Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole And Bruno Mars Top Year-End Billboard 200 Album Chart
Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. topped this year's Billboard 200 Albums.
READ: Kendrick Lamar To Release Collector's Edition Of 'DAMN.'
Lamar's fourth studio album took the No. 1 spot on the chart for 2017, followed by Bruno Mars' 24K Magic in second place. Also included in the top 10 was Drake's More Life and J. Cole's 4 Your Eyez Only.
DAMN. taking the top spot on the chart makes sense, considering how well-received the album was. The album has been included on a number of best of albums of the year lists. Plus Kendrick is nominated for seven Grammy Awards including album of the year.
Recently, the Compton rapper released a new collector's edition of DAMN. Microsoft's online music store has a listing of the collector's edition version of the album, which includes new cover art and a revised track list. The album art now shows Lamar wearing a t-shirt with the album’s name on it, while the new track list is backwards so it starts with “DUCKWORTH.” instead of “BLOOD.”
Prior to the release of the collector's edition, Lamar had already revealed that his most recent album could be played backwards.
"I think like a week after the album came out, [fans] realized you can play the album backwards…It plays as a full story and even a better rhythm… It’s something that we definitely premeditate while we’re in the studio," Kendrick said to MTV. "I don’t think the story necessarily changes, I think the feel changes…The initial vibe listening from the top all the way to the bottom is…this aggression and this attitude. You know, ‘DNA,’ and exposing who I really am. You listen from the back end, and it’s almost the duality and the contrast of the intricate Kendrick Lamar. Both of these pieces are who I am."