'The Hamilton Mixtape' Tops Billboard 200, Toppling Weeknd's 'Starboy'
Lin-Manuel Miranda'sHamilton: An American Musical was a game changer on Broadway, and The Hamilton Mixtape is continuing the stage show's success.
The Hamilton Mixtape debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, earning 187,000 equivalent album units with 169,000 of them being traditional album sales. The album beat out The Weeknd'sStarboy at no. 2 (151,000 units), Pentatonix'sA Pentatonix Christmas at no. 3 (128,000 units), and The Rolling Stones'Blue & Lonesome at no. 4 (123,000).
The Hamilton Mixtape is a compilation that features an all-star collection of musicians performing the same songs that appeared in the Broadway musical, which told the story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. Artists on the project include The Roots, Nas, Chance The Rapper, Sia, Kelly Clarkston, John Legend and many others.
The project's chart performance is the largest sales week for a compilation since Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music's Cruel Summer in 2012, which sold 205,000 in its first week of release. It is also the first compilation to lead the Billboard 200 since Now 50 in May 2014; the last time a compilation topped the charts that wasn't a part of the Now series, it was the Hope for Haiti Now charity album from February 2010.
The Hamilton is one of the most celebrated in Broadway history. It set a Tony Awards record with 16 nominations and earned 11 wins. It was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and Miranda received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
