Puerto Rican rapper/singer/fashion hero Bad Bunny has made history with his recent (Feb. 29) sophomore album, YHLQMDLG, which was just revealed to have debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. His celebratory, hard-hitting celebration of reggaetón, other urbano stars/collaborators, Puerto Rico and being yourself—the acronym of the title translates to "I do what I want"—is now the highest-charting Spanish language album ever on the major all-genre chart.
What a great birthday present for the young Latin GRAMMY winner and 2020 GRAMMY nominee, who turns 26 on March 10.
Read: Bad Bunny Releases Sophomore Album 'YHLQMDLG,' Drops New Music Video For "La Difícil"
The "Vete" artist celebrated the historic moment with an Instagram post (see above) thanking his ever-growing fan base with a heartfelt note and photos of him rocking a very Bad Bunny look: stylish shades, an oversized shirt, long skirt and color-coordinating Nike Airforce Ones.
In a nod to the album's title, he wrote: "I MADE THIS [ALBUM] FOR ALL OF YOU THAT HAD FAITH IN ME!!! I MADE IT BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IT!!! I LOVE YOUUUUUU! HISTORIC #YHLQMDLG!"
More: How Bad Bunny Is Putting Latin Trap On The Map
According to Billboard, the 20-track LP (released on P.R.'s Rimas Entertainment) earned 179,000 equivalent album units in its first week, which accounts for the songs’ 201.4 million streams and 35,000 album sales during its massive debut. Additionally, it earned the No. 1 spot on the Top Latin Albums chart, a feat all three of his albums (including his 2019 J. Balvin collab, Oasis) have achieved. The outlet notes this is “the biggest streaming week ever for a Latin album, and the largest week for a Latin title since Billboard began tracking albums by equivalent album units in December of 2014.”
Before YHLQMDLG, the highest a Spanish-language album had charted on the Billboard 200 was at No. 4—Mana's Amar es Combatir in 2006 and Shakira's Fijación Oral: Vol. 1 in 2005. Ricky Martin's 2011 album Música + Alma + Sexo did hit No. 3 in 2011, but two of its tracks were sung in English.
At the 2020 GRAMMYs, both Oasis and Bad Bunny’s 2018 debut album, X 100PRE, were nominated for Best Latin Rock, Urban Or Alternative Album. He won his first-ever Latin GRAMMY at the 2019 Latin GRAMMYs, for Best Urban Music Album for his triumphant debut project.
