Entertainment Gists
Adele: 30 Becomes 2021’s Fastest-Selling Album Despite Sales Drop
Adele’s 30 has shot to number one, overtaking Abba to become the fastest-selling album of the year so far.
Its 261,000 first-week chart sales mean it sped past the Swedish pop group’s comeback album Voyage, which opened with 204,000 sales.
However, Adele’s sales figures are significantly lower than those of her previous album 25, released in 2015.
That album, her third, opened with 800,000 first-week sales, which means 30 has sold 32% of its predecessor.
The drop can be partially explained by the huge growth of streaming in the last six years. Added to which, there was a greater incentive for fans to buy 25, as it was kept off streaming platforms for its first six months of release.
Adele won out over Ed Sheeran’s = (Equals) album to claim top spot this week.
This means she has now secured a chart double, with the album’s lead single Easy On Me remaining number one for a sixth consecutive week.
The album made up 67% of all physical sales and became the most-streamed album of the week, with 55.7 million plays across all tracks.
The numbers mark the biggest first week for an album since Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) in 2017.
It is also strongest opening week for a female solo album since Adele’s last studio album 25, which was released in November 2015.
The London-born star has said that 30 is an attempt to explain her divorce from her husband to nine-year-old son Angelo.
The BBC’s review said it finds an “emotionally bewildered” Adele “at the top of her game”.
Adele’s album shines bright – but can her music last?
Analysis
Adele’s last album achieved platinum status in 24 hours, selling 300,000 copies in a single day.
Her latest hasn’t reached that figure after a week on sale. But go easy on her – album sales have fallen precipitously in the six years since Adele released 25.
Back then, streaming accounted for just 11% of the UK’s music market – and no-one thought it was odd for Adele to withhold her album from Spotify and Apple. By relying on CDs, vinyl and downloads, she racked up a record-breaking 800,000 sales in the space of a week.
In the US, 30 is already the biggest-seller of the year, overtaking albums by Drake and Olivia Rodrigo. In the UK, her first-week total of 261,000 is miles ahead of the 7,317 copies Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia sold on its fourth week at number one last May (the lowest ever total for a UK chart topper).
The record industry and the media still rely on album sales as a measure of success – but in reality, the public has moved on. Adele’s success should really be measured in cultural impact. Her US TV special was watched by more people than the Grammys or the Oscars. The British equivalent drew a peak audience of 5.4 million viewers, helping ITV achieve its biggest Sunday night of the year.
The real question is whether, after this publicity blitz, her new music will hang around.
“Success may be more about whether, two months down the line, we still have memes flooding TikTok and James Corden doing skits,” observed music industry analyst Mark Mulligan.
“This will say as much about how the world is responding to her music than how many streams she clocks up.”
Abba’s Voyage slips to third place this week, while Oasis are a new entry at number four with the live recording of their Britpop-defining Knebworth gig from 1996.
Other debut entries in the top 10 include Robert Plant and Alison Klauss’ second collaboration Raise The Roof and London rap collective D Block Europe’s new mixtape Home Alone 2.
Rock-pop veterans Elbow also feature with their latest album Flying Dream 1.
In the singles rundown, Adele’s chart domination means her biggest competition remains… herself.
The singer’s 101,000 chart sales and 11.5 million streams of Easy On Me beat out her two other tracks from 30 – Oh My God, which claims the week’s highest new entry at number two, and I Drink Wine at number four.
Easy On Me is now Adele’s longest-running chart-topper, outstripping Someone Like You.
Her closest competition in the singles chart, Sheeran, slipped to third with Shiver, while Bad Habits spent its 22nd week in the top 10 at number five.
This week’s biggest chart jump comes courtesy of 17-year-old Nashville pop prodigy Gayle, whose track ABCDEFU rises 26 positions to number 14.
Josh2Funny’s Album Has Fans Talking — But Should He Stick To Music Or Skits? 😂🎶
Nigerian comedian and content creator Josh2Funny has taken his comedy game into music, and Nigerians are definitely having something to say about it.
The comedian released his 15-track album, “On Behalf of Josh,” on July 10, 2026, but instead of fading away after release, the project has continued to generate conversations on X.
And the big question now is:
Should Josh2Funny continue with music or go back to skits? 😂
Fans have been divided. While some listeners openly criticized the album and told him to return to comedy, others found songs they genuinely enjoyed.
One X user joked:
“Josh2Funny stopped doing skits and started music, Everybody wan chop this music money 😂”
Another simply said:
“This Josh2Funny Album no enter make he just go back skit abeg 😂”
But then came “Lembe.” 🔥
The track caught fire on X and eventually became a trending topic in Nigeria. The #LembeChallenge also gained momentum as creators began jumping on the song.
Josh2Funny later announced ₦1 million for winners of the challenge, giving the song another major push.
And it didn’t stop there.
‘INTERNATIONAL’ FT. ICE PRINCE ALSO TRENDED
On another day, “International” featuring Ice Prince generated its own buzz on X.
One fan even called it their favourite song from the album, while praising the collaboration. The post itself pulled thousands of views, showing that people weren’t only talking about Lembe.
From album criticism to trending songs and challenges, “On Behalf of Josh” has kept Josh2Funny’s name in the conversation.
Whether you love the album or think he should return to skits, one thing is clear:
Josh2Funny has succeeded in getting Nigerians talking. 😂🔥
So, let’s settle this once and for all:
Should Josh2Funny continue with MUSIC 🎶 or return to SKITS 😂?
Music or Skits? Drop your answer! 👇
RUAN-Badkid.96 is a Nigerian recording artist whose music refuses to live inside a single genre. Blending Afrobeat, Afrofusion, trap, hip-hop, melodic rap, R&B, and global influences, he creates records that move effortlessly between raw street energy, soulful storytelling, and infectious melodies. Whether delivering hard-hitting bars, emotional love songs, or rhythm-driven African records, his sound is defined by authenticity rather than limitation.
Inspired by both African culture and international music, RUAN-Badkid.96 embraces the confidence and ambition of global hip-hop while staying deeply connected to his roots. His lyrics explore love, heartbreak, betrayal, friendship, social injustice, hope, and the everyday realities of life. He doesn’t create music to follow trends, he creates music to reflect truth, emotion, and human experience.
Behind his fearless image is an artist who believes in kindness, equality, justice, and genuine human connection. His appearance may be intimidating, but his message is rooted in compassion and authenticity. Every record carries a piece of his journey, proving that strength and vulnerability can exist in the same voice.
For RUAN-Badkid.96, music is more than entertainment, it’s a language, a testimony, and a lifelong mission to connect with people through honesty, versatility, and unforgettable sound.
Entertainment Gists
Meet the Man Who Turned Hype Into a Science: Emmy Blaq, Nigeria’s G.O.A.T. of Hype
If you have ever been at a Nigerian event and found yourself on your feet before the main act even stepped on stage, there is a good chance a hype man was responsible. But not just any hype man. Emmy Blaq, born Ikechukwu Emmanuel Chima and raised in Auchi, Edo State, has spent the last few years quietly becoming the most talked-about name in that profession, and the Nigerian press has taken notice. Punch, Vanguard, The Guardian Nigeria, The Nation, and Independent Newspaper have all sat down with him, and every conversation leads back to the same thing: this man does not just make noise; he makes moments.
What makes Emmy Blaq different is the journey behind the energy. Before the stages, the collaborations with Waje on her “Waje 2.0” album, DJ Consequence, and DJ Kaywise on the massively streamed “Joor Party Mix” series, he was repairing generators, cutting hair, and sewing clothes in Auchi. His first professional hype gig happened at a local fast food spot called Valchi, and the crowd response that night changed everything. He told The Nation directly: “My passion for entertainment and desire to make people happy led me into the craft.” Punch also captured his bigger mission when he said that hype men deserve more than what they currently earn, a statement that sparked a real conversation across Nigerian entertainment circles.
With over 1.7 million TikTok followers, 23.6 million TikTok likes, a viral “Wife Material” challenge that landed on Pulse Nigeria’s top ten social media moments of 2021, and an international performance at the Cameroon International Music Festival that Cameroonian media described as electrifying, Emmy Blaq is not building toward something. He is already there. The G.O.A.T. of Hype is not a title he gave himself and hoped would stick. It is one the rooms keep confirming every single time he grabs the mic.
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