J. Cole has achieved his seventh No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with his new studio album, "The Fall-Off," which debuted atop the list dated February 21, 2026. The album launched with an impressive 280,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States during the week ending February 12, 2026, as reported by Luminate. This marks the largest week for any R&B or hip-hop album in nearly a year, since Playboi Carti’s "MUSIC" debuted at No. 1 on the March 29, 2025-dated chart with 298,000 units. J. Cole's previous chart-toppers include "The Off-Season" (2021), "KOD" (2018), "4 Your Eyez Only" (2016), "2014 Forest Hills Drive" (2014), "Born Sinner" (2013), and "Cole World: The Sideline Story" (2011).

Breaking down the success of "The Fall-Off," its 280,000 equivalent album units comprise 166,500 SEA (streaming equivalent album) units, translating to 169.5 million on-demand official streams of the album's tracks, leading to a No. 2 debut on the Top Streaming Albums chart. Album sales contributed 113,000 units, placing it at No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart, while TEA (track equivalent album) units accounted for 500. A significant factor in the album's sales performance was the concurrent vinyl release, a first for a J. Cole album alongside digital and streaming platforms. Approximately 71%, or 80,000, of "The Fall-Off’s" first-week sales were vinyl purchases. This represents J. Cole's biggest week ever for vinyl sales and the largest sales week for an R&B/hip-hop vinyl album in a year, surpassing Kendrick Lamar’s "GNX" which sold 87,000 vinyl copies on the February 22, 2025-dated chart.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Bad Bunny saw a significant resurgence following his Super Bowl LX halftime show on February 8, 2026. His former No. 1 album, "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" (from 2025), held at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 250,000 equivalent album units, marking its best week ever with a 194% increase. This gain was bolstered by a new vinyl pressing that became widely available, boosting the album’s sales by 732% to 61,000 for the week. On the streaming front, "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" earned 186,000 SEA units, equating to 195.31 million on-demand official streams, allowing it to return to No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart for its fifth nonconsecutive week. Additionally, his 2022 chart-topping album, "Un Verano Sin Ti," surged from No. 16 to No. 6 with 81,000 units, an increase of 163%. This marks the first time Bad Bunny has concurrently placed two titles within the Billboard 200's top 10.

K-Pop group ATEEZ secured their eighth top 10-charted album on the Billboard 200 as "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4" debuted at No. 3 with 200,000 equivalent album units, their best week ever. Traditional album sales comprised 195,000 units, leading to a No. 1 debut on the Top Album Sales chart, also marking the act’s best sales week. SEA units contributed 5,000 (equaling 5.58 million streams), with TEA units being negligible. The album’s strong first-week sales were enhanced by its availability across more than 25 physical variants, including collectible items like photocards, posters, and stickers, with some randomized elements, and signed editions. Joji also entered the top 10, capturing his fourth such project on the Billboard 200, as "Piss In the Wind" arrived at No. 5 with 86,000 equivalent album units. This sum included 45,000 album sales (his best sales week, debuting at No. 4 on Top Album Sales) and 41,000 SEA units (42.17 million streams, debuting at No. 8 on Top Streaming Albums). His sales were bolstered by deluxe edition boxed sets featuring branded clothing and a CD, along with over 10 vinyl variants, including a signed edition. Don Toliver’s "OCTANE" fell from No. 1 to No. 4 in its second week with 97,000 units (down 40%). Rounding out the top 10 were Morgan Wallen’s "I’m the Problem" (3-7 with 77,000 units), Olivia Dean’s "The Art of Loving" (4-8 with 75,000 units), Taylor Swift’s "The Life of a Showgirl" (5-9 with 54,000 units), and the "KPop Demon Hunters" soundtrack (6-10 with 42,000 units).

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, measured in equivalent album units compiled by Luminate. These units consist of album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each equivalent album unit represents either one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 2,500 ad-supported or 1,000 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The February 21, 2026-dated chart will be fully posted on Billboard’s website on February 18, 2026, a day later than usual due to the President’s Day holiday on February 16. Luminate, as the independent data provider, conducts thorough reviews and authenticates all data submissions for chart compilation, partnering with Billboard to remove suspicious or unverifiable data using established criteria before final calculations are published.