After Dr. Dre released Compton on Aug. 6 — his long-awaited third studio album and first in nearly 16 years — he re-enters the Social 50 chart (dated Aug. 22) for the first time since 2011. He climbs back at No. 35 with a 275 percent gain in chart points, matching his previous high (logged on the list dated Jan. 1, 2011). The album premiered via Apple Music’s Beats 1 the night of Aug. 6 and is exclusively available through Apple Music and the iTunes Store for its first two weeks of release.
The Social 50 is powered by data tracked by music analytics company Next Big Sound and ranks the most popular artists on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, SoundCloud, Wikipedia, Instagram, Tumblr and Vine. The chart’s methodology blends weekly additions of friends/fans/followers along with artist page views and engagement.
Dr. Dre’s Twitter account had a 1,499 percent increase in reactions in the week ending Aug. 9, according to Next Big Sound, also adding over 79,000 mentions on the platform. Those who might have “forgot about Dre” read up on his Wikipedia page, which logged a 436 percent increase in views for the week.
Compton is heading for a high debut on next issue’s Billboard 200, where it will likely bow at No. 2 behind Luke Bryan’s also-arriving Kill the Lights. Compton is Dre’s first release since 1999’s Dr. Dre — 2001. It re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 139.
Back on the Social 50, Zendaya matches her peak, zooming 30-13 amid rumors that she may be dating former One Direction member Zayn Malik. That chatter was already silenced as Zendaya tweeted on Aug. 9 that they’ve “literally NEVER met.” She adds over 6 million Instagram reactions (a 149 percent increase) and passes 10 million total followers on the platform, adding 397,000 for the week.
Rihanna zooms 21-6 on the list, as she soars in Instagram followers and reactions, adding over 434,000 fans and 13 million likes and comments on the platform. The star posted 18 photos and videos at Crop Over, a national festival in Barbados, clad in an elaborate jeweled bikini complete with feather headdress and wings.
