It's no secret that Lecrae's
Anomaly was going to be a big deal. Even its preorders were hitting No. 1 on the iTunes rap/hip-hop charts. But to sit atop the Billboard charts upon it release is shocking even to the Reach Records frontman.
According to Nielsen Soundscan,
Anomaly sold 88,000 copies in the week ending Sept. 14, which beat Lecrae's previous record of 72,000 units sold at the start of 2012's
Gravity--which debuted and peaked at No. 3.
On the Gospel charts, Lecrae found himself at No. 1 for the sixth time in his career, and
Anomaly was the fifth time Lecrae sat atop the Christian Albums chart.
Billboard says
Anomaly is the first title ever to reach the top of both Gospel Albums and the Billboard 200, and just the fifth set to lead both Christian Albums and the Billboard 200--joining Chris Tomlin's
Burning Lights, tobyMac's
Eye on It, LeAnn Rimes'
You Light Up My Life - Inspirational Songs and Bob Carlisle's
Butterfly Kisses (Shades of Grace).
"We asked you to make history with us and that's exactly what happened," reads a post on Reach Records' website. "We are excited about the days ahead and glad to share this moment with you. We want to celebrate this milestone with 116 everywhere across the world."
To celebrate, Reach Records--which Lecrae founded and manages--is giving away a new song by Lecrae called "Non-Fiction," where he reflects on his journey.
Lecrae, 34, hasn't yet charted a single on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, although he has sold 1.4 million albums and 2.9 million track downloads in his seven studio album-spanning career.
His charting success began in 2008, when his album,
Rebel, peaked at No. 88 on the Billboard 200.
