“Rich Men North of Richmond,” a self-released song by a little-known artist called Oliver Anthony Music, beat out hits from superstars like Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Olivia. , which surprisingly became the number one song in the US this week. Rodrigo.
The song, which was uploaded to YouTube just two weeks ago, sparked a firestorm among conservative commentators such as Matt Walsh and Laura Ingraham, who called it a true expression of working-class struggle. However, some critics were daunted by the anti-welfare sentiment. Remember the Reagan era? “If he's 5-foot-3 and weighs 300 pounds, he shouldn't have to pay taxes on a bag of fudge bullets,” sings Anthony, real name Christopher Anthony Lunsford.
According to tracking service Luminate, “Rich Men” has amassed 17.5 million streams and 147,000 downloads, topping Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. The song is the second to reach number one in less than a month, after Jason Aldean's “Try That in a Small Town”, after sparking political controversy and download sales. It's a country song. It's a small part of the modern music business, but it can have a big impact on the charts thanks to the weighting formulas Billboard and Luminate use to adjust streams and sales.
According to Billboard, this is the first time that an artist with no prior chart experience has debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 “in any way.”
It remains to be seen whether “Rich Man'' can maintain the top spot for a long time. Longtime Nashville hitmaker Aldean sparks culture wars with 'Try That in a Small Town' after the music video was criticized as a coded call to vigilantism The song remained at number one for a week when it was hit by a wave of controversy. It dropped 20 places due to a sharp drop in streaming and download numbers.
On the album chart, Travis Scott's “Utopia” has remained at No. 1 for three consecutive weeks, thanks to a flash sale on the rapper's website where the two-disc vinyl version is available for $5. One of the reasons was that it had become. Scott's album sold 99,000 copies, 93,000 of which were on vinyl. He also had 124 million streams. Luminate says “Utopia” has sold a total of 185,000 copies in the United States.
Neon-haired Colombian pop star Karol G debuts at No. 3 with his latest release, “Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season),” which has sold the equivalent of 67,000 copies, including 68 million streams. The mixtape is a sister collection to Karol G's last studio album, the similarly titled “Mañana Será Bonito,” which debuted at number one in March.
Also this week, Warren's “One Thing at a Time” is at No. 2, the “Barbie” soundtrack is at No. 4, and Swift's “Speak Now (Taylor's Version)” is at No. 5. .
