NEWS
Don Omar
Jose VergaraMultiple Latin pair-ups have debuted on or topped the Latin charts this week (dated Nov. 27), and now it’s Don Omar and Nio García’s turn, whose first collaboration “Se Menea” bows at No. 4 on the Tropical Airplay chart.
As the old-school merengue tune with rhythmic nuances starts in the list’s upper tier, Don Omar scores his highest-charting debut ever since the survey’s inception in 1994. It surpasses his topmost entrance until now: “Ella y Yo” which opened at No. 5 in 2005.
“I am extremely happy with everything that has been happening in this new musical era,” Don Omar tells Billboard. “I am working with a great team and continue to have the best fans in the world. Today I have another achievement to celebrate, thanks Billboard!”
With the No. 4 arrival of “Se Menea,” Don Omar adds a 24th top 10 to his career board, dating back to his first, the No. 4-peaking “Dile” (2004). Out of those, eight have topped the tally, including the 18-week champ “Danza Kuduro” with Lucenzo (2010-2011), which ties with Aventura’s “Inmortal” for the third-most leading title just behind Prince Royce’s “Carita de Inocente” (29 weeks at No. 1) and Daddy Yankee and Marc Anthony’s “De Vuelta Pa’ La Vuelta” (22 weeks).
“Se Menea” starts with 5.5 million in audience impressions, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 21, according to MRC Data.
The No. 4 start concurrently earns García his third straight top 10, one out of those a No. 1, and all of which have arrived in 2021.
Elsewhere, the No. 15 start for “Se Menea” on the overall Latin Airplay tally establishes a personal best for both Don Omar and García. For the former, it’s his highest entrance among 43 singles and the highest-charting title since “Encanto,” featuring Sharlene Taule, peaked at No. 9 (2017). For the latter, the highest debut among a collection of nine entries.
Beyond its Tropical Airplay top 10 debut, “Se Menea” bows at No. 17 on Hot Latin Songs mainly on the strength of streaming activity. It logged 2 million U.S. clicks in the week ending Nov. 18. It also sold a little under 1,000 downloads in its first tracking week, enough to arrive at No. 4 on Latin Digital Song Sales.
Back on airplay charts, “Se Menea” also adds a Latin Rhythm Airplay career top 10 for both acts as the songs starts at No. 9.
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.
