Michael Jackson's Thriller Returns to No. 1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart After 41 Years

Michael Jackson is back on top! His iconic album, Thriller, has returned to No. 1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, dated May 16.

The resurgence of Thriller is fueled by the buzz surrounding the upcoming Michael biopic, sparking massive streaming returns for the King of Pop's entire catalog. This marks the album's 38th total week in the top spot.

Released in November 1982, Thriller remains a cultural touchstone. It's recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s best-selling album and by the Recording Industry Association of America as the highest-certified studio album in the United States.

During the tracking week of May 1-7, Thriller earned 62,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., according to Luminate, a 36% increase from the previous week's 45,000 units. Streaming accounted for 48,000 units (50.3 million streams), while traditional album sales contributed 13,000 units.

Originally, Thriller dominated the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, holding the No. 1 position for 37 weeks in 1983-84. This record stood for 41 years until SZA's SOS surpassed it in June 2025.

With this latest achievement, Thriller extends its record as the album with the most weeks at No. 1 by a male artist, second only to SOS overall.

'Number Ones' at No. 2

Jackson also holds the No. 2 spot this week with his 2003 compilation album, Number Ones, which moved from 5-2 with 62,000 equivalent album units. This makes Jackson the first artist to simultaneously hold the top two positions since Future and Metro Boomin in April-May 2024.

Before rap acts, The Temptations were the last to achieve this in February 1969.

'Thriller,' Again, Adds to Jackson’s Chart History

As chart watcher Simone Del Niro points out, Jackson is the first artist to have reached No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in each of the last six calendar decades:

1970s: Off the Wall (No. 1 for nine weeks in 1979)
1980s: Off the Wall (seven weeks, 1980); Thriller (37 weeks, 1983-84); Bad (18 weeks, 1987-88)
1990s: Dangerous (12 weeks, 1992); HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book 1 (two weeks, 1995)
2000s: Invincible (four weeks, 2001); Michael Jackson’s This Is It Soundtrack (four weeks, 2009)
2010s: Michael (two weeks, 2011); Xscape (three weeks, 2014)
2020s: Thriller (one week, 2026)

Jackson Dominates Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

The Jackson streaming wave continues on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, with 13 titles in the top 25. "Billie Jean" rises to No. 3, while "Human Nature," "Beat It," and "Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough" climb into the top 10.

"Bad" re-enters at No. 19, and "You Rock My World" is at No. 22. The posthumous release "Chicago" resurfaces at No. 23, boosted by its placement on Jackson’s Spotify artist page and a viral clip of animated birds dancing to the song.

Here’s Jackson’s full list on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs this week:

No. 3, “Billie Jean”
No. 6, “Human Nature”
No. 7, “Beat It”
No. 9, “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough”
No. 12, “Rock With You”
No. 13, “Dirty Diana”
No. 15, “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”

No. 16, “Smooth Criminal”
No. 17, “The Way You Make Me Feel”
No. 19, “Bad”
No. 21, “Remember the Time”
No. 22, “You Rock My World”
No. 23, “Chicago"

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