When it comes to dissecting the digits of new releases, there’s official and there’s Billboard official.
And the latter numbers are finally in for Nicki Minaj‘s ‘Queen’ – confirming that the set was indeed denied the #1 spot by Travis Scott.
Dive below for details…
Per Billboard, Scott – whose ‘Astroworld’ album – premiered last week with 533,000 SPS retains his spot atop of the pop pack by delivering another 205,000 in its second week. Its pure sales tally was 78,000.
In doing so, he denies Minaj what would have been her third chart-topper on the Billboard 200.
‘Queen’ has had to settle for #2, after delivering 185,000 SPS and matching Scott’s 78k in pure sales.
It brings to an end a closely fought battle for chart supremacy.
Indeed, the Hip-Hop stars squared off in a anything goes royal rumble for the win. As reported, on Onika’s end, she paired organic buzz for ‘Queen’ with Tidal, tour, and merchandise bundles and even added Tekashi69 collaboration ‘FEFE’ to the digital tracklist mid-week to benefit from added streams.
While on Travis’ side, he also drew on merch bundles as a primary weapon, as well as a monetary giveaway to fans who bought the project.
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Moving forward, Minaj is tasked with keeping her sales afloat – something she can perhaps pull off, in this streaming era, by cooking up another hit single.
As for snagging the elusive #1, it’ll be an uphill battle. Given that Ariana Grande‘s ‘Sweetener‘ seems a shoo-in for next week and Drake‘s’ ‘Scorpion’ continues to linger and ready to sting any and all competition at a moment’s notice.
Wow. I’m a Nicki fan, and this looks horrible. Why can’t my b****, just keep her mouth shut & sell records. Instead, she wasted it on Lil Kim, Cardi, Remy etc…lets hope we can get it to go gold #TeamMinaj
Considering how silly RIAA is nowadays it is probably already Platinum just because she added FeFe on it lol.
She’s your Queen toooo beeeeeeeee lmao ?
It’s what she deserves 🙂
Queen is still the highest peak postion for a fourth album by a female rapper and is still #1 on iTunes world wide chart. Even though she wanted that #1 position she is still breaking/ setting records and doing pretty well. The album is receiving mostly positive reviews by critics, Hip-Hop notables and legends as well as fans. She and her pen have set records that other female “rappers” and their writers (past and present) have yet to achieve she is the most successful female rapper of all time.
“the highest peak position for a fourth album” lmao girl thats not an accomplishment! She wasnt gonna get that #1 regardless. Just admit defeat and hush up.
You making up records now? LMAO. Btw, she isn’t number one on iTunes anymore lol update your browser. She just flopped.
Actually Missy Elliott has 259k pure sales and Kim has 109 pure sales. Nicki flopped sis. Plus she is only number on on iTunes hip hop charts she is number 6 on all genres and probably will continue to fall. Next week numbers are going to be even worst!
She had like no competition this week though and still couldn’t get the #1 spot. ???
And that other b**** is still not s***. If that’s where you’re going
Nicki always want to put herself in the category with male rappers until it comes to sales. THEN she wants to compete with women. Nicki has never did King-Level numbers. Even Kanye beat her debut sales. But this is ridiculous — 3 months on preorder, large fan base, bundled with tour, steals FeFe streams, reduce album in the first month to $5.00. Nicki said this was her best album yet. She should’ve rolled with whatever came and still stood by her work instead of all the tricks and stunts trying to inflate #s. She will plummet next week anyway
shouldnt Travis Scott get credit for having the highest PURE SALES debut over DRAKE this year? AstroWorld sold around 100k more than Scorpian first wk in pure sales smh
Rip Nikki ?
He bundled it with merchandise. Fans got an album when they bought items from his merchandise store.
Flop of the year
she salty cuz she been braggin bout this and that but can’t get a #1 anywhere and cardi came thru got 2 still in the top 5 album still in the top ten and she dont have not one in the top 10 aside from fefe and thats been out. nothing new from the album is getting any steam and she got egg on her face. she can spit bout what no other rap female has ever done but most of them had a #1 album and single or a few Remy Kimmy Iggy and Cardi lol. womp womp. oooh did i forget to mention how so many male rapper shout out cardi and only nicki friends gave her a shout out. the vmas bout to boost cardi thanks to all the free press nicki gave her. she did it on HERSELF not on em.
I knew it was going downhill for her when she released “No Frauds” with two big names with one being the most popular rapper right now, Drake and it didn’t stay within the top 20 on Billboard 100 after a week!
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Remy Ma shook her career to make people figure out and start discussing how FAKE Nicki was which started, in her words “The Nicki Hate Train”. Then Cardi came out of NOWHERE with the FATALITY!
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It’s Karma for her disrespectful attitude, not doing songs with other female rappers (hell, what happened to that Trina feature?) and doing things behind the scene to keep other female rappers from not leveling up. Ex: Iggy Azalea; she got mad at Charlamagne for saying she “deserved” Best Female Hip Hop award at the 2013 or 14 BET Awards and she even stopped talking to him right there for an opinion which was true. I believe she even confronted BET President Stephen Hill that if it does happen she won’t show up at the show.
She HATES Travis now ……. LMFAO
She’ll be 40 still acting & crying over s*** she can’t pay for!! Her career was built off the back of Lil’Kim & I STAND BY THAT!!?”Bzzz”?