Feb 10, 1997462 words · 2 min
Tupac on the Album Charts, February 1997
The “Gridlock'd” soundtrack at No. 1, two more albums in the Top 100: how Tupac Shakur dominated the US charts in February 1997.
Original: “Tupac Still Tops Charts” · MTV News · no byline · February 10, 1997
Four days after an initial brief report, MTV News followed up on February 10, 1997, with the full chart report. Just under five months after Tupac Shakur’s death, his presence on the US sales charts was unbroken: the soundtrack to Gridlock’d, his first film released after his death, debuted straight at No. 1.
No. 8 for Master P: A Dedication MTV Predicted
Right behind it, MTV highlighted a compilation: West Coast Bad Boyz II, which in the network’s estimation would be the first of presumably many rap albums dedicated to Tupac. The record jumped to No. 8 in its first week, bringing new tracks from West Coast rappers such as MC Eiht, Rappin’ 4-Tay, and Westside Connection, the trio of Ice Cube, Mack 10, and WC. The report then announced the remaining rankings.
A cross-check with the February 15, 1997 issue of Billboard confirms the figures: Gridlock’d stood at No. 1, and Master P Presents … West Coast Bad Boyz II entered at No. 8. The compilation was released on No Limit, Master P’s label; on the R&B/hip-hop album chart, it even reached No. 2 that same week. Whether and how the album was actually dedicated to Tupac was left open by the report. MTV’s phrasing resembled a prediction rather than a confirmed finding.
Three Albums in the Top 100 at Once
More revealing than the top spot is what sat further down. In the same chart week, Tupac was represented by two more albums:
- The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, released under the name Makaveli in November 1996 and having debuted straight at No. 1, was still at No. 11 after 13 weeks.
- All Eyez on Me, which had likewise launched at No. 1 in March 1996, held at No. 67 after 51 weeks.
Three albums simultaneously in the Top 100, just under five months after his death: that underlines what MTV meant by “still tops.” However, the top spot lasted only briefly. In the February 22 issue, No Doubt was back at No. 1 with Tragic Kingdom, Gridlock’d fell to No. 2, and West Coast Bad Boyz II dropped to No. 16.
Why Billboard Dates Its Issues in Advance
One detail explains why MTV was already able to report on February 6 and 10 about a chart dated February 15: Billboard dates its issues in advance. The sales figures behind it stem from the week before, and the chart becomes known several days before the printed date. When cross-referencing historical reports with chart archives, this lead time resolves apparent contradictions.
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