The numbers are looking strong for Playboi Carti.
According to first-week projections published by HitsDailyDouble, Carti's long-awaited Whole Lotta Red album is expected to debut atop of the charts and secure his first-ever No. 1 project. The record is projected to move 125,000-135,000 album equivalent units in its first week, potentially taking the top spot from Taylor Swift's Evermore.
Carti began working on the project in late 2018, shortly after the release of his debut album Die Lit, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Whole Lotta Red features contributions from Kanye West, Future, Kid Cudi, Matthew Williams, Pi'erre Bourne, Wheezy, and more. Less than 24 hours after Whole Lotta Red's release, Carti confirmed he was working on the album's deluxe version and called on his fans for some assistance.
Lil Durk's surprise project The Voice is also on track for a respectable debut, as it's projected to move 50,000-55,000 units in its first week. The first week number does not include the day of the album release, which was Dec. 24. Durk did approximately 25,000 equivalent units on the first day of release. In addition to the projected 50,000-55,000, this 25,000 counts towards the previous reporting period.
The effort delivers 16 cuts with features by Young Thug, 6lack, YNW Melly, Booka600, and King Von, who was fatally shot in Atlanta last month. Durk featured Von on The Voice's cover art, and has continued to promote the project with the hashtag #Doit4Von.
