Blink-182 Kills Drake’s Nine-Week Streak At No. 1, Former Member Tom DeLonge Still On Hunt For Alien Life
It’s the early aughts all over again as Blink-182’s new album California hits No.1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart — a feat they last accomplished on June 30, 2001 with their fourth album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. Blink-182’s triumphant chart entry this week topples Drake’s monumental nine-week run at No. 1 with his prosperous Views.
As reported by Forbes, Drake’s downturn is no small achievement for Blink-182. Even Beyoncé’s Lemonade, the superstar singer’s attention-grabbing multimedia opus, couldn’t equal Drake’s fourth effort on the Billboard 200. The Destiny’s Child singer’s infidelity-themed collection debuted at No. 1 back in April, but was immediately displaced upon Drake’s arrival. Lemonade slips to No. 4 this week as Drake settles in at No. 2.
Congrats to @Blink182, whose new album "California" debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart https://t.co/tSp83tIFUo
— billboard (@billboard) July 10, 2016
The Drake-dropping California is Blink-182’s first album without founding member Tom DeLonge, the singer and guitarist who helped the irreverent pop-punkers break into the mainstream over a decade ago with hits like “All the Small Things” and “I Miss You.” In his stead is Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba, taking DeLonge’s place on Blink’s hits in concert and contributing new material to California. As highlighted by Complex, DeLonge left Blink for reasons pertaining to his ongoing quest for extraterrestrial life, a topic widely covered in the media.
In a discussion with Music Feeds, Blink-182’s singer and bassist (and sole remaining founder) Mark Hoppus discussed Skiba’s role as his new foil in the band. Praising the musician’s talent, Hoppus commended the tact taken by Blink’s latest personnel replacement and the vitality imbued by his presence.
“He’s rad and he’s really strong on stage and he holds his own and he has his own sense of humor. He’s really done a great job of taking what’s potentially a really difficult situation of stepping into a band that’s been around for 20 years and being respectful of the position that he’s overtaking but also making it his own. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
DeLonge, Hoppus’ erstwhile Blink-182 companion, recently gave an insightful interview to Mic concerning his otherworldly activities of late. With the seriousness of a scholar, the one-time Blink constituent reviewed his recent dealings with various government agencies concerning the existence of extraterrestrials. Regarding his absence from Blink, the guitarist proffered that his present endeavors hold sway over the benign business of a rock band.
“Well it’s not so much about Blink. It’s about what I’m doing with my life now. When you’re an individual like me, dealing with something that’s a national security issue, and you’re being gifted with the opportunity to communicate something you’ve been passionate about your whole life — something that has the opportunity to change the world over time — being a small part of that is enormously important for my life path.”
Drake heads out on the “Summer Sixteen Tour” with rapper Future starting July 20 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. The pair will be performing in 59 cities all across the U.S. and Canada, Drake’s home country, before ending the run at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center on October 20. The co-headlining jaunt follows Drake and Future’s collaborative mixtape, What a Time to Be Alive, released last fall.
Blink-182 will also be hitting the road hard this summer and fall on a massive tour promoting their new Skiba-fied album. The band play their hometown of San Diego’s Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl (located on the campus of San Diego State University) on Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22, with support from fellow pop-punkers The All-American Rejects and metalcore mavens A Day to Remember.
[Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images]
