Stray Kids Top Billboard 200 Again, Becoming the First to Achieve Six Consecutive Number-One Albums

Stray Kids again made history by topping the Billboard 200 chart with its latest album, HOP. They became the first group in the chart’s 69-year history to achieve six consecutive number-one albums.

Billboard reported on Monday that HOP outpaced Kendrick Lamar’s GNX and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department to secure the top spot on the Billboard 200.

With this achievement, Stray Kids has secured an incredible milestone—six consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200. The group continues to break records with its impressive streak, beginning with ODDINARY in 2022, followed by MAXIDENT, 5-STAR, ROCK-STAR, ATE, and now HOP.

Billboard highlighted that Stray Kids is the first act in the 69-year history of the Billboard 200 to have six albums, including its debut chart entry, reach the top spot.

Stray Kids’ achievement also ties them with BTS, who also reached number one on the Billboard 200 six times, setting a shared record for K-pop groups.

The Billboard 200 chart calculates album units by combining traditional album sales, streaming equivalents (SEA), and digital song downloads converted into album sales (TEA).

This week, HOP moved 187,000 equivalent album units. Traditional album sales accounted for 176,000 copies (171,000 CDs and 5,000 digital downloads), earning the top spot on this week’s Top Album Sales chart. SEA contributed 10,000 units, and TEA added 1,000 units.

HOP is a non-English album, primarily in Korean. Stray Kids has also introduced a new genre called SKZHOP HIPTAPE, blending the group’s initials, SKZ, with hip-hop. This genre showcases an innovative style in this uncharted musical territory.

Billboard noted that HOP is the 27th non-English album to top the Billboard 200 and the fourth such instance this year. Of these 27 chart-toppers, 18 were primarily in Korean.

Additionally, Billboard pointed out that 23 of the 27 albums reached number one were released after BTS first topped the chart in 2018. The other three non-English albums to hit number one this year include ATEEZ’s GOLDEN HOUR: Part 2, Stray Kids’ ATE, and TWICE’s With YOU-th.

To date, K-pop acts that have reached number one on the Billboard 200 include BTS and Stray Kids (six times each), ATEEZ (twice), SuperM, BLACKPINK, Tomorrow X Together (TXT), NewJeans, and TWICE—totaling eight groups.

Through its agency, JYP Entertainment, Stray Kids expressed gratitude: “We’re honored to receive such immense love from fans worldwide. We’re incredibly grateful to our fans for helping us achieve this historic record, and this accomplishment overjoys us.”

Meanwhile, Stray Kids is currently on its largest world tour, dominATE, which spans 48 shows across 32 regions worldwide. Starting in March next year, the group will embark on a massive stadium tour across Latin America, North America, and Europe, with performances at iconic venues such as Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium and New York’s Citi Field.