First-Week Sales: 3,600
G-Eazy, These Things Happen
Release Date: June 23, 2014
Label: BPG/RVG/RCA
First-Week Sales: 46,000
Stalley, Ohio
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2014
Label: MMG/Atlantic
First-Week Sales: 10,200
Rae Sremmurd, SremmLife
Release Date: Jan. 6, 2015
Label: Eardrummers/Interscope
First-Week Sales: 49,000