Rapper A$AP Rocky is aiming for the No. 1 slot next week on the Billboard 200. Industry sources suggest his major-label debut “Long.Live.A$AP.” could sell around 130,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, Jan. 20.
The new Billboard 200 chart’s top 10 will be revealed on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 23.
The set, released through A$AP Worldwide/Polo Grounds/RCA Records, has spun off a top five hit single on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with “F**kin’ Problems.” The song, which features Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar, hits a new peak this week, rising 5-4 on the tally.
A$AP Rocky’s new album might be one of only two debuts in the top 10 next week, as the only other title aiming for the region is the new “Kidz Bop 23” compilation. The effort features kid-friendly covers of such recent top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me” and One Direction’s “Live While We’re Young.”
If “Kidz Bop 23” starts in the top 10, it will mark the sweet 16th top 10 effort for the long-running franchise from the Razor & Tie record label. The last “Kidz” set, the 22nd volume, debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Aug. 4, 2012 chart with 64,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [Billboard.biz]