With 15,500 vinyl units and a third No.1, South London’s own Dave rewrites the UK rap record books; boldly, loudly and without apology.

There comes a moment in music history when a genre says “I’m here” and then plants its flag. That moment has arrived for British rap thanks to Dave. His new album The Boy Who Played the Harp smashed its way to the top of the UK Albums Chart, knocking off Taylor Swift in the process.

He sold 15,500 vinyl copies in that opening week, making this release the fastest-selling rap album on vinyl in the UK this century. Dave is now the first British rapper to debut three studio albums at No.1 (his previous two: Psychodrama (2019) and We’re All Alone In This Together (2021). And because the vinyl haul was insane, the vinyl hunger for rap, yes rap! is suddenly in full bloom. Physical formats were supposed to be museum pieces in the streaming era, but Dave just flipped the script.

This is frankly refreshing and how un-pop-star the whole thing feels. Dave’s album leans hard into biblical allegory (King David, “Chapter 16” referencing the Book of Samuel) while being deeply personal, reflecting on faith, identity and why his mother named him David. Pop queens may reign in streaming and global game shows, but home grown rap with spine, substance and now serious sales muscle has arrived.