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Jay-Z.
Jay-Z's new album "4:44" became his 14th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 album chart Sunday, less than two weeks after it went instantly platinum thanks to an exclusive deal between Tidal and Sprint.The 47-year-old rapper is now second only to The Beatles for the most No. 1's in history. The legendary English band holds the all-time record with 19 No. 1 albums.
According to Nielsen Music, "4:44" earned 262,000 album-equivalent units last week, of which 174,000 were traditional album sales or downloads.
"4:44" went platinum five days after its release last month on the strength of a deal between Tidal and Sprint. The phone company purchased a million copies of the album, which fans could download for free through Tidal during its first week, before the album saw a wide release on all major streaming services a week later. The Sprint-purchased copies, however, did not count toward the album's first-week sales total (though they did count toward the album going "platinum," which is designated by the RIAA).
"4:44" extends Jay's own record for the most No. 1 albums among solo artists. Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand are tied for second to Jay with 11 No. 1 albums each.
Watch the video for Jay-Z's single "The Story of O.J." below: