Dame D.O.L.L.A., aka NBA point guard Damian Lillard, debuts at No. 32 on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart (dated Oct. 28) on the strength of his sophomore studio album Confirmed, which he released Oct. 6, just ahead of the beginning of the 2017-18 NBA season on Tuesday, Oct. 17.
The Portland Trail Blazer and two-time NBA all-star's album arrives with 3,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Oct. 12, according to Nielsen Music. Nearly all of the set's units were via traditional album sales, helping Confirmed open at No. 72 on the Top Album Sales chart.
The Emerging Artists chart uses the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Hot 100, Billboard 200 and the Social 50. However, the Emerging Artists chart excludes acts that have notched a top 25 entry on either the Hot 100 or Billboard 200, as well as artists that have achieved two or more top 10s on Billboard's "Hot" song genre charts and/or consumption-based "Top" album genre rankings.
Confirmed features an array of notable featured artists, including Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and BJ the Chicago Kid. Dame D.O.L.L.A.'s debut set, The Letter O, arrived with 4,000 units in November 2016 and hit No. 119 on the Billboard 200.
Atop the Emerging Artists chart, Dua Lipa returns to No. 1 for a fourth total week. The pop singer-songwriter tops the list, as her single “New Rules” bullets at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100, up 10 percent to 20 million in airplay audience and 6 percent to 13.2 million U.S. streams. Dua Lipa rules the chart, as last week's leader, Lil Pump, graduates from the ranking -- as his debut self-titled studio album opens at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (46,000 units).
Rounding out the Emerging Artists chart's top five, country group LANCO climbs 3-2; country singer-songwriter Carly Pearce rises 4-3; rapper Tee Grizzley jumps 9-4; and One Direction's Louis Tomlinson surges 18-5.
Check out this week's full Emerging Artists chart here.
