NLE Choppa Hits No. 1 On Emerging Artists Chart, Thanks to ‘Shotta Flow’
Memphis-based rapper NLE Choppa leads Billboard's Emerging Artists chart (dated Aug. 3) for the first time, jumping 6-1 to become the top emerging act in the U.S.
Memphis-based rapper NLE Choppa leads Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart (dated Aug. 3) for the first time, jumping 6-1 to become the top emerging act in the U.S.
The 16-year-old hits No. 1 on the strength of his breakthrough single “Shotta Flow,” which holds at its No. 36 peak on the Billboard Hot 100, its No. 12 peak on Hot Rap Songs and its No. 14 peak on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
The track continues to gain in chart points on the Emerging Artists tally, however, as it surges 10% in digital song sales to 2,000 downloads sold in the week ending July 25, according to Nielsen Music. It also logs 21.4 million U.S. streams (down 2%), as it returns to its No. 15 peak on the Streaming Songs chart.
Choppa (full name: Bryson Potts) succeeds Lewis Capaldi (who reigned for three weeks) atop the chart. The latter singer/songwriter graduates from the chart, as his single “Someone You Loved” reached the top 25 of the Hot 100, leaping 26-20.
Notably, Choppa is the first solo rapper to rule the chart since Flipp Dinero on Jan. 5 (the first chart week of 2019).
The Emerging Artists chart ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Hot 100, Billboard 200 and the Social 50. (The Artist 100 lists the most popular acts, overall, each week.) However, the Emerging Artists chart excludes acts that have notched a top 25 entry on either the Hot 100 or Billboard 200, as well as artists that have achieved two or more top 10s on Billboard‘s “Hot” song genre charts and/or consumption-based “Top” album genre rankings.
Rounding out the Emerging Artists chart’s top five, Saweetie rises 3-2, City Girls dip 2-3, Pinkfong holds at No. 4 and YK Osiris rises 7-5.
Plus, Sabrina Carpenter re-enters the chart at No. 6, as her new LP Singular Act II debuts at No. 138 on the Billboard 200 with 7,000 units.
Check out this week’s full Emerging Artists chart here.