Enrique Iglesias performs on opening night of the Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin Live in Concert tour at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sept. 25, 2021 in Las Vegas.
Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesEnrique Iglesias recaptures his record for the most No. 1s on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as “Me Pasé,” featuring Farruko, ascends 4-1 on the Oct. 2-dated survey. With 32 No. 1s on the almost 27-year list, Iglesias pushes ahead of J Balvin for the most leaders. The latter notched his 31st leader as he locked up the No. 1 spot with “In Da Getto,” with Skrillex, on the Sept. 11-dated tally.
“Me Pasé” takes over atop Latin Airplay thanks to a 26% boost in audience impressions, to 11.3 million, in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 26, according to MRC Data.
Notably, Iglesias has held the record for the most No. 1s on the Latin Airplay chart almost continuously since 1996, when he achieved his fifth No. 1, then passing Selena (who had a leading four No. 1s at that point). The Latin Airplay chart began only two years earlier, in 1994. Since then, Iglesias has held the most No. 1s on the list except for a brief time earlier this year, when J Balvin tied with him for the most, when the former notched his 31st No. 1 on the Sept. 11 chart with "In Da Getto."
With “Me Pasé” at the summit, Farruko reaches his highest Latin Airplay ranking in 2021 as he’s scored two No. 3 high tracks (“Perfecta,” with Luis Fonsi, Jan. 2; and “Pepas,” Sept. 25).
Besides conquering Latin Airplay, Iglesias and Farruko also rule Latin Pop Airplay as “Me Pasé” lifts 2-1. Iglesias improves his career total to 25 No. 1s, extending his lead far ahead of second-place Shakira, with 19. Farruko captures his sixth leader.
A No. 2 Debut on Latin Pop Albums: Final (Vol. 1), Iglesias' 11th studio album, debuts at No. 2 on Latin Pop Albums. It's his first studio effort since 2014's No. 1 Sex and Love, and it earns him a 12th top 10. In between, Iglesias secured a No. 2 high with a Greatest Hits (2019) set, which has remained steady in the tally’s top 10 during all but one week of its 103-week run.
The 11-track Final (Vol. 1) includes five tracks that were originally released between 2015 and 2018 but were not previously released on an Iglesias album. Among them are a pair of No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs: "El Perdón," with Nicky Jam, and "Duele El Corazón," with Wisin.
“I took a pause in between albums because I was touring and because I wanted to enjoy the success of my previous album,” Iglesias tells Billboard. “I have never stopped writing and going to the studio though. The plan was to release the album at the beginning of last year, but once COVID hit, it delayed everything, obviously.”
Final, released Sept. 17 via Sony Music Latin, starts with 4,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Sept. 23rd. Out of the 11-track set’s opening sum, 3,000 derive from streaming activity, which equates to 5 million U.S. streams of the set’s tracks. The remaining 1,000-unit sum stems from album sales and track equivalent album units.
“The biggest challenge was not being able to have everyone in the same studio and trying to follow all the precautions,” Iglesias continues. “We were trying to finish all the production aspects of the songs, which we managed to do being careful. Everyone involved wanted to see this bulk of work out and we managed to finish the process during COVID to have it ready so we could put it out now.”
On the overall Top Latin Albums chart, Final arrives at No. 12, also the Spaniard’s first appearance with a studio set since 2014. “When I work on an album, I start with 50 songs!” Iglesias adds. “Then it becomes 30, 20…so on. So, through the process, I relate to every single one in a way. I always say that if I’m going to put any music out, it must be something that I like and be willing to sing every single night, for years if needed. It’s hard to handpick just one, but I really enjoy ‘Chasing the Sun.’ It talks about staying young and staying positive. It’s a song that always puts me in a good mood.”
As Final arrives, one track launches on the all-metric Hot Latin Songs chart: “Pendejo” at No. 33. The set, however, was preceded by five songs, one of which ruled the tally for 30 weeks in 2015. Here’s the recap:
Title, Artist (if other than Iglesias), Peak Date, Peak Position
“El Perdón,” with Nicky Jam, March 21, 2015, No. 1 (30 weeks atop)
“Duele El Corazón,” with Wisin, May 14, 2016, No. 1 (14-week lead)
“Súbeme La Radio,” featuring Zion & Lennox and Descemer Bueno, April 22, 2017, No. 2
“El Baño,” featuring Bad Bunny, Jan. 27, 2018, No. 8
“Me Pasé,” featuring Farruko, Oct. 2, No. 15
NEWS
There is no question that Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out made a serious impact and continues to hold weight. The project showed that hip hop is not limited by age and proved that a long-awaited return can still land in a major way regardless of the time away.
If you need a reminder, the Virginia duo’s fourth studio album debuted comfortably within the top five of the Hot 200. It secured the number four position and moved an impressive 118,000 units in its first week.
On top of that, it picked up a win at this year’s Grammys, earning Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips.” The album also received four additional nominations, including Best Music Video, Rap Album, and Album of the Year.
It is hard to believe the project will officially hit its one year mark this summer on July 11. Even so, Pusha T is making it clear that both supporters and critics should not be overlooking it anytime soon.
While performing at Coachella yesterday, King Push told the crowd that LGSEO still sits at the top, regardless of genre.
He said, “‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is still the album of the motherfckin year. Whole new year, still album of the year,” per Kurrco. “Album of the motherfcking year until we drop again. We don't care who dropping. It don't matter.”
That is a strong statement for obvious reasons, especially considering the recent claims surrounding Push himself.
Over the same weekend, hip hop social media lit up after several alleged reference tracks connected to Quentin Miller and Push began circulating. Three tracks surfaced in total, but one that drew the most attention was an alleged record titled “Real Gon’ Come.” It is said to come from the DAYTONA era, around 2017 to 2018.
The situation gained traction because fans remember the past tension between Drake and Pusha T before Drake’s clash with Kendrick Lamar. During that feud, Pusha accused Drake of using ghostwriters on tracks like “Infrared,” which appears on DAYTONA. On that song, he raps, “The bigger question is how the Russians did it /
It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin.”
Reactions have been mixed. Some people argue it is not a major issue since Miller’s alleged contributions were limited to hooks. Others point out that the songs were never officially released, so they see no real problem. Meanwhile, critics view it as clear hypocrisy on Pusha T’s part, a perspective that DJ Akademiks has also supported.
