SZA’s SOS has made music history by becoming the first album led by a female artist to spend 100 weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. Released in December 2022, the project opened at No. 1 and held the top spot for 10 nonconsecutive weeks, with a trajectory that has kept it in the Top 20 continuously since its debut.
In a further historic milestone reached in March 2025, SOS surpassed Michael Jackson’s Thriller as the album by a Black artist with the most weeks in the Billboard 200 Top 10, underscoring the project’s extraordinary staying power.
SOS has also dominated the shelves of the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, logging 100 weeks at No. 1 and setting a new longevity record there as well. Commercially, the album has been certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA, while singles like Kill Bill and Snooze have achieved multi-platinum status.
The project’s impact extends beyond chart numbers. At the 2024 Grammys, SZA led all artists with nine nominations and secured four wins, including Best Progressive R&B Album and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for Ghost in the Machine, a collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers. SOS also captured Album of the Year honors at both the BET Awards and the Soul Train Music Awards, along with Best R&B Album at the iHeartRadio Music Awards and International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards.
Adding to the album’s narrative, the late-2024 Lana edition expanded SOS with 19 new tracks, fueling renewed chart activity and reaffirming its relevance in the streaming era. The project’s enduring success reflects both SZA’s artistic reach and its cross-genre appeal, blending intimate R&B with pop sensibilities and experimental textures that resonate across generations.
Why this matters: SOS’s milestone highlights a changing landscape where bold, cohesive albums can sustain long-term relevance in a streaming-dominated era. It cements SZA’s position as a defining voice of the 2020s and signals broader recognition of Black artistry on major global stages.
Summary: SOS has rewritten chart history for female artists and Black artists alike, proving that a carefully crafted, genre-spanning album can endure for years while continuing to win awards and expand its cultural footprint. A hopeful note for the music industry is the demonstration that longevity, artistry, and strategic reissues can amplify an album’s impact well beyond its initial release.