As many a TGJ reader has pointed out time and time and time again, radio deals may buy hits but will always fall short when tasked with securing the support of a loyal album-buying fan base.
This week, K. Michelle and J. Cole stand as living proof of that, set to see their new albums rock the ‘Billboard 200’ with stellar first week sales without the benefit of a hit single on the ‘Hot 100.’
Full story below…
As her R&B contemporaries struggle to move anything over 60,000 units with their new releases, Ms. Michelle’s brand new album ‘Anyone Wanna Buy a Heart’ is now on course to move around 80,000 units by the time next week’s charts are published.
Quite interestingly, these sales would see her outperform albums launched by names seemingly bigger than her own.
These, including Mariah Carey‘s ‘Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse‘ which opened with 58,000 copies, Jennifer Lopez’ ‘AKA’ which touched down with 33,000 and Iggy Azalea‘s ‘Reclassified’ release which opened with less than 13,000 units even with the benefit of the hype surrounding the hit singles ‘Fancy’, ‘Black Widow‘ and ‘Beg For It.’
On higher ground stands J. Cole, whose new album ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive’ is on course to mover 350,000 units this week, ensuring it the #1 spot on the ‘Billboard 200’, surpassing the 297,000 copies his last album ‘Born Sinner’ moved in the June of 2013!
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congrats 80k is good considering it’s r&b and she’s still building a fan base and she’s doing 80k with album sells alone they haven’t even added her steaming sell’s yet
80K really?…. That’s what RnB chicks are reaching for now? Lol
Everyone doesn’t have the benefit of being married to a rich rapper who can buy their albums for them.
Your fave has the luxury of her boss buying her albums for her though.
….and singles
I’m the only yoncè boo!
It is not surprising that new artists sell more than established artists. Trey Songz would probably outsell Stevie Wonder and Prince. So what would that mean? Stop being messy.
Yaaaas the album is hot too
That is so F’n GREAT for J. Cole!!!!! This man truly manifests in REAL HIP HOP! He deserves this and I am pretty sure he wanted to release the album in a surprise fashion because he is a REAL ARTIST that isn’t concerned about the numbers and really truly wants you to feel the album and gain your own opinion about it without the promos and singles. And now he see’s that he really doesn’t need a label because his fans truly support him like myself.
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K Michelle doing 10 – 15% more first week numbers than her first album is really good especially the state of R&B right now in terms of sales and promo. But of course, the Reality Shows, her personality and …… her bought a55 really helped aid her success in music and really get people to pay attention to her music.
This is good news for both artists well done!
HASHTAG: #TeamJCole 😉
She does have a major platform which is her reality show… those numbers r not surprising bcuz of that reason. Im surprise she didnt sell more 2 be honest!
ok i can dig it heeeeeeeeeeeey 🙂
she literally outsold a lot of these r&b & pop girls and she’s barely little to no radio play lmaoooo slay K
Daaammmnnn, Congratz to J. Cole. Take that Iggy!
Best rap albums of the year:
J Cole – “2014 Forest Hills Drive”
Logic – “Under Pressure”
7eventhirty – “The Problem”
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – “Pinata”
Run The Jewels – “Run The Jewels 2”
Ghostface Killah – “36 Seasons”
Big KRIT – “Cadillactica”
Pharoahe Monch – “P.T.S.D.”
Slaine – “The King of Everything Else”
Rittz – “Next to Nothing”
#ColeWorld
she’s doing 80k with just album sales so once they add her streaming sales her album sales should shoot up to 90-100k
Swift’s 1989 holds steady at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for a fifth non-consecutive week. Swift has now spent a cumulative total of 29 weeks at No. 1 with her four chart-topping albums. Among women, only Whitney Houston (with 46 weeks at No. 1) and Mariah Carey (30) have more weeks atop the tally!!
Blanl space is also still number 1 on the hot 100, now for the 4th week!!
You’re a f’ckin f***** man.
Um nope. Your insults don’t mean nothing, cause you’re a low life who insults someone behind their computer screen.
Pathetic.
Honestly, you are in no position to be calling anyone ‘Pathetic,’ considering how for years your only purpose here has been to come around and pull Taylor Swift’s name/music/sales out of thin air in the comments section of articles that have absolutely nothing to do with her. For all intents and purposes, you are an attention w**** and a troll…which is pathetic in and of itself, so you, dear pot, need not be calling any kettles black.
And real talk: everything about Taylor Swift is marketed towards young girls. I don’t know any straight male who dare follows her music or would care about her sales. But it’s a pretty widely known fact that gay guys tend to have entertainment tastes that are more aligned with females than heterosexual men, so…
Everyone on here talks about artists that have little or no relation to the posts, so unless you want to tell everyone that, then best keep it to yourself then?
Also a well known fact? Facts are something you can prove, and you can’t.. So best go back and look what fact is up in the dictionary. You might learn something!
Also Beyoncé is someone who the gay community like way more than Taylor. So does that mean if you like Beyoncé, then you’re gay. I don’t think so.
I
She does have a major platform, ratchet tv. She’s sooooooo talented but the fact that she can’t act right it’s overshadowed by her “Shaniqua” persona, if she could actually get a PR team and get herself in check she could reach so many more people because I was one who was disgusted by her messiness and was uninterested in even wanting to listen. Once turned onto her music I was so pleasantly surprised
Goooo K! That’s more than “Rebellious Soul” sold in its first week! She sooo deserves it! Her new album it f****** AWESOME from start to finish!!! Congrats to JCole also! His album is also great (and I’m not even a big fan)!!!
J. Cole is proof that when rappers are REAL and not fake foreigners passing as a real rapper, they can actually sell albums without re-releasing them only to watch them flop even harder.
You do know how many TRUE hiphop/rap albums flopped this year, right?
WOW at J. Cole! Outsold every rap album released this year except one. Another example that if you grow a solid fa base and get them to have faith in your music, they will buy it regardless of how much promo or singles it had. Next week will be interesting for sure.
*fanbase
J.Cole is a Beast so I dig his style!!
K.MisSmell annoys me & I’m not a Fan!!
Yas K. Nd her singles are out performing Taymuppets and they have been for a while lmao.
VERY HAPPY for J.Cole. He is about the only male rapper beside Kendrick that I like at this point. KMichelle…well, I will just say that someone had to take Keyshia Cole’s lane.
Her music is nothing like Keyshias 🙄
They both have that “around the way chick” vibe though. Sort of like Mary J. Blidge.
Musically, K is much more versatile and creative than Keyshia could ever be. And she’s a better vocalist. K mixes country, R&B with a sprinkle of ratchet unlike OneTrickPonyshia.
They are still in the same league.
yeeeesss lol. Completely agree with u about K.
actually the new classic was release in the middle of fancy , black widow was released months after , and beg for it comes from reclassified …it was her debut album as female white rapper.
Stop with this “Major Numbers” crap. Over embellishing doesn’t boost credibility, it actually degrades them when people decide to call BS on it.
K.Michelle really has replaced OFFKeyshia lol
Congrats To J Cole!
These numbers are underwhelming, they’re both flops.
TROLL stop pretending to be a brandy and Monica stan
but your a BRANDY stan that murderer hasn’t seen a multi-platinum album since 1998 which was 16 years ago and 211 debuted at like at 60k lmaoooo
Didn’t Brandy’s last album do like 60k?
lol i spot no lies. these numbers are f***** pathetic
your a monica stan hahaha with her over shipped /over certified albums since she hasn’t had a career since 2003 she’s now going to school to be in the medical field lmaoooooo
mo out sold your dead fav though kiii
🙂 monica didn’t outsell s*** her albums were over shipped and over certified and shipments don’t equal sales hahahahaha
But my fav is more Relevant than both of these losers Combined!!! J.NOle has no platinum albums because his sales are always Frontloaded!!! Kendrick has a platinum album oooooopsss!!!! K.Michelle old hollering flop ass will Stall at 200k with her nasty booty and chicklet teeth. You tried though…….
When you take out the lower sales from other artist, KMichelle numbers are not that impressive, but that’s how this site makes other look better, by pointing out others poor numbers. Just like a true queen, always comparing others to others.
But my fav is more Relevant than both of these losers Combined!!! J.NOle has no platinum albums because his sales are always Frontloaded!!! Kendrick has a platinum album oooooopsss!!!! K.Michelle old hollering flop ass will Stall at 200k with her nasty booty and chicklet teeth. You tried though…………
but you stan for jlo she pulled in 30k with heavy promo she literally promoted everywhere kmichelle don’t even have promo and she’s pulling in 80k and when they add her streaming sales that 80k is going to turn into 90-100k and jcole pulled in over 200k with no promo as well lmaooo your fave is FLOP people who have no promp out sold your fave
But J. Ho only sold 71K to date…
If you Stan for any legendary artist that has more than one diamond album, then you are not worried about low album sales. Especially when they speak of highest album sales your fave gets the first mention. Just saying…. So holding on to an artist lowest selling album doesn’t change the fact that they are considered one of the highest selling artist ever.
That’s pretty impressive, congrats to both.
Sad that your own race is dissing you but they out here using the race card…. I’m white… You the bestest… K. Michelle is great… Vocals is Great.. My favorite R&B album this year…… I will stick up for you through life & death love….. Both albums & mixtape is great…. You keep it real like no other….. Love Me some K. Michelle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
K Michelle’s album sales are good for her. But without radio she still has been all over tv. She has access to millions of people.. Lol at you being thirsty to put MC up there. You’re a gump.. MC’s album outsold Mary’s but u ain’t put Mary’s numbers up there.. The key is to go gold/platinum.. There aren’t really any singles on her album..
What? Mary J´s album was already released and sold less than Mariah´s? I didn´t know that and I´m surprised.
Like really, why the need to bash Mariah all the time? Which other artist who debuted when she debuted is selling more than her? Nobody. It´s so unfair how some people treat her.
Sam acts like a scorned chick.. Man tf up.. You be acting like MC is fresh in the game.. He stays hating on MC/RIHANNA but he’s their biggest fans.. Groupie A** flop..
And you’re on HIS blog, so I guess that makes you his groupie.
Can we discuss how the Queen of Rap Lil’ Kim REEEEEEEEEAD the FUĆK OUTTA K.Martshelves on Instagram?!?!?!?!?!?!? GO QUEEN BEE!!!
k has no hit single i dont think she even promoted this album i havent seen her on tv
Wow great number for this boy!
Salute to mr J. Cole.
Not a in your face rapper that you see everywhere so that’s testament to his rating in the hip-hop world.
I need to pay more attention to his music.
Well done & I think I shall buy it also.
Well done to K. Michelle.
Not listened to album yet. Girl can SANG no doubt but not biggest fan of her tone.