by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
December 1, 2024
The late singer’s “The Essential Michael Jackson” album has remained on the chart for 500 weeks.
Michael Jackson has hit a milestone for one of his albums and how long it has charted on the Billboard 200.
The late singer’s The Essential Michael Jackson album has remained on the chart for 500 weeks. As of Nov. 30, it officially reached ten years of consistent placement on the weekly chart for the country’s most popular albums.
According to Forbes, its ranking has ebbed and flowed throughout the years. It went down on the list for the week leading up to its historic number, going from #106 to #128. Despite its initial release in 2005, it still moved 10,9000 equivalent units for the week. Moreover, the project has been certified five-times platinum in the United States, with reported worldwide sales estimated at around 6 million copies.
The full-length LP featured no new music from Jackson. Instead, it remains comprised of his greatest hits throughout his career until the early 2000s. Despite this, the album has steadily placed on the chart, often ranking on other Billboard lists. In October, the news outlet also reported that the Essential album re-entered the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It also gained entry back onto the Top R&B albums-only list.
The project is not Jackson’s only album to continue making history on Billboard charts. His most popular LP, Thriller, has placed on the Billboard 200 for 653 weeks. The album continues to reach new heights on the ranking, reaching peak popularity around the holiday season, specifically for Halloween.
The two projects are part of an elite group within music history given this status. Moreover, it remains an accomplishment on Jackson’s part to have two projects under his discography reach this milestone.
The decade-long charting of the compilation record is a testimony to the artist’s legacy and ongoing impact on the music industry. Moreover, both projects’ reign within the popular albums listing and other charts are expected to last for weeks to come.
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