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Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic dance music and art festival presented by Insomniac Events since 1997. The flagship event, EDC Las Vegas, is a three night event held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway northeast of the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada with over 140k attendees nightly. EDC is known for it's various genres of electronic music with state-of-the-art stage production, costumed performers, fireworks, and various art installations around the festival grounds.
Since The Weeknd is performing at the Super Bowl Halftime show, I thought it’d be nice to post a little guide to his discography for anyone interested in looking to do a deep dive into his work. I would’ve posted this the day of the event, but I assume that some people would probably like to go through it over the weekend. This shares a direct overview of his released material, talking about his career and the background of the music, the videos, the meanings and all. I’ve written this from a pop perspective, keeping in mind that his history might be fairly new for general pop fans. I also go into the storyline of the red suit character, if your interested in catching up on that narrative before the Halftime show (which will continue the story), I’ve listed the chronological order below followed by an explanation of that narrative. I wanna be clear that the interpretations/theories are not conclusive. Abel rarely shares the metaphors or meanings behind his music. This is based on widely based on fan discussion/mutual interpretation. Fans can feel free to expand on anything in the comments. It is important to know about Abel's backstory to get a certain perspective of where he’s coming from, especially when discussing the songs that deal with substance abuse. These recent articles cover his early years really well and share an up-to-date point of view of his success. Variety 2020 Billboard 2021 - Also a good source for getting to know his team. So, an essential TL;DR is this: Abel Tesfaye came from a broken home, he was born to Ethiopian immigrant parents who split up when Tesfaye was less than seven. He then lived with his mother and grandmother, only rarely seeing his father but having a nice impression of him. His drug addiction started as soon as he was a high schooler, he turned to shoplifting to pay for this need of various substances. Soon he dropped out of high school, leaving his home the same weekend, which would later inspire his stage name, The Weeknd. The name is reference/homage to the weekend his life changed. Quick side note, I didn’t think this post would nearly reach the character limit. So I’ve cut out excess detail and lists of producers (with the exception of After Hours since we’re in that era). Table of contents
XO.
House of Balloons.
Thursday.
Echoes of Silence.
Trilogy.
Kiss Land.
King of the Fall.
Beauty Behind The Madness.
Starboy.
My Dear Melancholy.
After Hours.
XO.
XO is the record label that The Weeknd and co. created in order to publish the first mixtape (House of Balloons) and the ones that would follow afterwards. XO has a lot of meanings that have to do with what went into the music and what still goes into it. XO is what the fans call themselves, popularly with the phrase XO Till We OD (shortened to XOTWOD); another way of saying “we’re ride or die for The Weeknd and his team.” While some argue that it could mean anything since there isn’t clear meaning to it, fans continue to associate the abbreviation with ecstasy (X) and oxycontin (O). That definition stems from XOTWOD, fans assume it’s true because of the team’s history of drug usage. While others take it as it’s classical definition “hugs and kisses” because of the consistent lyrical nature of The Weeknd’s songs. Overtime the definition of XO is simply known as: the fans, the crew, and the label. The Weeknd is more than just one person, he comes with XO. For the sake of clarity in this writeup, I’m going to refer to his crew as XO and the fans as “the fans.” XO still serves as a record label, the current roster is The Weeknd, Belly, Nav, and Black Atlass. It remains The Weeknd’s record label and was his first label before becoming a subsidiary of Republic Records. Throughout his career, The Weeknd has worked with Illangelo, a Canadian producer who’s work the fans adore. Carlo “Illangelo” Montagnese was one of main the producers on The Weeknd’s Trilogy, he’s credited on each track. The fan base claims his work to be some of the most notable artistry in The Weeknd’s discography. Their work together continued with Beauty Behind The Madness, Illangelo worked on seven tracks for that album. He then returned for After Hours working on another seven tracks. DaHeala, another Canadian producer, is another significant factor in The Weeknd’s music. Jason “DaHeala” Quenneville worked as lead producer on Kiss Land. He returned to work on six tracks for The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind The Madness, including the hit Earned It. DaHeala returned as a writer for six of the songs on Starboy. Then DaHeala worked on nine After Hours tracks, and worked as the only producewriter alongside The Weeknd for bonus tracks Missed You and Final Lullaby.
This is a happy house. We’re happy here. (House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls)
One of the most iconic title tracks of all time. House of Balloons is about a lifestyle of drugs, sex, and partying; all in effort to drown out self-doubt. It comes from a place of wanting to make it big while doing what you can to survive, all while pretending everything’s alright. The mixtape describes various sorts of women, how they’ve had impacted the life of someone who’s already down on his luck. Fans often refer to House of Balloons as The Weeknd’s best work. The mixtape was the first introduction the world got of XO, and it was one hell of a way to make an impression. It’s personal for the fans and Abel because it’s the only piece of work known to be based on his life. At the end of the day he’s a songwriter, with many of his albums he creates scenarios and world that he likes to explore through the music. But House of Balloons is known to be based entirely on his life. It remains The Weeknd’s most critically acclaimed work. House of Balloons was crafted through the influences of Hip-Hip/Indie-Rock with the main focus on R&B. Through the genius of Ilangelo, the record was—and is—mesmerizing capturing the essence of a lifestyle that The Weeknd described as “anti-everything.” House of Balloons assisted The Weeknd in gaining the attention of Republic Records, which would then host The Weeknd’s own label XO. Though hesitant at first, XO decided to partner with Republic after the co-founding brothers Monte and Avery Lipman kept coming back to Toronto solely for The Weeknd. House of Balloons received three videos, The Knowing, Wicked Games and Twenty Eight. The Knowing was the very first video The Weeknd made, so of course it’d be something other-worldly; it essentially reflects the song itself but in a sci-fi setting. Twenty Eight represents Abel’s life after fame but also his remorse of letting captivating women into his life. Fun fact— House of Balloons is an actual place in Toronto, it was where him and his crew lived after he dropped out of high school. They’d host parties, call girls, do drugs, and to make it less depressing they’d fill it with balloons.
Thursday consists of the same themes as HoB; sex and drugs. But there’s a twist, he’s in a semi-relationship with this girl Valerie. She’s the only one on his mind, even though they meet only one day of the week, any guesses on what day that could be? Through The Weeknd’s phenomenal voice and the insane production, we’re also presented with this story of a toxic relationship where Valerie used to have the upper hand but she no longer does when she falls for The Weeknd. While Thursday isn’t entirely about the relationship of The Weeknd and Valerie, it consists of reflections to Abel’s life after the release of House of Balloons. The song Rolling Stone notably has a double meaning, in which Abel asks his fans if they’ll stick with him when he gets mainstream appeal and decides to change his sound. The track Valerie wasn’t on the original release of Thursday, it added when Trilogy was released. Ending the mixtape with Heaven or Las Vegas meant that The Weeknd’s actions with and without Valerie were a result of his fatherless childhood, making him push anyone away. That meaning behind Thursday doesn’t change when Valerie is added to the track list, it just means that both want the toxic relationship back. The Zone (feat. Drake) was the first feature The Weeknd had on any of his work, the video for it was released in November of 2012. Rolling Stone had also received a video in October of 2012. Both were directed by The Weeknd and reflect the two different aspects of Thursday. The Zone has Valerie living it up in the House of Balloons. And Rolling Stone has The Weeknd doing a photoshoot for Trilogy, reflective of the song itself. Fun Fact— the female voice heard in Lonely Star is The Weeknd’s, he pitched his voice to make it sound like a woman’s.
Laisse tomber les filles. Un jour c'est toi qu'on laissera. [Leave the girls alone. One day it’ll be you they will leave.] (Montreal)
Out of a dark introductory into the early life of The Weeknd, Echoes of Silence is the darkest work of his Trilogy. Let’s be honest the story here isn’t entirely ethical at times but makes for one hell of a mixtape. Similar to Thursday, Echoes of Silence follows a storyline. After accumulating success, The Weeknd gains the attention of various women. There was this one woman (D.D.) who he liked but she initially rejected him (Montreal). The woman came back to him for his fame status and evidently fell in love with him (Outside), but now that he’s got the upper hand he treats him like a groupie (XO/The Host) and lets... bad things happen to her; she’s gotta pass a test before she can get with him. This test is either drugs or his crew (Initiation). He ultimately tells this woman that he’s not exactly longterm-relationship material, perhaps because her love is temporary (Same Old Song), because he’s Next. With the end of Echoes of Silence (originally ending on the title track) the listener is left to wonder why The Weeknd left her if he’d simply want her to stay. As a side note— Initiation should not be condoned. It remains true that The Weeknd is a songwriter and the progression of time has changed perspectives. But a song that makes such suggestions as Initiation should not be ethically/morally claimed or celebrated. The mixtape follows The Weeknd’s lifestyle after he’s gained all this success, he’s still the same person but now he’s gotten everything he wanted. Some tracks such as The Fall continue to emphasize his journey into stardom and his acceptance of fame being temporary. With the added Till Dawn (Here Comes The Sun), The Weeknd acknowledges the changes in his life, realizing that the old lifestyle is no longer there for him or his past lovers. Echoes of Silence is known as an underrated gem of The Weeknd’s discography, it’s well received by fans and critically acclaimed but often brushed under the rug in discussion of his work. A lot of fans and casual listeners play the mixtapes through Trilogy rather than their respective albums. This often leads to people not playing EoS either at all or only the first few tracks, this is predominantly due to the nature of the compilation being nearly three hours long. Fun fact— D.D. is a cover of Michael Jackson’s iconic Dirty Diana. Fans have named the woman in Echoes of Silence Diana because of this track. Various theories argue that the mixtape itself is based on the Dirty Diana itself with exaggerations of the truth, or whether or not it’s a story The Weeknd crafted based on the song.
Trilogy is a compilation of The Weeknd’s mixtapes, House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. These three mixtapes were released 3-4 months apart from one another for free digital download in 2011, they gained quite a lot of attention from various industry executives. Prior to the release of Trilogy, The Weeknd featured on Drake’s Take Care with Crew Love. The song was Abel’s first exposure to a Rap crowd/Rap fans, more people began listening to his music after the release of Take Care. The Weeknd then featured on Wiz Khalifa’s Remember You, which served as the second single off Wiz Khalifa’s O.N.I.F.C. Following those two releases, The Weeknd released Wicked Games as the first single off Trilogy. Trilogy was formed after The Weeknd came under Republic Records’ management. The compilation album reached a debut/peak position of 4 on the Billboard 200 while reaching number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It’s a well received album with the highlight said to be House of Balloons, which arguably went on to influence various sorts of R&B music of the 2010s. Videos for Trilogy
I went from starin' at the same four walls for 21 years. To seein' the whole world in just 12 months. (Kiss Land)
Kiss Land is based on The Weeknd’s tour life. Visiting unfamiliar places gave Abel horror movie vibes. A guy who used to own the city (Toronto) he lived in is now a small fish in the ocean of the entire world. The Weeknd’s first studio album was a great introduction into the sound he would soon get well acquainted with. While continuing the R&B sound with the essence of Dark Wave, the album explores emptiness and regret throughout the lyrics—or what pop fans could categorize as dark pop—. The Japanese aesthetic used for various videos and the single covers/booklet reflects the themes of feeling overwhelmed by such a loud world that there’s no point in being if you don’t belong. The album explores the real-world and the women in it as well as regrets regarding past actions, namely letting go of women who could’ve been the one in Adaptation. The Weeknd attempts to find that satisfaction in other women and past lovers, but accidentally falls for a sex worker in Belong To The World. With Wanderlust he accepts and expresses that love in the modern world isn’t entirely possible. While continuing to tour the world he enjoys these new experiences with XO (Live For feat. Drake), as well as the new women in his life (Kiss Land). And when he’s back home, he accepts the loss of the relationship he cherished. Kiss Land debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. It was fairly acclaimed but gained a massive cult following. There were four videos for made for the album, the title track, Belong To the World, Live For (feat. Drake), and Pretty. Those four songs received interesting visuals that kept up with their respective themes while Belong To the World/Kiss Land got visuals that matched the aesthetic of the album. To this day fans ask Abel for a part two to the horror-movie-inspired album after he said it’s the only album he would have a sequel for. Videos for Kiss Land Fun Fact— The video for Kiss Land on YouTube is an extremely edited version of the actual video shot for the song. The directors cut further explores the erotic-horror themes if the album.
Driving by the streets we used to walk through like a triumph. (King of the Fall)
These next few song were released between the Kiss Land and Beauty Behind the Madness era. Some fans would classify them as part of the Beauty Behind the Madness era—I’d say the same tbh—but they stand apart on the basis of success and acclaim. It’s a transition between The Weeknd being an underrated R&B musician to being a mainstream artist with massive recognition and appreciation. The first of these four songs is King of the Fall. A fan favourite and a standout in The Weeknd’s discography. This is one of The Weeknd’s few Rap tracks, it gained a lot of attention within the Rap sphere. It was the way in which XO would announce that they’ve made it, little did they know that this was just the start. Prior to the release of Beauty Behind the Madness (BBTM), The Weeknd gained mainstream attention. The Weeknd’s exposure to mainstream music was uphill, it wasn’t overnight. The first taste of BBTM came from Often, a song that reflected the themes of sex that Abel was known for. The track was released more than a year before BBTM’s release and had made it onto the trackless unlike King of the Fall. Slowly but surely The Weeknd gained exposure, his main sources of exposure were through a collaboration and a soundtrack. Most pop fans heard about The Weeknd through his hit collaboration with Ariana Grande, Love Me Harder. The collab was made through Republic when The Weeknd said he wanted more than what he had gotten through Kiss Land. Ariana and Abel had formed a real bond cough The Hills cough, their bond assisted the song in becoming a memorable hit for both artists. Love Me Harder was a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, The Weeknd was featured on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack with Earned It, as well as Where You Belong. Earned It became a massive hit peaking at 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and receiving an Oscar nomination for The Weeknd; a massive milestone for XO. Earned It kept up with Abel’s signature lyrics but the production differed heavily from the sort of R&B he was known for. Videos from that era
I'm that ***** with the hair singin' 'bout poppin' pills, fuckin' bitches, livin' life so trill. (Tell Your Friends)
Following the success of Love Me Harder and Earned It, the Beauty Behind the Madness era began with The Hills. This was The Weeknd’s first number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Along with the video, The Hills became an addictive classic. The production and lyrics mirror a mature version of the sound that was originally found on Trilogy. It was truly in keeping with The Weeknd’s character, the only difference was his haircut. Next came Can’t Feel My Face, a Max Martin production that differed greatly from anything The Weeknd put out in the past. In past songs, Abel had expressed his fear of losing his following if he went mainstream simultaneously asking his fans if they’d stay. He repeats that sentiment in the Can’t Feel My Face video. The sound has changed, the lyrics stay the same but now he’s a pop-star. The song became a hit as it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. With this massive bop previous fans still stayed, The Weeknd becoming a pop singer didn’t at all alter his image or sound; he mastered it. In The Night and Acquainted were released as singles on the same day, the were the only singles to come after the release of Beauty Behind The Madness. The former received a music video treatment that followed the theme of the song itself while also starring Abel’s girlfriend at the time, Bella Hadid. Acquainted was robbed of a video even though Abel had shown off the fact that a video was in development; the song kept in the tone of The Weeknd’s work prior to BBTM. Beauty Behind the Madness captures a Hollywood-based reality that The Weeknd came to understand: the dark aspects of your life will continue to follow you wherever you are. Real Life, Losers (feat. Labrinth), Tell Your Friends, Dark Times (feat. Ed Sheeran), and Prisoner (feat. Lana Del Rey) all capture a nihilistic view of a dream achieved. Most of the videos of Beauty Behind The Madness have a mysterious white man. He’s featured in The Hills, Can’t Feel My Face, and Tell Your Friends. That man represents the devil. Throughout his journey in those videos, (The Hills) Abel runs into the devil after his car crash, (Can’t Feel My Face) he’s at the club then lights him on fire. The significance behind the fire could be selling his soul to the devil, BBTM is about Hollywood and a popular Hollywood myth is that celebrities sell their souls to the devil in exchange for fame. So in the Can’t Feel My Face video, Abel changes his sound to Pop (from R&B) thus leaving his signature sound in order to become famous, everyone starts enjoying his music once he’s sold his soul. Then we see The Weeknd burying himself in Tell Your Friends, perhaps leaving the old Abel behind after the deal with the devil. However, instead of thanking the devil, Abel takes his revenge and shoots him. But wait, there’s more! The album trailer for BBTM features the devil burning a billboard with The Weeknd’s face on it, revealing Beauty Behind The Madness. HOWEVER, the final cut for the video features the devil being arrested while The Weeknd watches. This is a more realistic form of karma that the devil gets. Videos for BBTM
If I could, I'd trade it all, trade it for a halo. And she said that she'll pray for me, I said, "It's too late for me.” (Ordinary Life)
After the massive success of Beauty Behind the Madness, there was a lot of hype around what The Weeknd would do next; evidently he decided to explore Pop. The fandom he had gained wasn’t entirely based in the Pop sphere, his fans consisted of general Rap fans, but Starboy attracted the Pop audience. Initially, most of his older fans couldn’t get behind Starboy, it differed greatly from the previous sound. It was crazy to think that the guy who made Trilogy managed to make such a Pop-centric album. But this was Abel expressing his versatility. Since this is where most pop fans found out about Abel’s work and became fans I won’t talk too much about the singles, rather more about the album itself. His work with Daft Punk cemented this album in an efficient mix between Pop and R&B, where Beauty Behind the Madness was more R&B with Pop, Starboy was considered Pop with R&B. Beyond the genres, Starboy explores two evident themes. One being his life with fame and recognition. The next being his love life in Hollywood, this aspect of the album came from his relationship with Bella Hadid which ended after the release of the album. The cross became the symbol for that era and appeared in the album’s photoshoot as well as the videos. There was never any conclusive word on the use of the cross but there are various theories about it, something to note is that Abel was raised Christian, it could perhaps be a reflection of his past. The cross he uses to destroy his accolades (Starboy video) is assisting him rather than something that’s holding him back. Abel’s upbringing was rough but now he’s celebrating it rather than feeling bad for himself. The cross continues to come up in the Party Monster video, this time it’s in the party house he’s making his way through. Then it shows up in the video for Reminder, this time in the form of his merch, the people wearing it are perhaps representative of his fans. Then we see it in the False Alarm video, both Abel and the girl are wearing it; the notable thing being that Abel holds his cross up before dying. Then in the brilliant video for Secrets, after giving up on the girl he’s with he leaves the building to find a giant cross. And finally in the I Feel It Coming video, The Weeknd sports a shiny cross necklace, and Daft Punk find it years and years after Abel froze. The videos tell us that the cross is an evident piece of his story. This could mean that his past will always be with him, no matter what sort of fame he’s experiencing he’ll always be who he once was. Also, I’m gonna take this moment to once again the genius that is the Secrets (both the song and the video). Yes it’s my favourite song/video off of Starboy but it’s so underrated. Videos for Starboy, Secrets video bottom right Fun Fact— Most demos of the tracks on Starboy weren’t as pop as they became, they started off R&B but became pop after production.
They said our love is just a game, I don't care what they say. But I'ma drink the pain away, I'll be back to my old ways. (Privilege)
Oof (but in a good way, this whole thing is a bop). For this one I’m gonna talk extensively about The Weeknd’s relationships, which personally feels really invasive but it’s but it’s essential when talking about these sad boy anthems. Beyond that I’d just like to state that though they are part of the narrative both Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez deserve respect/privacy. So when it comes to Pop music fans I think it’s safe to say that we all know a lot about this one. My Dear Melancholy (MDM) came after the very public relationship of The Weeknd and Selena Gomez. However it’s not just about Selena, some songs reflect his relationship with Bella Hadid (whom he got back with a month after MDM’s release). My Dear Melancholy consists with The Weeknd’s exploration/mastery of merging Pop and R&B together. The EP was praised by fans for its lyrics and production, many went on to theorize that it was his most personal project since House of Balloons. The EP was the shortest album to reach number one on the Billboard 200. My Dear Melancholy and fan conspiracies; name a better duo. The first theory being that the EP is entirely about Selena Gomez which wasn’t too much of a mystery since the lyric “I almost cut a piece of myself for your life” exists. Not only did MDM come after Abel’s relationship with Selena Gomez but also after his relationship with Bella Hadid. As far as fans were aware those two relationships were the most important relationships Abel had ever been in. In theory, the songs about Bella and Selena can be categorized. Call Out My Name, Try Me, and Privilege are likely about Selena. Wasted Times, and Hurt You are likely about Bella. Leaving I Was Never There to act as an introspective look into The Weeknd’s life, basically making him hop back on his vices for comfort. Another popular theory was that My Dear Melancholy was the first of another trilogy. This rumour was widely believed due to the comma at the end of the title on the album cover. But the fans soon gained a real reason to believe this theory, since the CEO of XO (the record label), Sal had liked an Instagram post that featured the cover and alleged date. Since Trilogy is a fan favourite this conspiracy spread like wild fire, so much so that fake titles and covers were made. The name of this trilogy would be: (1)My Dear Melancholy, (2)We’re Alone Together, (3)Abel. Only one song served as a single for the EP. Call Out My Name was released nearly two months prior to the actual release of the album, it debuted/peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The mysterious video captures The Weeknd in various atmospheric places that reflect the tone of the EP, a haunting yet unexplained reality that the listener is to reflect on. From the cover, to the music, to the video, to lyrics, My Dear Melancholy is an introspective reflection of heartbreak. Call out my name video
After Hours comes after success but references two lows in The Weeknd’s life. The album welcomes darkness and leads the listener towards a dead-end. The Weeknd’s past two albums (Beauty Behind The Madness and Starboy) ended on hopeful notes, they left the listener with a sense of hope but all hope his lost with After Hours. Fans compare After Hours to House of Balloons—a rare occurrence considering House of Balloons’ acclaim—arguing that both albums are on the same level. Debate continues on whether or not both albums are on the same caliber. The belief that After Hours stems from reality does a lot to help its side of the argument. The era began with Mercedes-Benz commercial that featured Blinding Lights, that was our first taste of the everlasting bop. Heartless was premiered on an episode of Memento Mori hours before its release on the 27 of November (2019), Blinding Lights was released two days later. Both videos were as brain melting as promised and the served as the tip of the iceberg. After Hours was released nine days after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, there was a massive risk in releasing an album that would not have a lot of promotion after it’s release (other than magazine coverage). There was no telling whether or not people would pay attention to the album during the height of the fear surrounding the pandemic, but it was a massive success. After Hours debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with singles Heartless and Blinding Lights topping the Billboard Hot 100. The album is layered with haunting productions that remains predominantly R&B but dives deep into Pop with some of the tracks. Max Martin produced the massive hit Blinding Lights as well as In Your Eyes, Save Your Tears, Hardest to Love, and Scared to Live which samples Elton John’s Your Song. Other notable producers include Metro Boomin who worked on the hit Heartless as well as Escape from LA, Faith, and Until I Bleed Out. With Kevin Parker on the interlude Repeat After Me. Beyond the production are the narrative driven lyrics. In theory the album references two significant events in Abel’s life, his second breakup with Bella Hadid and his arrest in Las Vegas. The latter was due to his misbehaviour; in January 2015 he punched a cop in Vegas, lmao. Which means that After Hours is a recollection of The Weeknd’s first few years in LA. He merges the concept of his breakup with the idea of being an upcoming star, feeling free in the city of lights all while diving deep into the meaninglessness of those lights. While After Hours starts with loneliness and a second chance it leads up to Abel returning to his vices of lust. In Alone Again his loneliness caught up to him and he’s asking for a second chance. He acknowledges his mistakes and situation in Too Late/Hardest to Love, in Scared to Live his ex then returns to him for a second time. He remembers his past ways in Snowchild and the way in which it lead to better days, but where do you go after such highs? In Escape From LA he faces the superficial reality of Hollywood, glad that he got that he got back with his ex, while continuing to question if it’s worth it. But he fucks up the second chance when she pulls up to the studio. Who is she? Much like the other mysteries surrounding The Weeknd’s music, we may never know. Is it all more of The Weeknd’s songwriting ability or is it driven by reality? Fans found a merge between the two to be more accurate, After Hours is about heartbreak and a return to the vices that held The Weeknd back. Heartless is when The Weeknd is once again back to his ways, he may have been in a serious relationship but after throwing that away he spirals back to the way he once was. It’s sad but it’s one hell of a song. Speaking of brilliant songs, Faith is when Abel admits that he’s back on his vices, he states that he needs his ex back with him till the end; he’s back to self-loathing. So when he says he’s blinded by the lights, there’s two meanings to it. The Faith outro tells us that he’s in a car with flashing lights, a cop car (as confirmed by Abel) to be exact. Then Blinding Lights tells us that while he’s watching the bright lights of Vegas pass him by he calls out for the girl that he regrets losing. That is the peak of the After Hours narrative. He’s behaving badly over the loss of the girl he loved and is now at the worst position trying to find her and gain her trust for a third time. Following Blinding Lights is In Your Eyes, this is where The Weeknd vows not to judge her; he can see right through her but will never do anything to make her upset. Does this mean their back together? Not exactly. Save Your Tears details a sort of moving-on that The Weeknd isn’t ready for but tries to help her move on, blind to his own inability to move on. Does it work? Not really. Repeat After Me (Interlude) shows that he’s still trying to convince himself that he’s unfazed by the loss of a meaningful relationship. Then you hear a true masterpiece. The title track is a spiral into true regret and an apology for his actions, he admits that his ex girlfriend is the only reason he lives. In a dark lonely city she’s the only one keeping him sane. But his pleas fail, Until I Bleed Out is when The Weeknd no longer wants her in his life so much so that he wants to erase his memory of anything related to her. The bonus tracks then echo the final sentiment. It’s one sad ass album, ain’t it. But here’s where the Red Suit Character comes in. Shoutout to the makeup department The album isn’t the only narrative to follow with After Hours. The videos for the album follow their own sort of narrative. The story follows an unnamed guy that goes by “red suit character” according to The Weeknd. There’s a lot of confusion and endless theories surrounding this character’s story, after The Weeknd confirmed that it’s about a decent into Hollywood culture it makes more sense… kind of. I’m gonna discuss the storyline without talking about the movies that have influenced it, this way the focus remains on the character. The order of these videos is Heartless / Blinding Lights / Blinding Lights (Live on Kimmel)* / After Hours short film / In Your Eyes / Until I Bleed Out / Snowchild / Too Late / Live at AMAs* / Save Your Tears *Though all live performances could count as part of the narrative, these one relate directly with the videos that follow. He’s is first seen in Vegas with Metro Boomin (Heartless), intoxicated on various substances. He dives deeper into his high until he licks a frog, after that he faces the true effects of this high. He’s frightened by the result and runs far away from Vegas. (Blinding Lights) He’s then found in LA, where he’s dancing in the street, hypnotized by the singer, beat up by guards, and races past all those bright lights in his Benz. Ultimately realizing the shallowness of the Los Angeles fantasy. (Blinding Lights Live on Kimmel) We then find him performing Blinding Lights live, while he attempts to find more reason in within the madness city; he couldn’t find it on the streets so he goes to the stage. (After Hours short film) Even then there’s no meaning to anything in the city, he mindlessly wanders into the depth of the subway where he’s dragged by the reality of it all and ends up possessed. (In Your Eyes) After being possessed he chases the woman whose boyfriend he just murdered, she runs into a club falls deeper into the After Hours fantasy, in a successful attempt to defend herself she beheads the red suit character and dances all over LA with his head, iconic behaviour. (Until I Bleed Out) Then in an ethereal dreamscape, red suit character finds himself in a House of Balloons. He’s trying to escape, but the people there keep pulling him in; he’s getting higher while observing Glass Table Girls. He spirals into the antarctic, the other side of the world. From Heatless to this point in his story, his vices lead him back to the lowest point in Abel’s life. Is it Hell, Heaven or Las Vegas? (Snowchild) He relives his career up until the point where his story began. Considering he’s dead, his life basically flashed before his eyes. (Too Late) LA girls find the red suit character’s head and live their best life. They wanna have sex with him so they find the best boy parts by calling up a stripper who could be the body. The stitch the head up with the body and do what they want. But now he’s brought back to life. (Live at AMAs) He’s had work done… He went in to get his nose fixed and the doctor said “you sure that’s all you want?” The red suit character’s face is healing while he tries to celebrate his life on top of a bridge. (Save Your Tears) Surrounded by a masked cult he debut’s his new face. Do they like it? Are they impressed? Not instantly, their masks translate no expression so how’s he to know? Is any of this worth it? Nope red suit character continues to die inside. He finds a maskless girl in the crowd, she’s lively unlike the rest; but even then, nothing on the inside nothing on the outside. He wants death again, somehow a second chance with this city is still pointless. He tries to kill himself via the girl and himself but it’s all a facade; theatrics. His story continues but that’s all we know so far. The videos make a lot of film references. This post by explain these references very well, as well as past album references here (part one) and here (part two). After Hours is inspired by a lot of movies, since Abel is in fact a cinephile. The main movies that inspired the aesthetic and storytelling are believed to be Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Casino (1995), Joker (2019), Uncut Gems (2020), and After Hours (1985). The album tells two sad narratives but remains one of The Weeknd’s best works yet. He’s expanded his videography and enhanced the interest of people who casually enjoy his music and of course his fans. But the era isn’t over, by the time this is posted his Super Bowl Halftime show is yet to happen. And it’ll continue the red suit character’s story. Videos for After Hours (so far) Fun Fact—The Heartless video features a reference to Thursday. When he’s trying to run from Vegas, a sign behind him flashes “Heartless / Heaven or Las Vegas.” This could be a reference to Abel running from his past, after all Heartless is about him returning to his vices.
END.
Thank you for reading this, again, I didn’t realize it would end up being this long. But I hope this this served as a nice refresher for any fans who wanted to revisit Abel’s work before the Super Bowl. And I really hope that anyone interested in getting into his music finds this helpful. Once again, the theories/interpretations mentioned aren’t conclusive, they’re widely based on fan discussion/mutual interpretation. Due to the character limit I couldn’t add too links to the albums, so here are some artist links. Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | The Weeknd’s Shop | Tidal | Genius
FINAL FIRST WEEK SALES NUMBERS FOR 2020: Playboi Carti's "Whole Lotta Red" sells 100K First Week (10K Pure). Lil Durk's "The Voice" sells 23K First Week (N/A Pure).
Rank
Artist
Album
Label
Pure Sales
Sales + Streaming
1
Juice WRLD
Legends Never Die
Grade A/Interscope
210,343
497,000
2
The Weeknd
After Hours
XO/Republic
275,000
444,000
3
Lil Uzi Vert
Eternal Atake
Generation Now/Atlantic
9,666
288,000
4
Eminem
Music To Be Murdered By
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
117,000
279,000
5
Pop Smoke
Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon
Victor VictoRepublic
59,000
251,000
6
BTS
BE
BigHit/Columbia
177,000
242,000
7
Drake
Dark Lane Demo Tapes
OVO/Republic
19,000
223,000
8
Logic
No Pressure
Def Jam
172,000
221,000
9
Lil Baby
My Turn
Quality Control/Motown/Capitol
10,000
197,000
10
Bad Bunny
YHLQMDLG
Rimas
35,000
179,000
11
21 Savage & Metro Boomin
SAVAGE MODE II
Boominati/Republic/Slaughter Gang/Epic
22,000
171,000
12
Mac Miller
Circles
Warner
61,000
164,000
13
Future
High Off Life
Freebandz/Epic
15,822
153,000
14
Jhene Aiko
Chilombo
Def Jam
38,000
152,000
15
Kid Cudi
Man On The Moon III: The Chosen
Republic
16,478
148,011
16
Lil Wayne
Funeral
Young Money/Republic
38,000
139,000
17
NAV
Good Intentions
XO/Republic
73,000
135,000
18
Lil Uzi Vert
LUV vs. The World 2
Generation Now/Atlantic
5,000
130,000
19
Machine Gun Kelly
Tickets To My Downfall
Bad Boy/Interscope
63,000
126,000
20
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Top
Never Broke Again/Atlantic
19,000
126,000
21
DaBaby
BLAME IT ON BABY
Interscope
12,000
124,000
22
Bad Bunny
EL ULTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO
Rimas
12,000
116,000
23
Gunna
WUNNA
Young Stoner Life
4,093
111,000
24
A Boogie wit da Hoodie
Artist 2.0
Atlantic
3,052
111,000
25
BLACKPINK
THE ALBUM
Interscope
81,000
110,000
26
Future & Lil Uzi Vert
Pluto x Baby Pluto
Freebandz/Epic/Generation Now/Atlantic
4,254
105,597
27
Big Sean
Detroit 2
G.O.O.D./Def Jam
30,000
103,000
28
Megan Thee Stallion
Good News
Atlantic
16,000
100,500
29
Playboi Carti
Whole Lotta Red
AWGE/Interscope
10,000
100,000
30
Polo G
THE GOAT
Columbia
14,539
99,000
31
Joji
Nectar
88Rising/12Tone
41,913
92,000
32
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Still Flexin, Still Steppin
Never Broke Again/Atlantic
3,551
91,000
33
Kehlani
It Was Good Until It Wasn't
TSNMI/Atlantic
25,000
83,000
34
Rod Wave
Pray 4 Love
Alamo/Geffen/Interscope
2,332
72,000
35
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
38 Baby 2
Never Broke Again/Atlantic
3,994
67,000
36
Moneybagg Yo
Time Served
N-Less/Interscope
7,000
66,000
37
Young Dolph
Rich Slave
Paper Route/Empire
33,000
65,000
38
YG
My Life 4Hunnid
Def Jam
47,000
64,000
39
Tory Lanez
The New Toronto 3
Mad Love/Interscope
5,524
64,000
40
Russ
SHAKE THE SNOW GLOBE
Columbia
39,815
63,000
41
Alicia Keys
ALICIA
RCA
51,000
62,000
42
Trippie Redd
Pegasus
TenThousand/Caroline
4,655
61,349
43
G Herbo
PTSD
Machine/Epic
4,000
59,000
44
Bryson Tiller
A N N I V E R S A R Y
RCA
4,240
57,000
45
Lil Durk
Just Cause Y'all Waited 2
Alamo/Geffen/Interscope
3,107
55,957
46
6ix9ine
TattleTales
6ix9ine/Create Music Group
32,000
53,000
47
PARTYNEXTDOOR
PARTYMOBILE
OVO/Warner
3,061
52,237
48
Jack Harlow
That's What They All Say
Generation Now/Atlantic
2,419
51,570
49
Nas
King’s Disease
Mass Appeal
19,021
47,788
50
Ty Dolla $ign
Featuring Ty Dolla $ign
Atlantic
4,430
44,943
51
Don Toliver
Heaven Or Hell
Cactus Jack/Atlantic
1,990
44,356
52
Nav
Emergency Tsunami
XO/Republic
7,614
44,147
53
Megan Thee Stallion
Suga
Atlantic
4,279
41,000
54
The Kid Laroi
F*CK LOVE
Columbia
6,796
40,000
55
Bad Bunny
LAS QUE NO IBAN A SALIR
Rimas
7,931
39,828
56
Anuel AA
Emmanuel
Real Hasta La Muerte
3,560
39,233
57
Joyner Lucas
ADHD
Twenty Nine Music
10,144
38,400
58
Busta Rhymes
Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God
Conglomerate/Empire
16,960
38,314
59
Agust D
D-2
BigHit
15,115
37,753
60
Moneybagg Yo & Blac Youngsta
Code Red
N-Less/Interscope
1,532
37,408
61
Tory Lanez
DAYSTAR
One Umbrella/Create
2,102
37,010
62
Lil Tecca
Virgo World
Galactic/Republic
3,633
35,379
63
Yo Gotti
Untrapped
Epic/CMG
7,000
35,000
64
Run The Jewels
RTJ4
BMG
31,065
34,609
65
Lil Yachty
Lil Boat 3
Quality Control/Motown/Capitol
3,722
34,164
66
Pop Smoke
Meet The Woo 2
Victor VictoRepublic
3,280
34,077
67
Queen Naija
missunderstood
Capitol
9,629
32,869
68
Dreamville
Revenge Of The Dreamers III: Director's Cut
Dreamville/Roc Nation/Interscope
1,647
32,828
69
NLE Choppa
Top Shotta
Warner
2,433
32,769
70
Internet Money
B4 The Storm
Internet Money/TenThousand
766
32,168
71
Jay Electronica
A Written Testimony
Roc Nation
10,842
31,703
72
Freddie Gibbs
Alfredo
ESGN/ALC/Empire
20,524
31,290
73
Teyana Taylor
The Album
G.O.O.D./Def Jam
4,250
31,088
74
Summer Walker
Life On Earth - EP
LVRN/Interscope
3,526
30,327
75
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Until I Return
Never Broke Again/Atlantic
580
29,637
76
6LACK
6pc Hot EP
LVRN/Interscope
8,082
28,951
77
Jeezy
The Recession 2
Def Jam
4,651
28,367
78
Key Glock
Yellow Tape
Paper Route/Empire
782
28,290
79
2 Chainz
So Help Me God!
Def Jam
2,244
27,305
80
Jessie Reyez
BEFORE LOVE CAME TO KILL US
N/A
14,979
26,430
81
John Legend
Bigger Love
Columbia
12,552
26,199
82
Toosii
Poetic Pain
South Coast
3,072
26,151
83
Amine
Limbo
Republic
7,350
25,711
84
Brandy
B7
EOne
15,607
25,636
85
Childish Gambino
3.15.20
Wolf+Rothstein/RCA
5,584
25,273
86
J Balvin
Colores
UMLE
3,800
25,059
87
King Von
Welcome to O'Block
Only The Family/Empire
709
24,568
88
Trey Songz
Back Home
Atlantic
4,438
23,537
89
T.I.
The L.I.B.R.A.
Grand Hustle/Empire
3,745
23,339
90
blackbear
everything means nothing
Alamo/Interscope
5,916
23,160
91
Lil Durk
The Voice
Only the Family/Alamo/Geffen
N/A
23,000
92
Various Artists
Birds of Prey: The Album
Atlantic
9,454
22,352
93
Brent Faiyaz
Fuck The World
Lost Kids
711
22,088
94
Stunna 4 Vegas
Rich Youngin
Interscope
559
21,967
95
Shoreline Mafia
Mafia Bidness
Atlantic
1,142
21,324
96
SAINt JHN
While The World Is Burning
HitCo
2,670
20,809
97
Quando Rondo
QPac
Warner
352
20,348
98
Ozuna
ENOC
Aura
1,696
20,208
99
DaBaby
My Brother's Keeper (Long Live G)
SCMG/Interscope
1,003
19,938
100
Jadakiss
Ignatius
Ruff Ryders/Def Jam
6,329
19,927
101
$uicideBoy$
STOP STARING AT THE SHADOWS
G59
1,302
19,092
102
DVSN
A Muse In Her Feelings
OVO/Warner
2,349
19,081
103
Benny The Butcher
Burden of Proof
Griselda/Empire
4,226
18,724
104
YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Rich The Kid
Nobody Safe
Rich ForeveEmpire
520
18,846
105
Tee Grizzley
The Smartest
Tee Grizzley
1,800
18,845
106
Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane Presents: So Icy Summer
Guwop/Atlantic
1,055
18,773
107
Rich The Kid
BOSS MAN
Rich The Kid/Atlantic
420
18,512
108
City Girls
City On Lock
Quality Control/Motown/Capitol
1,994
18,461
109
Meek Mill
QUARANTINE PACK
MMG/Atlantic
1,689
18,147
110
Lil Tjay
State of Emergency
Columbia
1,611
17,101
111
French Montana
CB5
Empire
9,194
16,985
112
Dave East
Karma 3
Mass Appeal/Def Jam
2,613
16,798
113
Kiana Ledé
KIKI
Republic
5,070
16,533
114
Key Glock
Son Of A Gun
Paper Route/Empire
713
16,128
115
Dominic Fike
What Could Possibly Go Wrong
Columbia
4,349
16,102
116
Kodak Black
Bill Israel
Atlantic
375
15,929
117
JayDaYoungan
Baby23
Atlantic
197
15,899
118
NoCap
Steel Human
2020
135
15,795
119
Lil Keed
Trapped On Cleveland 3
Young Stoner Life
190
15,978
120
Gorillaz
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
Parlophone
8,976
15,602
121
Maluma
PAPI JUANCHO
Sony Music Latin
1,005
15,376
122
Sleepy Hallow
Sleepy Hallow Presents: Sleepy For President
Winner's Circle/Empire
225
15,266
123
Mozzy
Beyond Bulletproof
Mozzy/Empire
2,594
15,212
124
Jack Harlow
Sweet Action
Generation Now/Atlantic
704
15,140
125
K. Michelle
All Monsters Are Human
EONE
9,438
14,734
126
K CAMP
Kiss 5
Family Ties/Interscope
693
14,631
127
JoJo
good to know
Warner
9,609
14,606
128
Jaden
CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3
MSFTS/Roc Nation
2,693
14,563
129
Disclosure
Energy
Island
5,820
14,455
130
August Alsina
The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy
Shake The World/Empire
5,369
14,416
131
Mulatto
Queen of Da Souf
Streamcut/RCA
616
14,311
132
Burna Boy
Twice As Tall
Bad Habit/On A Spaceship/Atlantic
1,699
13,632
133
Alina Baraz
It Was Divine
Mom+Pop
2,294
13,557
134
Joyner Lucas
Evolution
Twenty Nine Music
2,762
12,641
Top 10 First Weeks of 2020 Across All Genres
Rank
Artist
Album
Label
Pure Sales
Sales + Streaming
1
Taylor Swift
folklore
Republic
615,000
846,000
2
Juice WRLD
Legends Never Die
Grade A/Interscope
210,343
497,000
3
The Weeknd
After Hours
XO/Republic
275,000
444,000
4
BTS
MAP OF THE SOUL: 7
BigHit/Columbia
347,000
422,000
5
Taylor Swift
Evermore
Republic
156,668
331,033
6
Lil Uzi Vert
Eternal Atake
Generation Now/Atlantic
9,666
288,000
7
Eminem
Music To Be Murdered By
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
117,000
279,000
8
Lady Gaga
Chromatica
Interscope
206,515
275,904
9
Pop Smoke
Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon
Victor VictoRepublic
59,000
251,000
10
Halsey
Manic
Capitol
180,000
239,000
FAQ: Q: Source? A: http://hitsdailydouble.com/sales_plus_streaming Q: How is this list sorted? A: It's sorted by sales + streaming Q: What are pure sales? A: Pure sales are purchases of the album (itunes, amazon, physicals, etc) Q: Where is X album? A: Only albums that make the top 50 in sales+streaming for their debut week are counted Q: Why do some albums show exact sales numbers while others do not? A: The albums that do not show exact numbers are the ones that have had sales corrections from Billboard Q: Aren't those numbers kind of low for Childish Gambino and Lil Durk? A: Childish Gambino's "3.15.20" officially released on a Sunday, a week after it was premiered on his website, this caused him to lose out on two days of sales as well as losing some interest due to the delayed release. Lil Durk's "The Voice" was released on a Thursday, causing him to lose out on six days of sales. Q: Why are Lil Durks' pure sales "N/A" A: Lil Durk's pure sales are marked as "N/A" because I was unable to find the full information. Q: Where can I find last year's list? A: 2019 list, 2018 list, 2017 list, 2016 list
Kid Cudi's "Man On The Moon III: The Chosen" sells 148K First Week (16K Pure). Jack Harlow's "That's What They All Say" sells 52K First Week (2K Pure).
Rank
Artist
Album
Label
Pure Sales
Sales + Streaming
1
Juice WRLD
Legends Never Die
Grade A/Interscope
210,343
497,000
2
The Weeknd
After Hours
XO/Republic
275,000
444,000
3
Lil Uzi Vert
Eternal Atake
Generation Now/Atlantic
9,666
288,000
4
Eminem
Music To Be Murdered By
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
117,000
279,000
5
Pop Smoke
Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon
Victor VictoRepublic
59,000
251,000
6
BTS
BE
BigHit/Columbia
177,000
242,000
7
Drake
Dark Lane Demo Tapes
OVO/Republic
19,000
223,000
8
Logic
No Pressure
Def Jam
172,000
221,000
9
Lil Baby
My Turn
Quality Control/Motown/Capitol
10,000
197,000
10
Bad Bunny
YHLQMDLG
Rimas
35,000
179,000
11
21 Savage & Metro Boomin
SAVAGE MODE II
Boominati/Republic/Slaughter Gang/Epic
22,000
171,000
12
Mac Miller
Circles
Warner
61,000
164,000
13
Future
High Off Life
Freebandz/Epic
15,822
153,000
14
Jhene Aiko
Chilombo
Def Jam
38,000
152,000
15
Kid Cudi
Man On The Moon III: The Chosen
Republic
16,478
148,011
16
Lil Wayne
Funeral
Young Money/Republic
38,000
139,000
17
NAV
Good Intentions
XO/Republic
73,000
135,000
18
Lil Uzi Vert
LUV vs. The World 2
Generation Now/Atlantic
5,000
130,000
19
Machine Gun Kelly
Tickets To My Downfall
Bad Boy/Interscope
63,000
126,000
20
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Top
Never Broke Again/Atlantic
19,000
126,000
21
DaBaby
BLAME IT ON BABY
Interscope
12,000
124,000
22
Bad Bunny
EL ULTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO
Rimas
12,000
116,000
23
Gunna
WUNNA
Young Stoner Life
4,093
111,000
24
A Boogie wit da Hoodie
Artist 2.0
Atlantic
3,052
111,000
25
BLACKPINK
THE ALBUM
Interscope
81,000
110,000
26
Future & Lil Uzi Vert
Pluto x Baby Pluto
Freebandz/Epic/Generation Now/Atlantic
4,254
105,597
27
Big Sean
Detroit 2
G.O.O.D./Def Jam
30,000
103,000
28
Megan Thee Stallion
Good News
Atlantic
16,000
100,500
29
Polo G
THE GOAT
Columbia
14,539
99,000
30
Joji
Nectar
88Rising/12Tone
41,913
92,000
31
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Still Flexin, Still Steppin
Never Broke Again/Atlantic
3,551
91,000
32
Kehlani
It Was Good Until It Wasn't
TSNMI/Atlantic
25,000
83,000
33
Rod Wave
Pray 4 Love
Alamo/Geffen/Interscope
2,332
72,000
34
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
38 Baby 2
Never Broke Again/Atlantic
3,994
67,000
35
Moneybagg Yo
Time Served
N-Less/Interscope
7,000
66,000
36
Young Dolph
Rich Slave
Paper Route/Empire
33,000
65,000
37
YG
My Life 4Hunnid
Def Jam
47,000
64,000
38
Tory Lanez
The New Toronto 3
Mad Love/Interscope
5,524
64,000
39
Russ
SHAKE THE SNOW GLOBE
Columbia
39,815
63,000
40
Alicia Keys
ALICIA
RCA
51,000
62,000
41
Trippie Redd
Pegasus
TenThousand/Caroline
4,655
61,349
42
G Herbo
PTSD
Machine/Epic
4,000
59,000
43
Bryson Tiller
A N N I V E R S A R Y
RCA
4,240
57,000
44
Lil Durk
Just Cause Y'all Waited 2
Alamo/Geffen/Interscope
3,107
55,957
45
6ix9ine
TattleTales
6ix9ine/Create Music Group
32,000
53,000
46
PARTYNEXTDOOR
PARTYMOBILE
OVO/Warner
3,061
52,237
47
Jack Harlow
That's What They All Say
Generation Now/Atlantic
2,419
51,570
48
Nas
King’s Disease
Mass Appeal
19,021
47,788
49
Ty Dolla $ign
Featuring Ty Dolla $ign
Atlantic
4,430
44,943
50
Don Toliver
Heaven Or Hell
Cactus Jack/Atlantic
1,990
44,356
51
Nav
Emergency Tsunami
XO/Republic
7,614
44,147
52
Megan Thee Stallion
Suga
Atlantic
4,279
41,000
53
The Kid Laroi
F*CK LOVE
Columbia
6,796
40,000
54
Bad Bunny
LAS QUE NO IBAN A SALIR
Rimas
7,931
39,828
55
Anuel AA
Emmanuel
Real Hasta La Muerte
3,560
39,233
56
Joyner Lucas
ADHD
Twenty Nine Music
10,144
38,400
57
Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God
Conglomerate/Empire
16,960
58
Agust D
D-2
BigHit
15,115
37,753
59
Moneybagg Yo & Blac Youngsta
Code Red
N-Less/Interscope
1,532
37,408
60
Tory Lanez
DAYSTAR
One Umbrella/Create
2,102
37,010
61
Lil Tecca
Virgo World
Galactic/Republic
3,633
35,379
62
Yo Gotti
Untrapped
Epic/CMG
7,000
35,000
63
Run The Jewels
RTJ4
BMG
31,065
34,609
64
Lil Yachty
Lil Boat 3
Quality Control/Motown/Capitol
3,722
34,164
65
Pop Smoke
Meet The Woo 2
Victor VictoRepublic
3,280
34,077
66
Queen Naija
missunderstood
Capitol
9,629
32,869
67
Dreamville
Revenge Of The Dreamers III: Director's Cut
Dreamville/Roc Nation/Interscope
1,647
32,828
68
NLE Choppa
Top Shotta
Warner
2,433
32,769
69
Internet Money
B4 The Storm
Internet Money/TenThousand
766
32,168
70
Jay Electronica
A Written Testimony
Roc Nation
10,842
31,703
71
Freddie Gibbs
Alfredo
ESGN/ALC/Empire
20,524
31,290
72
Teyana Taylor
The Album
G.O.O.D./Def Jam
4,250
31,088
73
Summer Walker
Life On Earth - EP
LVRN/Interscope
3,526
30,327
74
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Until I Return
Never Broke Again/Atlantic
580
29,637
75
6LACK
6pc Hot EP
LVRN/Interscope
8,082
28,951
76
Jeezy
The Recession 2
Def Jam
4,651
28,367
77
Key Glock
Yellow Tape
Paper Route/Empire
782
28,290
78
2 Chainz
So Help Me God!
Def Jam
2,244
27,305
79
Jessie Reyez
BEFORE LOVE CAME TO KILL US
N/A
14,979
26,430
80
John Legend
Bigger Love
Columbia
12,552
26,199
81
Toosii
Poetic Pain
South Coast
3,072
26,151
82
Amine
Limbo
Republic
7,350
25,711
83
Brandy
B7
EOne
15,607
25,636
84
Childish Gambino
3.15.20
Wolf+Rothstein/RCA
5,584
25,273
85
J Balvin
Colores
UMLE
3,800
25,059
86
King Von
Welcome to O'Block
Only The Family/Empire
709
24,568
87
Trey Songz
Back Home
Atlantic
4,438
23,537
88
T.I.
The L.I.B.R.A.
Grand Hustle/Empire
3,745
23,339
89
blackbear
everything means nothing
Alamo/Interscope
5,916
23,160
90
Various Artists
Birds of Prey: The Album
Atlantic
9,454
22,352
91
Brent Faiyaz
Fuck The World
Lost Kids
711
22,088
92
Stunna 4 Vegas
Rich Youngin
Interscope
559
21,967
93
Shoreline Mafia
Mafia Bidness
Atlantic
1,142
21,324
94
SAINt JHN
While The World Is Burning
HitCo
2,670
20,809
95
Quando Rondo
QPac
Warner
352
20,348
96
Ozuna
ENOC
Aura
1,696
20,208
97
DaBaby
My Brother's Keeper (Long Live G)
SCMG/Interscope
1,003
19,938
98
Jadakiss
Ignatius
Ruff Ryders/Def Jam
6,329
19,927
99
$uicideBoy$
STOP STARING AT THE SHADOWS
G59
1,302
19,092
100
DVSN
A Muse In Her Feelings
OVO/Warner
2,349
19,081
101
Benny The Butcher
Burden of Proof
Griselda/Empire
4,226
18,724
102
YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Rich The Kid
Nobody Safe
Rich ForeveEmpire
520
18,846
103
Tee Grizzley
The Smartest
Tee Grizzley
1,800
18,845
104
Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane Presents: So Icy Summer
Guwop/Atlantic
1,055
18,773
105
Rich The Kid
BOSS MAN
Rich The Kid/Atlantic
420
18,512
106
City Girls
City On Lock
Quality Control/Motown/Capitol
1,994
18,461
107
Meek Mill
QUARANTINE PACK
MMG/Atlantic
1,689
18,147
108
Lil Tjay
State of Emergency
Columbia
1,611
17,101
109
French Montana
CB5
Empire
9,194
16,985
110
Dave East
Karma 3
Mass Appeal/Def Jam
2,613
16,798
111
Kiana Ledé
KIKI
Republic
5,070
16,533
112
Key Glock
Son Of A Gun
Paper Route/Empire
713
16,128
113
Dominic Fike
What Could Possibly Go Wrong
Columbia
4,349
16,102
114
Kodak Black
Bill Israel
Atlantic
375
15,929
115
JayDaYoungan
Baby23
Atlantic
197
15,899
116
NoCap
Steel Human
2020
135
15,795
117
Lil Keed
Trapped On Cleveland 3
Young Stoner Life
190
15,978
118
Gorillaz
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
Parlophone
8,976
15,602
119
Maluma
PAPI JUANCHO
Sony Music Latin
1,005
15,376
120
Sleepy Hallow
Sleepy Hallow Presents: Sleepy For President
Winner's Circle/Empire
225
15,266
121
Mozzy
Beyond Bulletproof
Mozzy/Empire
2,594
15,212
122
Jack Harlow
Sweet Action
Generation Now/Atlantic
704
15,140
123
K. Michelle
All Monsters Are Human
EONE
9,438
14,734
124
K CAMP
Kiss 5
Family Ties/Interscope
693
14,631
125
JoJo
good to know
Warner
9,609
14,606
126
Jaden
CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3
MSFTS/Roc Nation
2,693
14,563
127
Disclosure
Energy
Island
5,820
14,455
128
August Alsina
The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy
Shake The World/Empire
5,369
14,416
129
Mulatto
Queen of Da Souf
Streamcut/RCA
616
14,311
130
Burna Boy
Twice As Tall
Bad Habit/On A Spaceship/Atlantic
1,699
13,632
131
Alina Baraz
It Was Divine
Mom+Pop
2,294
13,557
132
Joyner Lucas
Evolution
Twenty Nine Music
2,762
12,641
Top 10 First Weeks of 2020 Across All Genres
Rank
Artist
Album
Label
Pure Sales
Sales + Streaming
1
Taylor Swift
folklore
Republic
615,000
846,000
2
Juice WRLD
Legends Never Die
Grade A/Interscope
210,343
497,000
3
The Weeknd
After Hours
XO/Republic
275,000
444,000
4
BTS
MAP OF THE SOUL: 7
BigHit/Columbia
347,000
422,000
5
Taylor Swift
Evermore
Republic
156,668
331,033
6
Lil Uzi Vert
Eternal Atake
Generation Now/Atlantic
9,666
288,000
7
Eminem
Music To Be Murdered By
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
117,000
279,000
8
Lady Gaga
Chromatica
Interscope
206,515
275,904
9
Pop Smoke
Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon
Victor VictoRepublic
59,000
251,000
10
Halsey
Manic
Capitol
180,000
239,000
FAQ: Q: Source? A: http://hitsdailydouble.com/sales_plus_streaming Q: How is this list sorted? A: It's sorted by sales + streaming Q: What are pure sales? A: Pure sales are purchases of the album (itunes, amazon, physicals, etc) Q: Where is X album? A: Only albums that make the top 50 in sales+streaming for their debut week are counted Q: Why do some albums show exact sales numbers while others do not? A: The albums that do not show exact numbers are the ones that have had sales corrections from Billboard Q: Aren't those numbers kind of low for Childish Gambino? A: Childish Gambino's "3.15.20" officially released on a Sunday, a week after it was premiered on his website, this caused him to lose out on two days of sales as well as losing some interest due to the delayed release. Q: Where can I find last year's list? A: 2019 list, 2018 list, 2017 list, 2016 list
Hello, We did a pre-FA mock draft in the Jets discord with 32 members GMing for the various teams. Some of the GMs provided explanations below on their thought process for the picks. Sheets link 1) Jacksonville (Gmoney): QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson #16 I pick Trevor because we needed a qb and Trevor is a generational talented qb
2) NY Jets (stackingdollars): QB Zach Wilson, BYU #1 Both Fields and Wilson have great qualities but I think Wilson has the edge. The biggest advantage Wilson has is his anticipation. I think he would fit very well in the LaFleur offense and can become a franchise QB with the Jets.
TRADE: Miami gives 1.03 (3), Carolina gives 1.08 (8), 3.09 (73), 2022 CAR 1st 3) Carolina (cantstopthis): QB Justin Fields, OSU #1 Justin Fields is a highly talented prospect with all the tools to become a franchise guy. In Carolina, he can sit behind Teddy B and work with elite skill position players to truly hone in the skills to allow him to reach his full potential. Moving ahead of Atlanta was important because it allowed me to secure one of the top QBs in the class. Moving a future first and a third this year felt like great value because I was able to snag a QB I believe has elite potential in the nfl, while maintaining seconds which I can use to build around Fields.
4) Atlanta (jorjor): T Penei Sewell, Oregon #58 A very good tackle who I think is bpa rn. I don’t feel good taking Lance this early so I took the best player at the pick.
5) Cincinnati (Sliz): T Rashawn Slater, Northwestern #70 This is the worst case for Cinci, and they'll be kicking themselves for a meaningless late season win over Houston. OT1 Sewell was off the board, as were the top 3 QBs that could fetch decent tradeback value. While Chase has been a common mock, I think a Higgins/Boyd duo is easily complimented without spending this much capital to address it. With no trade back partner, Slater (OT1 on some boards) is a nice consolation. Slater will slot in as an immediate starter at tackle with versatility to slot inside should CIN address the tackle spot opposite Jonah Williams in FA.
6) Philadelphia (Salty): WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU #1 The Eagles are light in the weapons department. They haven't have a reliable receiver in years, and the negatives of that have shown their face the past 2 years, with Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts struggling at times to move the ball because of the lack of Receivers. Justin Fields was off the board at 6 and I feel like Wentz or Hurts paired with such a dominant prospect at Receiver could work wonders. Chase is a unique blend of size, speed, and talent at the WR position. He has solid size at 6 foot and a bit over 200 pounds, with sure hands and really good route running. His 2019 season at LSU was incredible and he produced one of the best WR seasons of all time at the collegiate level. I have no doubt with his abilities that he will immediately be able to put up good numbers and improve the offense and passing game, giving the eagles a much needed extra dimension to their offense.
TRADE: Detroit gives 1.07 (7), 3.25 (89), San Francisco gives 1.12 (12), 2.11 (43) 7) San Francisco (Anc): QB Trey Lance, NDSU #5 Kyle Shanahan is too good of a coach to keep languishing with a mediocre Jimmy G who is only okay when he can stay healthy. Trey Lance is a boom/bust prospect with a TON of upside and a big learning curve. In this scenario, he has the opportunity to either sit and learn with a capable bridge QB, OR if Shanahan chooses kick start his career in the best system in the league at empowering QBs to be successful. Lance joins a loaded team that, despite having some deficiencies in the IOL and a few pieces potentially leaving in FA on the defense, is ready to compete for the division right now and can afford moving down in round 2 to try and secure the future face of the franchise at QB. If he works out, the Niners get to have the type of athletic and dynamic QB under center that Shanahan has never had.
8) Miami (tolgzz): WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama #8 Bringing Tua a much needed weapon and ex teammate.
9) Denver (paxton): CB Caleb Farley, Virginia #3 At this position with no QBs in consideration, I chose to address Denver's most obvious need, CB. Farley has an almost impossible blend of physical traits. Size, speed, fluidity. Farley to me projects as a shutdown corner who plays on WR1s on the outside. In a division with Tyreek Hill, Henry Ruggs and Keenan Allen, he's a perfect fit. While Surtain was in consideration, I dont think he can match the traits and athleticism and will struggle against speedy receivers in the AFC West. Farley's ceiling is too high to pass on here.
10) Dallas (spencerw): CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama #2 With a depleted DB core and 6 S/CBs entering FA, CB is the biggest need for the Dallas Cowboys. Going for Surtain, a corner whose best fit is an outside man-coverage CB is a huge upgrade and can be a day 1 starter on the outside for the Cowboys. Surtain's length and athleticism creates a lock-down potential that can be extremely helpful for a defense lacking talent across all three levels.
TRADE: NY Giants give 1.11 (11), New Orleans gives 1.28 (28), 2022 NOR 1st 11) New Orleans (Misery): LB Micah Parsons, Penn St #11
12) Detroit (Zingy): T Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech #77 Detroit sucks, OT is the second most valuable position in the NFL, Darrisaw will be a really really good tackle in the NFL and has experience playing in the scheme Goff has played in his entire career. One of the first building blocks that will actually be on this team when they get a real QB in a year or two. Okudah and Darrisaw might be the only 2 on the roster in 5 years.
13) LA Chargers (run1609): CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina #1 The Chargers have a pressing need at CB with Michael Davis entering free agency (I expect him to be retained) and CHJ/Casey Heyward on the wrong side of 30. He profiles as a lockdown man CB who new HC Brandon Staley hopes can approximate the role Jalen Ramsey played for him across town with the Rams.
TRADE: New England gives 1.15 (15), 3.33 (97), 7.15 (241), Tampa Bay gives 1.31 (31), 2.31 (63), 3.31 (95), 2022 TAM 2nd 15) Tampa Bay (rgoing): EDGE Gregory Rousseau, Miami #15 Tampa is a perfect spot for GR. He can learn behind JPP and Barrett for a year or so and get more refined as a pass rusher. Rousseau is someone who I believe can play all across the DLIne and won’t have any pressure to start right away. At only 20 years old and equipped with excellent measurables and a high motor, the sky is the limit for him.
16) Minnesota (beezus): EDGE Kwity Paye, Michigan #19 With darrisaw and horn coming off the board at 12 and 13, the Vikings sought a trade back knowing there would be suitors hungry for one of waddle/pitts. The cardinals called and offered 1.16 and a 2022 2nd for the pick. We countered, adding in a pick swap of 91 and 80. Arizona obliged and it was a done deal. At 16, it came down to paye, AVT, and Christian barmore. After seeing a trade with the football team fall through, the Vikings took the toolsy edge rusher from Michigan. Kwity Paye has the athletic tools and the build to become an elite pass rusher. His ceiling combined with Minnesota’s pedigree of developing defensive talent is a recipe for success for the Vikings.
17) Las Vegas (jmah): IDL Christian Barmore, Alabama #58 I’ve only watched Christian Barmore in the national championship game, but he should really help the Raiders trash defense.
18) Miami (tolgzz): LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa #23 With this pick Dolphins bring in a LB they plan to start from day 1. Collins brings with him size and power combined with his athleticism. He can defend the run, play the pass in coverage and even be used to rush the QB. Collins fills a spot of need for Dolphins and hopefully turns into a stud LB for them for years to come
19) Washington (klondike): QB Mac Jones, Alabama #10 Good fit. Lots of talent and running plays out of the backfield. Smart player, good game manager. Ideal fit for both parties. He can sit behind Alex Smith for however long.
20) Chicago (Mayor): WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama #17 With the Bears offense being eternally awful, Allen Robinson looking like a goner more and more and rookie WRs more frequently making plays fresh out of college picking up Waddle will hopefully jump start this offense with whatever vet QB the bears roll with in 2021
21) Indianapolis (Viddstuff): T Sam Cosmi, Texas #52 While the colts are lacking all over at offense, Costanzo retiring really put them in a tough spot. I could have gone WR here, but the colts offense can get creative with their weapons, and it was too early to overdraft the QB on the board. Cosmi would fit in well on the blindside and protect whoever starts at QB for a long time.
22) Tennessee (botlane): EDGE Azeez Ojulari, Georgia #13 Azeez Ojulari is an attempt to fix one of the biggest voids in the Tennessee Titans defense, the pass rush. Ojulari has a great get-off, a mixture of speed, bend and power which makes his kit very powerful to take even the most agile lineman off of their game. A great athlete with tremendous upside, Ojulari's explosion off the line is marvelous, paired with a great jab/stab, he is able to create space with his length. If you don't jam him at the line and initiate contact, he's got a solid enough technique that pairs with his athleticism. Ojulari has the intangibles to be a great pass-rusher in this league and if he keeps developing, that's right where he's headed.
23) NY Jets (stackingdollars): WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota #0 Entering this off-season the Jets are in need of a WR. Bateman has tremendous route running ability and great hands. Pairing this pick with QB Zach Wilson will help give the Jets offense the spark they are looking for.
24) Pittsburgh (Fireblast): QB Kyle Trask, Florida #11 Although this might be a bit of a reach, Steelers desperately need a qb and neither big benor dwayne haskins is it. The plan here would be to sign a FA guy, let trask sit behind him for a year, and then he takes the reigns. Trask with the right devolopment can probably be at least a decent enough starter I'd guess, not near where ben was in his prime, but very qbs are that good.
25) Jacksonville (Gmoney): T Alex Leatherwood, Alabama #70
TRADE: Cleveland gives 1.26 (26), Green Bay gives 1.29 (29), 3.29 (93) 26) Green Bay (herb): CB Asante Samuel Jr, FSU #13 So my reasoning for picking Samuel is the packers need someone to pair up with Jaire Alexander, Samuel was the best choice available and he can really bring a much needed CB2 to Green Bay.
27) Baltimore (oman): EDGE Jayson Oweh, Penn St #28 Ravens have Judon and McPhee hitting the open market, thus opening some obvious holes. I was looking WR initially but given how the draft played out so far I liked the edge options more. I like his athletic ability in Winks scheme and he should be a good fit.
28) NY Giants (rubbersoul): WR Rondale Moore, Purdue #4
29) Cleveland (Huntington): EDGE Joe Tryon, Washington #9 Tryon is a tall, big, athletic edge who can play standing up or can be a traditional 4-3 DE. He can both drop back in coverage or rush the passer. He’s a 3-down player who can grow and complement Garrett. A very productive 2019 overshadowed by his opting out in 2020. Tryon is a high energy player with the size to defend the run though its an area he needs to improve. With Vernon both injured a free agent, Tryon will have a chance to start immediately.
30) Buffalo (AntRob): RB Najee Harris, Alabama #22 The Bills completely abandoned the run for large portions of last year and basically told Josh Allen to go win games by himself. The Bills need some juice in the backfield, I don't have confidence in Singletary or Moss being that guy for them, as evidenced by Daboll's playcalling. Harris is the most well rounded back in this class and checks every box for me. What makes him valuable in addition to his frame and run + catch ability is his elusivity (wiggle...light, nimble feet) and his power. The blending of all these things together gives you a really upper class RB prospect that will finally be able to bring the Bills offense some multiplicity and balance in scheme.
31 New England (rgoing): LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame #6 The patriots fielded calls at the 15th spot, although there are questions surrounding the Quarterback position, New England ultimately felt a trade back with the Buccaneers was to the 31st pick was the best move. New England does not draft for need in the first round, they draft for best available player. The Patriots drafted Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah out of the University of Notre Dame with the 31st pick. Although JOK is listed as a linebacker, New England isn't going to just utilize his talents there. JOK is the new breed of defender, his ability and versatility allows him to play different roles on defense the perfect type of player for the patriots.
TRADE: Kansas City gives 1.32 (32), Cincinnati gives 2.06 (38), 4.06 (110), 7.05 (231) 32) Cincinnati (Sliz): IOL Alijah Vera-Tucker No matter what they do in FA, the value was too good to pass up here. With OL needy teams (MIA, NYJ) sitting ahead of the Bengals this trade up felt necessary to lock up a top guy. A 4th and a 7th (Bengals got a 7th back in the Dunlap trade) was a cheap price to pay to get there, while also picking up the 5th year option. AVT projects as a solid OG that should be a consistent starter on an IOL that desperately needs a long-term piece. I feel AVT's an insanely safe pick to be productive, putting him a tier above the next group of guys each with their own question marks (medical or otherwise). Paired with Slater in rd 1 and a healthy Jonah Williams, CIN now has several young cornerstone pieces to protect and grow with Joe Burrow and open lanes for Mixon. AVT has positional versatility, allowing the Bengals the chance to let guys compete for multiple spots and see what lineup works the best. This is a make or break year for Taylor. This is a franchise that needs to protect the future in Joe Burrow. Double dipping at OL helps both those facets.
33) Jacksonville (Gmoney): S Trevon Moehrig, TCU #7
34) NY Jets (stackingdollars): IOL Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma #56 NYJ’s OL was a huge improvement from 2019 but it still needs work especially in the middle. Creed offers versatility and a long term option at center. Connor McGovern would be able to play OG as he has experience there, or Creed can play OG as he has taken some snaps there during the senior bowl. Creed has quick hands and good size and can bring stability on the OL for years to come.
35) Atlanta (jorjor): CB Tyson Campbell, Georgia #3
36) Miami (tolgzz): S Andre Cisco, Syracuse #7
TRADES: Philadelphia gives 2.05 (37), Denver gives 2.08 (40), 4.09 (115), 2022 DEN 6th 37) Denver (Paxton): WR Kadarius Toney, Florida #1 I was shocked Toney fell this low, and after having tried to trade up multiple times before, I was finally able to make it work. I felt I needed to jump the chiefs so some might say I overpaid, but hey. Toney was IMO BPA, his evasiveness is unmatched in this class and he is a willing contested catcher. Toney is a perfect fit alongside Jeudy, Sutton and Hamler and will provide the Broncos with a true "weapon". While WR isnt close to the broncos most pressing need, this pick makes the broncos offence a lethal force.
38) Kansas City (teutonic): G Jalen Mayfield, Michigan #73 I tried trading up for the falling JOK but had no takers on my trade offers and when it got to my pick I felt comfortable with enough options that I elected to trade back for an extra 4th and 7th. Mayfield is a big man who I think will slot into a guard position at the next level, he's extremely strong and fits a need on the OL. TRADES: Carolina gives 2.07 (39), 2022 CAR 5th, Chicago gives 2.20 (52), 3.20 (84), 2022 CHI 4th 39) Chicago (Mayor): IOL Wyatt Davis, Ohio St #52
40) Philadelphia (Salty): EDGE Joseph Ossai, Texas #46 I originally had pick 37, and was looking at Ossai as well as other players like Nick Bolton as a possible selection. However, the Broncos came to me with a nice offer that netted me a current 4th and a 2022 6th while only moving back 3 spots. I acquired the 40th pick and used that on Ossai. Ossai is a great pass rusher who is also talented in the run game. He was moved around a good amount in college before settling as an EDGE for the Texas Longhorns. He is big and fast, and can be moved around the D line. The Eagles run a 4-3 defense which Ossai can excel in, and he also works very well in other defensive packages. Putting Ossai on this already promising D Line with names like Derek Barnett, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, and most importantly Fletcher Cox could put this line back at the peaks they experienced in 2017, when their defense could take over and destroy the opposing offense.
41) Detroit (Zingy): EDGE Jaelan Phillips, Miami #15
42) NY Giants (rubbersoul): LB Nick Bolton, Missouri #32
43) Detroit (Zingy): WR Terrace Marshall, LSU #6
44) Dallas (spencerw): IDL Daviyon Nixon, Iowa #54 I'm once again addressing the putrid Dallas defense that gave up almost 30 points a game last season. Nixon can line up at the 3-tech as a 4-3 DT under Dan Quinn and can make an immediate impact on the inside as a power gap rusher and can help with one of the worst rush defenses in the league (almost 160 rush yards/game). I was hoping to grab Bolton here, but Nixon is a solid IDL that can shore up a huge hole in the Dallas defense on day 1. The Cowboys now have 2 young defensives pieces to begin rebuilding/rejuvenating a declining side of the ball.
45) Jacksonville (Gmoney): TE Pat Freiermuth, Penn St #87
46) New England (rgoing): T Jackson Carman, Clemson #79 The Patriots picked Clemson standout Jackson Carman. The Patriots are unsure if he will stay at Tackle or move to guard, what they do know is that they received a powerful and athletic player standing at 6’5 330. Carman is best known for his superb run, although he was able to neutralize DROY Chase Young in the 2019 CFP Playoffs last season. Carman fits perfectly for the Patriots offense as they are known for their smash mouth football, and play-action passing.
47) LA Chargers (run1609): IOL Trey Smith, Tennessee #73 This pick is contingent upon his medicals checking out (blood clots in lungs, 2018). Frankly, I'm not positive as to what a Joe Lombardi offense will look like, but I do know that Smith has what it takes to succeed at the next level. Very powerful, consistenly wins in a phone booth but has the requisite athleticism for his size to win in space too.
48) Las Vegas (jmah): EDGE Carlos Basham Jr, Wake Forest #9 Carlos Basham Jr.: I've seen PFF tweet about this guy before so I think he might be good. Raiders D line is already looking much improved with Barmore at 17 and now "Boogie" Basham at 48.
49) Arizona (Brodie): IDL Marvin Wilson, FSU #21
50) Miami (tolgzz): RB Travis Etienne, Clemson #9
51) Washington (klondike): T Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame #74 WFT desperately needs tackle. He has shown great strides in advancing his game. Not the most physically gifted player, but he plays smart football.
TRADE: Carolina gives 2.20 (52), LA Rams gives 2.25 (57), 6.25 (210), 2022 LAR 5th 52) LA Rams (prime): LB Dylan Moses, Alabama #32 The Rams are projected to be bottom-5 in cap space in both 2021 and 2022 once the Stafford trade goes through according to OTC, and they don’t have a first-round choice until 2024. Even worse, they have six starters projected to be UFAs this year (Reynolds, Blythe, Floyd, Ebukam, Johnson, Hill), and four next year (Corbett, Kiser, Young, Fuller). As a result, landing a future starter with this pick was crucial. I was willing to move up a little because of how important it was to land a future starter here. Moses had a dominant 2018 season before missing 2019 with a knee injury and rebounding in 2020, and I think he fits well as a 3-4 ILB replacement to either Micah Kiser or Kenny Young in 2022.
54) Indianapolis (Viddstuff): EDGE Patrick Jones II, Pitt #91
55) Pittsburgh (Fireblast): RB Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis #19 Although the steelers have some other needs, RB I felt was a major one. James connor isn't the answer, and I think gainwell although only really playing 1 season fully can provide versatility in the backfield, as not only did he have almost 1500 yards on the ground, with an average of over 6 yds per carry, he also had just over 600 yds receiving. Overall, I think he can be a solid RB for the steelers, assuming their offensive line holds.
57) Carolina (cantstopthis): CB Greg Newsome II, Northwestern #2 After the Chiefs took Jalen Mayfield, I was left in an awkward spot. I didn't feel too strongly about any of the guys on the board at 2.39. Luckily, the Chicago Bears came calling and I was able to regain some of the assets that were lost in the trade up for Justin Fields. At 2.52, I had a few guys on my board I was comfortable with and decided to trade back 5 spots, taking a chance that at least one of my guys would be there. Luckily, Newsome was still on the board. Greg Newsome II has been rising on boards everywhere, and rightfully so. He has good ball skills to combine with solid athleticism as well as a nice frame that will help him to succeed at the next level. He also has good awareness as well as good instincts to help him out. Newsome will fit right in with the Carolina Panthers, who were among the leaders with their usage of cover 3 and zone.
58) Baltimore (oman): IOL Ben Cleveland, Georgia #74
59) Cleveland (Huntington): S Richie Grant, UCF #27 Grant is tall, athletic, versatile player who can play both FS or SS and even nickel if necessary, though likely slots as aFS. A productive ball hawk, high motor player, and energetic tackler, the Senior Bowl star Grant has the makings to be a fan favorite in Cleveland for years to come.
60) New Orleans (Misery): WR Elijah Moore, Ole Miss #8
61) Buffalo (Antrob): IDL Levi Onwuzurike, Washington #95 One of the more glossed over storylines of the Bills 2020 season was their defensive regression. They lost a lot of talent in their front 7 to FA. This pick attempts to replenish the young talent in that area. Levi is quickly becoming a big riser in the draft as more people familiarize themselves w/ his 2019 film. He's a really talented defensive lineman who has the ability to develop into a potential every down force. He has a matured frame and plays with an explosiveness that jumps off on tape. In addition to his physical tools, he is also pretty advanced from a technical perspective as well, as he knows how to use his hands and understands the importance of filling space and occupying gaps. To me, in a relatively weak IDL class, he's one of the few prospects who could become something worth noting at the next level, mainly due to how well rounded he is. His natural athleticism, burst, quickness and get-off coupled with his technical refinements (hands, leverage, body control) give me confidence that he can effect the QB consistently in the passing game. Whereas his strength, quickness, instincts, length and leverage make me optimistic he can be good against the run in time as well.
62) Green Bay (herb): WR Amon-Ra St Brown, USC #8
TRADE: New England gives 2.31 (63), Philadelphia gives 3.06 (70), 4.09 (113), 2022 PHI 5th 63) Philadelphia (Salty): CB Eric Stokes, Georgia #27 I originally had the 70th overall pick in the draft, but I had not addressed one of the Eagles biggest needs yet in the draft; Cornerback. The Eagles have struggled with that position, and it has been a weak point of their defense the past few years. Greg Newsome II went a few picks before and I was getting worried that there wouldn't be a quality Corner available at my pick. Because of this fear, I traded up to pick 63. Admittedly, I overpaid. I gave up pick 70, the 4th round pick I got from the Broncos trade back, as well as a 2022 5th for pick 63, to the Patriots. This was an overpay, yet one with a reason, as it was used to secure a good Corner for the team. Eric Stokes is a good Corner prospect who can be a day 1 starter who develops into a impact player for the Eagles. He is on the taller side at 6'1", and can play both man and zone well. He has some ball skill issues and you might see him not making some easy interceptions at the next level and can clean his technique up some, but hes a good prospect that is a bit of a steal at the end of the second round. With Stokes on the team the secondary will improve and might finally have some promise.
64) Kansas City (teutonic): LB Chazz Surratt, UNC #21 A converted QB, Surratt is another very toolsy player for the chiefs. I like the speed he plays with and he fits the mold of the 'modern' LB. He has a lot of work to do still but I think with the right coaching he can realize his potential. 65) Jacksonville (Gmoney): CB Shaun Wade, Ohio St #24
66) NY Jets (stackingdollars): CB Elijah Moldin, Washington #3 Jets lack CB depth and arguably their best CB, Brian Poole, is a FA this year. Molden has great instincts, but is a little undersized, and can play ideally as a nickel CB. He thrives in zone coverage and is solid in run support. Molden can be a starter from day 1 and grow into the Saleh defensive system.
67) Houston (Kdelgado): T Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma St #73
68) Atlanta (jorjor): EDGE Quincy Roche, Miami #2 The falcons suck at edge and Quincy Roche is my favorite edge rusher available.
69) Cincinnati (Sliz): IDL Jay Tufele, USC #78 With Geno Atkins aging out a bit, and a potential cap casualty either this year or next, it was hard to pass on the top rated player on my board by a large margin (second time a USC player has slipped to my range). Tufele is a dominant player at the 3T with versatility to take snaps along the interior as needed. He offers value on all 3 downs, and gives a stud to slot in beside DJ Reader longterm. With the run on CBs and Edge players prior to our pick, Bengals take another pick to build the trenches.
70) New England (rgoing): IOL Quinn Meinerz, UW-Whitewater #77 Senior Bowl standout Quinn Meinerz gets selected, not many know about Wisconsin Whitewater since it is a D3 school. Meinerz impressed and dominated at the Senior Bowl, some scouts had him rising into the top 100 even the top 50 for best available players. Questions always rise when drafting a player at a lower level, I think the Senior Bowl eliminated any of those speculations for Mr. Meinerz. The Patriots love the value they have received with their pick!
71) Denver (paxton): LB Charles Snowden, Virginia #11 I was scared the patriots would pick him. Really good fit for their...ahem….organizational philosophy. Anyways, Maybe this is a bit of a reach, but it’s impossible for me to pass on Snowden. You can't teach his physical tools. A 6’7 defender who can play all over the front 7, paired with Vic Fangio? This is a bit of a risk, but its at a position of need for the Broncos and I believe his tools, ceiling and football IQ make it a risk worth taking.
72) Detroit (Zingy): S Jevon Holland, Oregon #8
73) Miami (tolgzz): WR Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma St #2 Miami selects WR Tylan Wallace to add yet another weapon for their QB they decided to stick with Tua. Tylan they feel slipped to their laps in this draft and believe he cant be a very solid weapon with good upside that has been overshadowed by an elite WR class.
74) Washington (klondike): CB Aaron Robinson, UCF #31
75) Dallas (spencerw): CB Ifeatu Melifonwu, Syracuse #23 I go defense for the third time in as many picks, I was hoping for an OT (not big on Radnunz) but none really fell the way I wanted, this is the second CB drafted but I see Ifeatu excelling way more as a S in the next level, this fills another hole Day 1 IMO and cleans up the secondary.
TRADE: NY Giants give 3.12 (76), New England gives 3.31 (95), 4.15 (120) 76) New England (rgoing): WR D'Wayne Eskridge, W Michigan #1 Patriots selected speedy receiver D’Wayne Eskridge out Western Michigan University. There were many questions why the Patriots waited to take a receiver until the 76th pick in the draft, Eskridge was the reason why! The former track star runs a (4.3 – 4.4) 40yd, putting him up as one of the fastest WR in the draft. There were a bunch of questions about the low level competition in the MAC, but D’Wayne showed he can go up against some of the best at the Senior Bowl this year. The idea is that D’Wayne can come in and be a starter day 1 on special teams returning kicks as well as a slot receiver.
77) voided
78) LA Chargers (run1609): T Dillon Radunz, NDSU #73 Was ecstatic to see Radunz at this pick. Has been training with the recently-retired Joe Staley all year and it showed at the Senior Bowl last week, where he was named OL of the week by his peers. The Chargers have no long-term pieces at OT and a ROTY that needs protecting. Radunz fits the bill perfectly.
79) Minnesota (beezus): S Hamsah Nasirildeen, FSU #23
80) Minnesota (beezus): IOL Josh Myers, Ohio St #71 At the top of the third round, the Vikings had 4 players they were targeting: jay tufele, Jevon Holland, Dillon radunz, and hamsah nasirildeen. Three of the four were gone by the time our picks came around, three out of the four were gone (whoever took Dillon radunz is a stupid dumb idiot head). After taking nasirildeen at 79, it came down to Myers and walker little. The Vikings ultimately went with Myers at 80, shying away from Little’s injury history. Myers offers a strong run blocking profile coming out of the gate, but is admittedly a work in progress in the pass game. Regardless, an upgrade over Dakota “turnstyle” dozier was needed, and Myers should be a day one improvement.
81) Las Vegas (jmah): S Paris Ford, Pitt #12 I searched Paris Ford on YouTube and he has a highlight vid with almost a million views. That’s a steal in the 3rd round.
82) Miami (tolgzz): IDL Tyler Shelvin, LSU #72 The Pick is In. Dolphins select IDL Tyler Shelvin, LSU. Miami adds a true nose tackle in Shelvin adding to their DL to help stop against the run. With Miami's plan to rotate DL Shelvin will be in during running downs where the Dolphins lack run stoppers on the DL.
83) Washington (klondike): RB Demetric Felton, UCLA #10
84) Carolina (cantstopthis): T Walker Little, Stanford #72 Little is a high upside prospect who has the potential to be one of the better tackles in this draft. With great size and length, Little is able to eliminate defenders from the play. He also has solid athleticism and can play in multiple schemes. With the Panthers oline being up in the air right now, it was important to take a guy who could protect Fields blindside.
TRADE: Indianapolis gives 3.21 (85), Cleveland gives 3.28 (92), 6.27 (212) 85) Cleveland (Huntington): S Keith Taylor, Washington #27 Taylor is a tall cornerback who isn’t afraid to tackle ball carriers or receivers. A senior, he’s athletic and has experience playing both man and zone coverage. Can stay with most receivers but will get burnt by speedsters one on one. Lack of any collegiate interceptions is concerning, but his size and coverage skills will earn him a role in any NFL secondary.
87) NY Jets (stackingdollars): LB Cameron McGrone, Michigan #44 The Jets LB group has a few question marks. CJ Mosley has pretty much had 2 years off from football, Neville Hewitt is a free agent, and Blake Cashman can’t stay healthy. McGrone can be a three down LB adding some depth and becoming a starter.
88) Pittsburgh (Fireblast): IOL Deonte Brown, Alabama #65 An absolutely huge frame at 6'4 350lbs, I believe Brown can be a solid Guard in the nfl, his size means that he can be a force both in pass and run blocking, and I think overall he can be a big peice of that aging O-line, perhaps replacing one of their current guards within the next year or 2.
89) San Francisco (Anc): EDGE Dayo Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt #10 Niners get good value here as Odeyingbo falls to them at 89. With a number of players departing in FA or victims of potential cuts across the DL, SF targets a versatile player who lined up both as a 3T and on the EDGE productively. Odeyingbo has great length which he knows how to use to his advantage to control his opponents, and has a high ceiling as a pass rusher. He has a strong club move and uses his athleticism to quickly close out on QBs once he gets free. Needs work to refine his pass rush attack, as the most common reps involve him relying on his length and burst. Against the run he has a lot of work to do, especially on the interior where his subpar pad level can get him blown up too often. Does do a good job at setting the edge. Overall, Odeyingbo is something of a project which isn't the best fit for the Niner's timeline but we didn't want to pass on good value at a position group of need.
90) Cleveland (Huntington): WR Dyami Brown, UNC #2 Tall, vertical receiver who had a highly productive collegiate career. Athletic with a great burst, he can get down the field and go after deep balls. An energetic blocker and able ball carrier, he’s a potential 3 down WR if he works on his release and route tree. Can contribute immediately and has starting WR potential.
91) Arizona (Brodie): CB Shakur Brown, Michigan St #29
92) Indianapolis (Viddstuff): WR Marlon Williams, UCF #6 With questions surrounding TY Hilton’s return, I decided to take a WR who could fill in in case TY leaves. While not a traditional slot Wr, Williams provides skill over the middle as a big slot wr, and will be a good target for any QB. He should get snaps early as a rookie.
93) Cleveland (Huntington): LB Jabril Cox, LSU #19 Tall, agile LB with superb coverage skills. A natural 4-3 OLB who fits the Browns scheme very well. Has the ability to cover TE or RB and has tremendous range and motor. Needs to learn how to take on and disengage blocks, but has the makings of a 3 down OLB who can do it all. 94) Buffalo (Antrob): T Spencer Brown, N Iowa #76 After having a really good season Daryl Williams is set to hit FA. I think the Bills should prioritize re-signing him, but even at his best I wouldn't view him as a long term solution at RT. Spencer Brown is an interesting prospect who's recently gotten more attention after having a really nice week at the Senior Bowl. Standing at 6'8" he offers unique length and size at the Tackle position. He also has good mobility and a light, nimble lower half in which he still has the opportunity to fill out to really solidify his anchor which is already pretty decent. He plays with the 'mean streak' that you always want to see out of your OL. And as a small school guy, dominated his competition which you always want to see, which he parlayed into solidifying himself as a guy in the Senior Bowl against legitimate rushers. The hope would be that he and Dion Dawkins can be the anchors on the Bills edges in regards to protecting Josh Allen and opening up running lanes for Najee Harris for the next decade.
95) NY Giants (rubbersoul): EDGE Hamilcar Rashed, Oregon St #9
96) Kansas City (teutonic): EDGE Payton Turner, Houston #98 Turner is another player with an ideal frame that is raw. He is a big edge player with some positional versatility that should be able to take over for Kpassgnon. 97) Tampa Bay (EFS): IOL Aaron Banks, Notre Dame #69 At 6'6", 330 lbs, Aaron Banks is a dependable, well-rounded, G who also has some experience playing at T. He's a smart player who frequently reaches the second level and neutralizes oncoming defenders. In Tampa Bay, he'll serve as a backup to Ali Marpet and serve as a welcome depth piece.
98) LA Chargers (run1609): LB Baron Browning, Ohio St #5
99) New Orleans (Misery): CB Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina #24
100) Dallas (spencerw): TE Brevin Jordan, Miami #9 I went with a piece I think can be utilized anywhere on the field besides wideout, he lined up all over the place at miami and was used a lot in pass/run blocking and route running, I wanted to go OT at some point but the board never really fell the way I wanted to so I decided to go with a high utility weapon for them to use
101) Tennessee: WR Seth Williams, Auburn #18
102) LA Rams (prime): EDGE Joshua Kaindoh, FSU #13 Floyd and Ebukam are free agents in 2021, and given the Rams’ relatively poor standing with the salary cap, it may make sense to try to get edge rushers early in the draft. Kaindoh fits the athletic mold of Floyd, and he has the length to give tackles fits whilst he develops his pass-rush arsenal over the next couple seasons.
103) San Francisco (Anc): CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford #11
TRADE: LA Rams gives 3.39 (103), Minnesota gives 4.14 (119), 6.15 (201) 104) Minnesota (beezus): IDL Tommy Togiai, Ohio St #72 tommy togaia profiles as a player who can offer year one upside as a run defender at the three tech with potential to develop as a pass rusher. This past year he logged 24 pressures and three sacks for the Buckeyes, and could continue to grow as a pass rusher under the tutelage of MN’s exceptional defensive coaching
The cannabis market right now is so similar to the start of the green energy market.. its nowhere near done being bullish. Save for some small dips, there will very likely be a huge bullish trend for 2021. EVEN NASDAQ AGREES. I’ve posted my positions a few times, and I’ll continue to do so. But this is my reasoning for investing in cannabis stocks in general for 2021.
I've been a bull on cannabis since the democrats had a strong pro-cannabis platform. But what made me go balls deep into the market was that the UN changed its classification of cannabis. Countries follow the UN closely for guidance on their own classification of controlled substances. Congress has repeatedly cited the UN’s classification as one of the reasons for not changing it. Several countries immediately changed their stance on cannabis in response to this, including Israel, which In November 2020, announced that it was moving forward with a plan to legalize recreational cannabis nationally. “The country is aiming to implement recreational legalization within nine months, and even if there are delays, that means mid-to-late 2021.” (This is my reason for investing in Canadian cannabis companies, because they are already poised to expand internationally since its legal there nationwide)
THE SENATE IS NOW BLUE! The Georgia runoffs were won by Democrats, and they can now swing the vote left with VP Harris. She promised it as part of her platform, so we know it will be prioritized. CHUCK SHUMER SPONSORED THE MORE ACT. HE WILL BE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER. IT WILL 100% BE PRIORITIZED BETWEEN HIM AND VP HARRIS.
EVERYONE predicted beforehand that the republicans would win Georgia... everyone talked down decriminalization passing the house because of they believed it would NEVER pass the republican majority senate. But the left spent more than any senate race in history to encourage voters to go out and vote. Only once the race started did it become clear that the left had a chance. Then some gains from the surprise that they won. However the gains from 1/5 onwards definitely hasn’t been priced in for all the future legislation, because some of it will be completely new legislation that wasn’t possible to consider before without a blue senate. THIS HASN'T BEEN PRICED INTO THE MARKET YET.
The government is broke post-COVID. There is a terrible image of the police. They don’t want to waste more resources on cannabis related crimes that would be fixed under decriminalization. And the tax revenue from decriminalization would be significant. Decriminalization (THE MORE ACT) opens up the borders to interstate-commerce and international import/export. This would all trickle down into Uncle Sam’s empty pockets.
New York Governor Cuomo announced on Jan 6 his plan to legalize marijuana for adult use (right after New Jersey vote, as I anticipated in my last post) as part of his State of the State agenda. The next step is a ripple out on the North East. NY didn’t want to miss out on tax revenue, neither will any of the other states in the northeast within driving distance of NJ and NY. This is Cuomo’s third attempt in three years to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state; last year, Cuomo included a legalization proposal in his state budget, but the plan was ultimately cut in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other ongoing state legislature:
Rhode Island: Regulators have received 45 applications for six new medical cannabis dispensary licenses in the state. If all applicants meet the requirements for a license, six will randomly be selected in a lottery to operate retail locations in different regions across the state. Read more
Missouri: Rep. Shamed Dogan has filed legislation that would place an adult-use cannabis legalization measure on the state’s 2022 ballot. Meanwhile, Missourians for a New Approach has announced plans for a separate 2022 ballot initiative after an unsuccessful signature campaign to get the issue before voters in 2020. Read more
Alabama: Sen. Tim Melson plans to reintroduce a medical cannabis legalization bill this year. Medical cannabis legislation passed the Alabama Senate during the 2020 session, but failed to clear the House. Read more
Illinois: Illinois lawmakers have proposed the creation of 75 new cannabis retail licenses to give disadvantaged and minority applicants a second chance at licensing following the controversial licensing lottery to issue an initial 75 dispensary licenses. A work group made up of lawmakers and members of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration met this week to finalize details of the bill, which will be introduced in a lame-duck session that starts Jan. 8, before new lawmakers are sworn in Jan. 13. Read more
Minnesota: House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler is again renewing his push to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state, announcing plans to reintroduce a legalization bill this year. Winkler told WCCO that he sees “Senate leadership as being the number one obstacle,” but said that if lawmakers agreed to place an adult-use legalization initiative on Minnesota’s 2022 ballot, “it would pass overwhelmingly.” Read more
Virginia: Del. Steve Heretick has reintroduced a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis. Heretick has proposed legislation related to decriminalization and legalization in the past, and this year’s bill would legalize the cultivation, sale and consumption of cannabis in the state. Read more
Connecticut: Gov. Ned Lamont renewed his push for adult-use legalization during his State of the State address Jan. 6, announcing that it is a priority for the new legislative session. Connecticut’s 2021 legislative session opened Jan. 6, and Lamont, a Democrat, kicks off the session with increased majorities in the House and Senate, which could increase his chances of passing an adult-use legalization bill. Read more
Now that you understand why I’m going green, here’s my reasoning for my positions. TLRY (Tilray)
largest cannabis company in the world by revenue post merger. Will run out of Seattle and New York City. New York Legalization on top of senate turning blue is a big catalyst for TLRY.
Merger hasn’t completed yet, and the merger happened before the senate went blue.. that was the gamble APHA was making, and they won. The sky is the limit now. When they merge, they will reduce expenses and be much more likely to post profitable quarters. (This is why mergers have so much hype; the sum is > than their parts because they can reduce operating expenses while maintaining revenue from the two companies)
Tilray CEO Brendan Kennedy: “I think medical cannabis will be legal at the federal level, which means medical cannabis can cross state lines and be imported into the U.S., like we export cannabis from Canada and Portugal to about 15 countries now,” Kennedy said. “Anyone who thinks there’s a state-specific medical market is wrong.” As for the recreational market, Kennedy says the state-specific markets, with interstate trade banned, “are not going to last long.” Kennedy believes that cannabis will be distributed like alcohol and tobacco within two years’ time. That would require significant overhaul of US federal drug laws—and would significantly disrupt all US cannabis companies’ existing business models. Brendan Kennedy, the cannabis billionaire will step down as Tilray's chairman and CEO. Irwin D. Simon, Aphria's current chairman and CEO will take Kennedy's place.
[On December 18, 2020, just three days after the U.S. Senate adopted the Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act (CMREA or the Act) (more on this below), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA or the Administration) published in the Federal Register a final rule, “Controls To Enhance the Cultivation of Marihuana for Research in the United States” (Rule), which finally paves the way for DEA to issue additional licenses to grow “marihuana” (i.e., cannabis) for research purposes.](https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/on-heels-of-senate-s-adoption-of-36129/)
GNLN (Greenlane Holdings)
One of the largest global sellers of premium cannabis accessories. Pax/JUUL/Volcano products. I’ve had Pax products, and although I prefer Arizer because of the affordability, I can’t deny Pax has quality products and is like the “iPhone” of vaporizers. I like their products, I like their branding. There’s lots of hype and loyalty, especially with their Volcano desktop vaporizer.
Strong US brands.
The main reason they did poorly was bad timing. They IPO’d during the year that JUULs started being banned. They’re actually at all those levels again. Theres a ton of upside potential.
Market cap is ridiculously low for some really renown brands all because of the JUUL flavor pod ban. Everyone knows Pax, Volcano, and JUUL. But no one knows Greenlane because of the bad timing of their IPO and the subsequent JUUL flavor ban. It’s crazy. They’ve already broke all time high for the year. But I’m holding until they break 1B market cap.
Overall i think too many people count it out just because of their IPO and subsequent decline in JUUL sales from the JUUL flavored pods ban. They definitely have the potential because of their strong branding and quality products. I’m betting on them having more high quality products in the future with equally loyal customers.
SNDL (Sundial Growers)
SNDL must close above $1 per share for 10 consecutive sessions by June 26, 2021 or it will bedelisted from NASDAQ. People see this as a fear factor, I see this as “they will do anything necessary to reach $1 for a week so they won’t be delisted”.. IMHO reverse splitter probably isn’t on the table since they could have done that in 2020, but instead applied for a 6 month extension after announcing “alternative strategic investments”. We can already see this by their predatory loan SPAC spinoff.
Rumors of a merger with CGC; SNDL also purchased a SPAC recently and entered an agreement with Zenabis, immediately claiming they defaulted. Turning that SPAC into predatory loan/debt repurchasing company. Imo if they want to complete a merger, it would be easy to sell ownership through that SPAC to the buyer.
THEY RECENTLY WENTDEBT FREE by selling off unprofitable assets in the business. This means we are much more likely to see earnings in future quarters, and they are much more attractive for mergers.
Because they are indoor growers, they are more likely to be bought up by a company in the consolidating Canadian cannabis market than fail all together. The amount of space licensed to grow cannabis in Canada is now heavily skewed toward outdoor cultivation instead of indoor for the first time, according to new data from Health Canada. A growing population of licenses for outdoor growers means that there aren’t as many indoor licenses being given out... If a company ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD wants to quickly expand into indoor growing OR into the west, they would have to purchase an existing company that has the license to quickly do so. This is WAY faster, and a guaranteed way to obtain a license rather than applying for one and waiting x amount of months and be rejected for some requirement that wasn’t met.
From my own experience, outdoor cannabis is subpar quality to indoor grown cannabis. So a growing market for outdoor cannabis doesn’t necessarily mean its better... it is likely just cheaper. I would imagine a high quality “craft cannabis” company would want to purchase SNDL, or an existing outdoor growing company that wants to quickly expand to indoor grown cannabis. With this being a Canadian company, there’s a chance a company in another country like Israel would be interested in purchasing it in the near future.
PLNHF (Planet 13 Holdings)
Biggest tourist trap in Las Vegas if you’re a stoner, casual smoker, or just wanting to try it. From my own experience, I think they will continue to be successful. If I went around the US trying other brands I’d probably be more confident in putting 5-10% of my portfolio into those picks or choosing to not include them lol. Like for example, I used to have Curaleaf. But there's tons of bad feedback on Curaleaf, a friend has tried it said the nug is really subpar quality and if I tried their nug I’d probably confirm that I wouldn’t want to invest in them. With PLNHF, i’ve seen the ambience and tried the product myself. It’s definitely a lot of hype price wise, but still quality. This is my own bias showing, but I still think they’ve got solid fundamentals and excellent location/strong US branding.
I’m well aware of other good stocks like GTBIF, CRLBF, SSPK, TCNNF, GRWG.. but these stocks haven’t been swinging as hard in response to pro-cannabis news. E.g. TLRY, SNDL, GNLN swung more than 20% some days from pro-cannabis news...I will likely reduce my current positions shortly after inauguration, after some news about the timeline for cannabis legislation, and diversify my positions more between these other good picks. 2021 is the year of cannabis boys
Lawrence is a generational prospect and will be the first overall pick unless a crash happens. He’s the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck and may flip the fortunes for the Jaguars franchise.
Fields is still QB2 on my Big Board. He is the embodiment of the next generation of stars coming into the NFL, bolstering serious running capability and tremendous arm talent.
Imagine trading an elite tackle only to find the replacement in the draft a year later and then also get an additional pick out of it. While tackle isn’t the biggest need, it improves two spots of the offensive line. The Dolphins can move Robert Hunt into right guard, where he’ll get more help in pass protection and have Sewell at right tackle. Overall, Sewell has a chance to be one of the best tackles in the game.
The Falcons will have a new General Manager and Head Coach, meaning this pick could go one of two ways. 1. The pick is safe and high ceiling (maybe a defender), which would allow the Falcons to improve right away. 2. Or the pick is geared for the future in finding replacements for Matt Ryan. Wilson is worthy of the first overall pick if Lawrence and Fields weren’t in this draft class. He’s got mobility, arm talent, and a great ability to read the field. You can read our scouting report on Wilson here.
5. Cincinnati Bengals – Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
The objective of the Bengals offseason has to be increasing the support for Joe Burrow. So through free agency, they can pick up a guard (Andrew Wylie), and finding more defensive pieces. Overall, this pick puts the Bengals in an extremely difficult position as there is no other tackle worth a top ten pick unless you take Christian Darrisaw. However, Ja’Marr Chase is in a different category of playmakers and instantly increases the firepower of this offense. To put it in perspective, Chase was better than Justin Jefferson on the field and statistically. He isn’t the same profile of receiver but has a similar upside – a dynamic receiver capable of taking an offense to the next level. You can read our scouting report on Chase here.
6. Philadelphia Eagles – Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
It is evident from past drafts that Howie Roseman does not value linebackers similar to other teams even though the team needs to get better at that position. With that said, the cornerback class has some talent at the top, in Caleb Farley and Patrick Surtain. Farley’s profile might align better for the Eagles than Surtain, but with Jim Schwartz not coaching the defense in 2021 they could look for a different profile. All in all, Farley’s traits and athleticism give him a higher ceiling than Surtain.
This is also a concerning position for the Lions as the cap situation is not good. They do not have the capital to re-sign Kenny Golladay, yet their defense struggled all year. Similar to the Falcons they could opt to pick the next quarterback of the future if they want, but the drop-off from Wilson to Trey Lance/others is significant. Thus, the team goes with a dynamic player in Parsons. Parsons is a run and chase linebacker who is the next breed of speed linebackers who can cover and get sideline to sideline quickly. Ideally, he’s still getting better at play recognition and would benefit from a year of playing at outside linebacker – run and chase and then move to middle linebacker.
Parsons was the best fit for Carolina as no other linebacker has the ceiling he does. As well, there is no quarterback worth picking here. Pitts is the best remaining player and the last of the top-tiered players. He is the kind of tight end that changes an offense, as he’ll draw double teams, mismatches, and make ridiculous plays.
The Broncos desperately need help at corner and Surtain is best available. He’s a sure tackler and is someone who could be very successful in a scheme with good safety play. Overall, Surtain is the ideal corner, with great length, technique, and physicality. However, he lacks deep speed and may give up big plays at an inopportune time.
10. Dallas Cowboys – Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
The Cowboys’ biggest need is corner help to pair with Trevon Diggs. Horn is a nice fit in the Cowboys defense, as he can lock up and play press. The only thing he lacks is being a threat to generate turnovers, which is something the Cowboys typically look for in their cornerbacks.
Darius Slayton, Golden Tate, and Sterling Shepard are not enough to help Daniel Jones make the jump to a franchise quarterback, the team must give him more weapons. Enter Bateman, a clone of Allen Robinson who excels in all levels of the field. He’s a chain mover and has a legitimate chance to be the best wide receiver on the team by the end of the season. Bateman is the pick over Davonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle for his profile. He’s a larger target and one of the best contested-catch receivers in the class. You can read our scouting report on Bateman here.
12. San Francisco 49ers – Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota
Lance is a very raw prospect who needs multiple years before he’s ready to take over. However, his pocket mobility, rushing threat, and his ability to make specular plays is something Kyle Shanahan can make into a franchise quarterback. Lance fits the mold for the Niners’ scheme, as he’s comfortable throwing the ball on the move and capable of extending plays.
Darrisaw has put up quality performances all year, to the point where he should be considered in the top 20. Darrisaw has the agility and mobility to become a franchise tackle. As well, his pass blocking technique is notability advanced and should allow him to take on edge defenders one on one.
Vikings were really good on paper at edge rusher at the beginning of the season. Yet the departure of Yannick Ngakoue and injury to Danielle Hunter severely hampered the defense and its ability to get to the passer. While the offensive line might be considered a greater priority, Kwity Paye could allow the Minnesota defense to return to its elite form. Paye’s ascension this year was significant as he showed multiple pass-rushing moves, the ability to bend the end and flatten, rush with power, and use his hands, all of which makes him a candidate to be the first edge off the board.
15. New England Patriots – DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
Patriots need any sort of weapon, anybody that can catch a football. Smith is a very reliable receiver – showing great form and concentration while catching the ball. Yet, he gets his value from his ability to separate, manipulate defenders, and his nuanced route-running ability is top-notch in this year’s draft.
Etienne might be the only running back worth a top 40 selection, largely due to the home run threat ability and pass-catching ability. With his speed and contact balance, nobody is better suited for this offense. This is mainly because the offense is predicated on side-to-side movement with lots of run-pass-options – thus allowing more home-run opportunities from the bigger holes.
17. Las Vegas Raiders – Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
Slater has positional value, making him a great fit for the Raiders who always have injuries on the line as well as underperforming pieces. On the interior, Denzelle Good has been an average guard and Richie Incognito is 37, where Trent Brown needs a solid back up due to the injuries. You can read our scouting report on Slater here.
Dolphins get a receiver that has a rapport with Tua Tagovailoa. Waddle is going to dominate at the combine with his speed and quickness. What sets him apart is his run after catch ability and short-area quickness. He consistently makes defenders miss and should command a large target share in this offense.
19. Washington Football Team – Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas
Arguably, Cosmi is the offensive tackle with the highest upside (aside from Sewell), largely due to his mobility skills. Cosmi could be the next franchise tackle for the team.
With Allen Robinson hitting free agency and few tackles remaining worth a first-round pick, the Bears go with Marshall. Marshall’s floor is a speed guy similar to Darnell Mooney, however, his ceiling is a dominant receiver for any team. His size, speed, and ability make him similar to D.J. Chark.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (via Los Angeles Rams) – Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
Multiple options here for the Jaguars, they could go with tackle, but it is a tier below. Yet, the run of three receivers in the last five picks forces them to get the last receiver worth a first-round pick. His ability to separate, run nuanced routes, and be a reliable pass-catcher will drive him to be a first-round pick. Additionally, getting a third good receiver will allow the passing offense to support Lawrence.
Colts love to have guys who can play multiple positions on the defensive line. Rousseau has versatility and gets pressure from all positions on the line. He’s typically seen going before the 20s, however, he’s very raw and not NFL ready at all. It might take a year or two before we see him get consistent pressure.
This pick isn’t new, but it is by far the biggest need the Browns have. The Browns are still missing the dynamic linebacker who can get side to side. Owusu-Koramoah has been a huge riser throughout the draft process and can improve this defense significantly. You can read our scouting report on Owusu-Koramoah here.
Tennessee needs to generate more pressure from the edge and Ojulari fits the profile for them. He’s a 3-4 pass rusher who can rush from a two-point stance and with his hand in the dirt. The most impressive thing is his ability to rush with a plan and utilize his wide array of pass-rushing moves. You can read our scouting report on Ojulari here.
The Buccaneers need another defensive tackle as Ndamukong Suh will most likely be departing in free agency. This is a project pick, as Barmore has shown flashes, but just needs to put it all together. Vita Vea and Barmore would make an unstoppable pairing and would provide more opportunities to the edge rushers by generating interior pressure.
Ossai fits the Matt Judon mold of someone who can set the edge on runs, and also who bolsters pass rush potential. Ossai has significant upside and has the chance to be a dominant force on this defensive line with his strength and bevy of pass-rushing moves.
27. New York Jets (Seattle Seahawks) – Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State
Ideally, there is a receiver here that could pair with Denzel Mims and provide Justin Fields another option. Yet with the run on receivers, it isn’t worth it to go to the next tier when there is still a premier tight end available. Freiermuth’s draft stock may suffer due to the poor performance of the team, yet he’s excellent in all aspects of the position. He’s an excellent blocker, has great body control and catching ability, but he also has great run after catch ability, making him a weapon for the offense.
Vera-Tucker has positional versatility, where he could easily slot into left tackle or guard. The Steelers need to have more depth and a player with the potential to slot in almost anywhere.
Marshon Lattimore is set to depart in free agency after the 2021 season, and the Saints salary cap is currently among the worst in the league. Additionally, the team has to get better across from Lattimore for this season and improve the 32-year-old Janoris Jenkins spot. Campbell is raw compared to his teammate Eric Stokes but has more upside.
Smith is a people mover and would fit nicely on the right side to pair with Cody Ford. He has a high ceiling, as we’ve seen extremely dominant play from him, but injuries have plagued his college career.
Bolton makes sense over Zaven Collins for a few reasons, better in pass coverage and more instinctive. Arguably he’s going to be better in zone coverage, however, he might not be as good as Colins rushing the passer. Overall, Bolton is a well-rounded player who has the potential to be a star of a defense. He’s also an explosive athlete who is a sure tackler.
Colins could end up being the best linebacker in the class with his tools and athleticism. He has work to do in coverage though, as this is his biggest barrier to him becoming an elite linebacker.
Round 2
33. Jacksonville Jaguars – Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
Jaguars need someone who can hold their own against bigger receivers. Stokes isn’t a great scheme fit, but the Jaguars desperately need to get better at the cornerback spot. 34. New York Jets –Alex Leatherwood, OT/G, Alabama Leatherwood fits in nicely here, he can play guard or tackle in year one and make the full-time transition to right tackle in year two. 35. Atlanta Falcons –Jayson Oweh, EDGE Penn State Marlon Davidson was a difficult scheme fit for the team last year, moreover, Dante Fowler has not had success. While the ideal pick would be finding a successor to Julio Jones, there is a lack of receivers here. Oweh is all upside at this point but could be dominant if he develops some consistency. 36. Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans) –Carlos Basham Jr.EDGE, Wake Forest Basham is a decent scheme fit, he’s strong enough to rush from the interior, and can play wide nine or seven tech with his quickness. He would go a long way to make this one of the most dominant fronts in the NFL. 37. Philadelphia Eagles –Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami Jordan is a freakish athlete for his size. With Ertz likely headed to free agency, the Eagles need a replacement, as they run lots of two tight end sets. Jordan isn’t going to be a high volume catch guy like Ertz, but he can make explosive plays and has high upside. 38. Cincinnati Bengals –Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan It worked out for the Bengals who risked not going offensive tackle in the first round. They are able to get Mayfield who will slide in nicely at right tackle. Mayfield is inconsistent, but with NFL experience and coaching could be a solid right tackle. 39. Carolina Panthers –Mac Jones, QB, Alabama The Panthers are the right team to take on Desmond Ridder, however, he has officially opted to return to school. The next best option is going with Jones who can compete with Teddy Bridgewater for the starting spot. Jones has played extremely well, showing he can extend plays and be accurate. His best trait is his intelligence and ability to go through his progression, a good skill with this receiving core. 40. Denver Broncos –Myjai Sanders, EDGE, Cincinnati Sanders has a lot of upside and would stand to learn a great deal from Von Miller. This pick is made with the belief that Miller is back, as Sanders needs to develop his run defending and polish his pass-rushing skill set before he becomes a full-time starter. 41. Detroit Lions –Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue Moore has the highest upside remaining in this crop of receivers. He’s an explosive player with significant run after catch skills. However, his route running is unpolished and overall he will require some development before reaching his high ceiling. You can read our scouting report on Moore here. 42. New York Giants –Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma Tough pick as an edge rusher is the top need for the Giants, but there aren’t any that fit the scheme. The best remaining player is Humphrey who could significantly improve the interior offensive line. Humphrey is the top center in this draft and is a well-rounded player. 43. San Francisco 49ers –Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford Adebo could be the successor to Sherman with his good ball skills and strong zone coverage skills. Niners have needs on the offensive line, but the remaining tackles lack mobility and athleticism to fit the Shannahan scheme. 44. Dallas Cowboys – Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State Radunz wouldn’t need to start right away and can develop behind the current offensive line. Cowboys need to start thinking long term successor to Tyron Smith. Radunz has the potential to be great. The level of competition has been the only concern. 45. Jacksonville Jaguars (via Minnesota Vikings) –Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse Cisco goes over Trevon Moehrig-Woodard due to the ball skills. Cisco also has more range on tape. If Cisco didn’t suffer a season-ending lower leg injury he would be a fringe first-rounder. Moreover, Cisco stock will be dependent on the combine and how healthy he is. 46. New England Patriots –Kyle Trask, QB, Florida The Patriots need to have a replacement for Cam Newton if he can’t play better. Trask had a great year till his final game. The consensus is wide on what Trask will be in the NFL. However, he is worth taking the shot on in the second round. You can read our scouting report on Trask here. 47. Los Angeles Chargers –Wyatt Davis, IOL, Ohio State Davis falls due to somewhat of a disappointing season, as some analysts (including me) hyped him up to be a top 20 player. He has a chance to improve his stock during the National Championship. 48. Las Vegas Raiders –Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio State The irony here is that the Raiders took Damon Arnette in the first round last year, and he has played incredibly poorly. Wade could be the replacement. 49. Arizona Cardinals –Asante SamuelJr. CB, Florida State The Cardinals need to retool the secondary and think about life after Patrick Peterson who may depart in free agency. 50. Miami Dolphins –Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina Surratt has range and can get side to side quickly. He would pair nicely with Jerome Baker. 51. Washington Football Team –Hunter Long, TE, Boston College Washington needs to find someone to play quarterback however, with Ridder going back to school, Washington will look to free agency or trade. The pick is then looking for a weapon and Long fits the bill. Long has been overshadowed by the top three tight ends but has played extremely well. Pairing him with Logan Thomaswould give the team two versatile tight ends. 52. Chicago Bears –Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame No quarterbacks left leaves the Bears going offensive line. Bears have the option to cut Charles Leno and save 6 Million, thus they will likely need to address the line. Eichenberg is pro-ready, however, there are some athleticism concerns that could limit his ceiling. 53. Los Angeles Rams –Hamilcar Rashed Jr., EDGE, Oregon State Rashed could be a great pass rusher if he develops properly. He’s got the tools to be good but is inconsistent. 54. Cleveland Browns –Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami Philips has lots of concerns – injury mainly. However, his play on the field is undeniable and he has a lot of upside if he can stay healthy. 55. Tennessee Titans –Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa Nixon is a late riser in the draft process, but his pass-rushing upside is undeniable. He rushes with a plan and can win with quickness. 56. Indianapolis Colts –Brady Christensen, OT, BYU Anthony Castonzo has been injured more often than not. Christensen has played very well this year and can be a good pass blocker going forward. 57. Baltimore Ravens –Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, USC St. Brown is a separator and can be the chain mover the Ravens are missing. You can read our scouting report on St. Brown here. 58. Tampa Bay Buccaneers –Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida Chris Godwin and Shaquil Barrett are both free agents. The team will likely have to choose between them. The depth at wide receiver makes sense to go with Barrett as Godwin will cost a fortune. Toney is a raw technician, but has the athleticism and run after the catch ability. You can read our scouting report on Toney here. 59. New York Jets (Via Pittsburgh Steelers) –Josh Myers, IOL/C, Ohio State The Jets tradeSam Darnoldto the Steelers for the 59th overall pick. This is a win-win for both teams as the Steelers get to see if Darnold can be the future, while the Jets accumulate more picks. While the Jets get Leatherwood at the beginning of the round, they could use a left guard. Myers is a well-rounded player and could be just what the Jets need to protect Fields. 60. Seattle Seahawks –Jay Tufele, IDL, Southern California Tufele is a high energy player who would fit nicely in this defensive front. 61. New Orleans Saints –Dazz Newsome, WR, North Carolina Newsome is a good route runner and can replace Emmanuel Sanders after the 2021 season. 62. Buffalo Bills –Derion Kendrick, CB, Clemson Kendrick has shown high-level play but against lesser competition. 63. Green Bay Packers –Amari Rodgers, WR, Clemson Rodgers doesn’t get enough credit for his route running and separating ability. He’s crafty and is also dynamic after the catch. 64. Kansas City Chiefs –Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State FAST
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