Metro Boomin has the hot hand right now.
According to Billboard, the superproducer’s sophomore effort debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated Dec. 17. It gave him his third No. 1 and he had his biggest week yet: 185,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S.
Heroes & Villains is Metro Boomin’s seventh effort on the Billboard 200 and his fifth album to reach the top 10. His previous entries include two No. 1s (Savage Mode II with 21 Savage in 2020, Not All Heroes Wear Capes in 2018), a No. 6 (Double or Nothing with Big Sean in 2017), and a No. 4 (Without Warning with 21 and Offset in 2017).
Of the 185,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 179,000, album sales comprise 5,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000. The album’s sales were powered by digital downloads. There was a CD available in limited quantities (including a signed version), which tallied about 3,000 sales.
On Dec. 5, a deluxe edition (Heroes Version) of the album was released on streaming services with 15 bonus instrumental tracks. The project is now broken down into two volumes.
Metro was recently featured in a cover story for GQ Hype, explaining his role as a producer.
“I feel like as a producer, you’ve always got to be open and receptive, looking for what’s new and what’s next and up-and-coming on the ground vs. you being a producer coming on like, ‘Yo, I gotta make a beat for Drake,’” he explains. “They’re gonna be who they’re gonna be regardless, so that don’t really prove nothing you’re doing as a producer. You can still make great songs with them, but as a producer, it’s like, what are you bringing? You’ve got to break artists, you’ve got to bring new artists. That’s a big part of your duty.”
Heroes & Villains features a star-studded cast that includes 21 Savage, ASAP Rocky, Chris Brown, Future, Gunna, John Legend, Travis Scott, the late Takeoff, Don Toliver, The Weeknd, Young Thug and cameos from Morgan Freeman.
