How Should PartyNextDoor and Drake Feel About the First-Week Returns for ‘$ome $exy $ongs 4 U’?
After his year-long feud with Kendrick Lamar shook the music world, everyone was waiting on what it would look and sound like when Drake made his proper return to music — not with just a feature appearance or a data dump, but with a full new project. And now we (mostly) have our answer: the rapper released $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, an LP-length teamup with OVO labelmate and longtime collaborator PartyNextDoor, on Valentine’s Day.
The largely R&B-flavored set — though its two best-performing (and Billboard Hot 100 top 10-debuting) tracks so far, “Gimme a Hug” (No. 6) and “Nokia” (No. 10), are more hip-hop and pop, respectively — debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week, with 246,000 units moved in its first frame. That’s a career-best number for PND, though below Drake’s last couple projects, including 2022’s Her Loss with 21 Savage.
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How should Drake feel about his comeback numbers? And what does all of it mean for PartyNextDoor? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. PartyNextDoor & Drake debut at No. 1 this week with 246,000 first-week units for their joint $ome $exy $ongs 4 U set. Is that number higher, lower or about where you would have expected before the project’s release?
Kyle Denis: It’s a bit lower than I expected. Granted this isn’t a solo rap-forward Drake project, so I wasn’t expecting astronomically high numbers, but I definitely expected them to pretty easily clear 250,000 units. Party was one of two artists to send a 2024 R&B album to the Billboard 200’s top 10 last year – and he didn’t have the Super Bowl in his back pocket; Drake has proven time and time again that he can score an eye-popping opening week. This final tally isn’t a disaster by any means, but it does leave a bit more to be desired considering how long we’ve known this was coming and the fact that it’s Drizzy’s first post-beef project.
Carl Lamarre: It’s slightly less than what I expected. I thought they would have hoovered between 275,000 and 300,000. Either way, a win is a win, and this was a colossal one for the OVO Gang because of the milestones achieved during this stretch. Drake earned his record-tying 14th No. 1 album, placing him in a rarified position with Jay-Z and Taylor Swift, while PND clinched his first-ever chart-topper. It is a gratifying feat, one they should be proud of.
Jason Lipshutz: A little bit higher, especially considering that $$$4U is not a new Drake album but a full-length R&B collaboration, with an artist who is well-known but has never topped the Billboard 200 himself. The closest analog to this project is 2022’s Her Loss alongside 21 Savage, which debuted with 404,000 equivalent album units — but that was a hip-hop album, with a more established star, and did not follow months of diss tracks aimed at Drake’s way. All things considered, this new album bowing with nearly a quarter-million first-week units is highly impressive.
Michael Saponara: It’s probably about where I thought. I projected around 250,000 to 300,000 so it came in around what I expected without having any sort of lead single. It’s a solid number.
Andrew Unterberger: Probably a little higher. Honestly if I was Drake, I’d be prepared to celebrate any chart-topping debut week in the six digits, so for his final number to start with a “2” I think is a pretty strong performance. It’s not 2015 Drake numbers, of course, but it’s just not 2015 Drake anymore.
2. Drake obviously has more at stake with this album, as his first following his endlessly publicized Kendrick Lamar debut, than his collaborator. On a scale from 1-10, how happy do you think he should be with the set’s first-week performance?
Kyle Denis: 7. These first-week numbers prove that, despite what the most overzealous observers say, Drake’s career is far from dead. He comfortably cleared the six-figure mark, charted every song on the Hot 100 and landed two solo top 10 debuts. He also gave his protégé his first No. 1 album and tied the record for most Billboard 200 chart-toppers among soloists (14). Those are undoubtedly wins, and pretty indisputable ones at that.
Now, when these numbers are contextualized within Drake’s career and recent commercial performance, the cracks start to show a bit. $$$4U boasts the lowest opening-week of Drizzy’s career outside of a pandemic-era collection of loosies, a dance album, a pre-pandemic collection of previously leaked tracks and So Far Gone (his last independent release). What’s more? There’s a 100,000+ unit gap between $$$4U and What a Time to Be Alive, the Drake project with the next-highest opening week total. There’s also the fact that Drake – who we used to be able to count on to clog the Hot 100’s top 10 after an album release – could only muster up two top 10 debuts on that chart from this set, both of which were blocked by a whopping four different Kendrick Lamar songs.
Carl Lamarre: Echoing my thoughts from answer 1, about a 5. Sure, he notched his 14th No. 1 album, but his performance was somewhat pedestrian aside from “Gimme a Hug” and “Nokia.” It’s bemusing and, frankly, kind of crazy that we didn’t get more of PND on this album, especially since we were promised a joint effort. Six solo Drake records made this project a bit bloated, and it doesn’t help that PARTY’s lone solo record, “Deeper,” trounces most of them. Either way, Drake is one album away from toppling his GOAT, Jay-Z, for the most No. 1 albums ever for a rapper.
Jason Lipshutz: An 8. Even as a side quest rather than a traditional solo album, $$$4U had a lot riding on it for Drake, as his first commercial bid following months of Kendrick Lamar, and seemingly the entire Internet, dunking on him. Yes, Drake would still be a star, but how big of a star would he be considered if this project was DOA from a charts perspective? Luckily for him, the album still notched a No. 1 debut with a sizable equivalent album units number, and launched every track onto the Hot 100, included a pair of songs in the top 10. Even if $$$4U doesn’t reach the commercial highs of his heyday, it represents another win, and a huge sigh of relief.
Michael Saponara: I think about a 6.5. 246,000 units is nothing to sneeze at, but for Drake, that’s just another day at the office. It’s a noticeable but expected dip from the about 400,000 first-week units For All The Dogs and Her Loss did earlier in the decade. Playing the numbers game, fans’ eyes turned to the battle with Kendrick Lamar’s GNX posting a 317,000-unit first week last year, so if Drake could’ve raced past that, I think $$$4U’s sales would’ve been looked upon with more reverence.
Andrew Unterberger: A 7 feels right. It’d probably be an eight or higher if Kendrick wasn’t still in the midst of his latest victory lap, but given that he still has four of the top five songs in the country right now while Drake couldn’t get higher than No. 6 on the Hot 100 in his debut week definitely taints the triumph a little. But generally speaking, this is about as good a first week for this album as Drake reasonably could’ve hoped for in 2025.
3. The big initial breakout this from the set are “Gimme a Hug” and “Nokia,” which debut at No. 6 and No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Does either of them seem like a likely breakout hit from the project — or do you have your eye on something else from the set?
Kyle Denis: If it’s not “Nokia,” it’s not likely to be anything else barring a random unforeseen TikTok trend. Between the namechecks, the beat switch, the “Babygworllll” ad-lib and its overall pop appeal, “Nokia” should be Drake’s ticket to a legitimate post-beef solo hit.
Carl Lamarre: From a rapping standpoint, I enjoyed “Gimme a Hug” a lot. It had hints of “Family Matters” regarding his flow and delivery. Drake’s lyrical execution was top-notch, and the production was of A-1 quality. Despite the high praise there, “Nokia” is looking like a runaway hit. The internet is salivating over this record, and it has virality potential, as it’s already causing a tizzy on social media. While the production is reminiscent of Honestly Nevermind, the energy and rap cadence have some “Nice for What” elements in there, too. Also, is it just me, or does “Nokia” — especially the record’s second half — remind anyone of Kanye’s “Stronger?”
Jason Lipshutz: “Nokia” is the one. More than its luxurious beat and that ad-jingle hook that snakes through its first half, the song features Drake sounding playful, which has become an increasingly rare occurrence in his catalog. Some of us grew up on Actually Fun Drake Songs, and having a new one — buried in the back half of $$$4U, but discovered by enough listeners to become a quickly growing hit — is a gift worth cherishing.
Michael Saponara: Both should be hits, in my opinion, and show Drake’s range as an artist. On the other hand, my two favorite songs on the album being a pop song and a rap song doesn’t exactly bode well for a 21-track R&B album that arrived on Valentine’s Day. it appears the label is going with “Gimme A Hug” as the spicy record was serviced to radio, but I think “Nokia” seems to be the track people are championing. It was nice to hear Drake having fun again.
Andrew Unterberger: “Nokia,” “Nokia,” “Nokia,” “Nokia,” “Nokia,” “Nokia.” The previous standard bearer for 2020s Drake pop songs actually as fun and exciting as his best 2010s singles had been For All the Dogs‘ “Rich Baby Daddy,” but this one trumps even that SZA- and Sexyy Red-featuring hit. I’ve had about four different hooks from it stuck in my head on loop over the past week and a half — a couple from Drake, and a couple from U.K. producer / hook provider Elkan (where the hell has this guy been?) It seems primed to be Drake’s biggest breakout pop hit in a long time, and even if it doesn’t have the juice to go the distance, it’s so important that he reminded us that this is something he still has in his toolkit, even without a big-name assist.
4. While the set the best-debuting of PartyNextDoor’s career, he’s not on either of the biggest-debuting tracks, and he often seems like an afterthought in discussion of it. What, if anything, do you think the album’s debut performance means for his own career?
Kyle Denis: Party will come out of this with a No. 1 album, and that’s something no one can take away from him. It’s also something that wasn’t necessarily a guarantee before $$$4U arrived, so I won’t discount that win. I don’t know if this means anything for his career outside of that though, especially considering $$$4U doesn’t hit nearly the same highs as his own P4. Given that $$$4U was immediately positioned as Drake’s primary vehicle to regain his cultural and commercial footing post-beef, the album never really had a chance to exist as a sincere moment of collaboration. At absolute best, this album should get more eyes and ears on Party’s music ahead of whatever else he has planned for 2025.
Carl Lamarre: It’s crazy to think PARTY’s first No. 1 came in this fashion. Throughout his career, he’s proven to be a precocious songwriter, capable of stringing together hit records in a flash. Whether it was Rihanna’s “Work” or DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts,” nobody ever questioned PND’s pen game, but for whatever reason, it never translated into equivalent solo success commercially. Still, the tide is turning, and for the better: Seeing him finally land his first top 10 on the Billboard 200 with PND4 last year to now securing his first No. 1 is very promising. With him embarking on his headlining tour and hitting the festival circuit last year, he is embracing his stardom way more than in years past. This could be the start of something more and bigger for the R&B lothario. The future looks bright.
Jason Lipshutz: Sure, the focus is on Drake when it comes to $$$4U, as it was always going to be. That doesn’t mean PartyNextDoor shouldn’t enjoy standing side-by-side with one of the biggest artists of the century on a full-length, or notching the first No. 1 album of his career. While OVO diehards have long embraced PND, the R&B star undoubtedly expanded his audience with this project, which features his typically strong crooning without any of the cultural baggage that his cohort has to deal with. It’s a low-risk, high-reward position, and Party should savor it.
Michael Saponara: Yeah, this definitely felt like a Drake album with PartyNextDoor serving as a supporting actor. I still think it’s a great achievement for PND to be part of a No. 1 album and get to enjoy the success of this moment while delivering on a joint project with one of his mentors and someone fans have been dying for him to work with more often. This should only build off the momentum PND had with P4 last year, but let’s hope he doesn’t go into hiding for a very long stretch so he can continue to parlay his wins.
Andrew Unterberger: More people know PND’s name than did a month ago, and he gets some nice chart wins and streaming numbers out of it. Aside from that stuff, I doubt this album ends up meaning much for his career at all.
5. Drake would obviously love at this point to put the entire Kendrick Lamar feud of the past year behind him and resume his status as one of the top dogs in both hip-hop and pop. Do you think when all is said and done with this album, he will be closer to that goal, further away from it, or at about the same distance?
Kyle Denis: Unless “Nokia” turns into a multi-week No. 1 smash, probably about the same distance. $$$4U likely won’t produce even a fraction of the smashes that GNX has, which it needs to do since the album hasn’t exactly been exalted by either critics or fans. And we still haven’t gotten a solo rap project from Drake yet – that will be the real test anyway.
Carl Lamarre: Hate to be the numbers guy — but musically, this album did nothing to further his career from that standpoint. The gaudy stat and win here is No. 15. Chasing immortality. That should be on Drake’s mind. I’m not saying continue to make lackluster music: “Gimme a Hug,” “Nokia,” “Spiderman Superman,” “When He’s Gone” and “Die Trying” show that the Drake we very much loved and adored the last 15 summers still exists. But if I’m him, I’m thinking bigger, because numbers aren’t fickle. Fans will change, but his place in history won’t — not after landing No. 15 sometime this year with this upcoming solo album.
Jason Lipshutz: About the same distance. While $$$4U should be regarded as a commercial success, it’s also not going to convince any hip-hop fans who sided with Kendrick Lamar that Drake responded with a strong counterpunch; similarly, it’s not a bomb, or backwards step, that diminishes Drake’s current standing within the mainstream. Maybe he goes for the gusto on his next proper album, but for now, I’d guess that $$$4U will amount to Drake holding serve.
Michael Saponara: About the same distance. I thought an R&B album with Party was a good move to distance himself from the battle while utilizing a different weapon in his repertoire. It only would’ve put him further away if the project completely flopped, which it didn’t, and moved him closer to that goal if it had one or two no-doubt smash hits that have him looking down at Kendrick on the charts instead of looking up like he has for much of the last year, and that doesn’t appear to be the case for now either. I ultimately think Drake should be judged much harsher in this discussion when it comes to the rollout of his next solo rap album.
Andrew Unterberger: A little closer, I think. The vultures would’ve been circling if this project had flopped outright, and while we can argue what level of success this was by his standards, a first week in the 200,000s for a hip-hop/R&B album is no flop in 2025. So at the very least, Drake has established he’s not dead and buried as a hitmaker as previously speculated — particularly because it seems like “Nokia” does have some amount of life outside of the project. Now, it’s just a question of what he does next.
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