Joey Badass wants everyone to know that first-week album sales do not matter, especially when nobody purchase albums anymore.
Last night (Nov. 20), the Brooklyn native took to Twitter to argue his case. “I feel really compelled to say: F**k first week sales,” he began. “They simply don’t matter anymore for the simple fact that no one is buying albums. I mean, when’s the last time anyone you know bought an album? We all can stream anything we want, but in order for it to count as an album sale, you need to listen to every song like 1000+ times. They trynna make it seem like everybody flopping when [in] reality they changed the rules.”
He continued, “So someone [please] tell me why the f**k is anybody still worried about that? They trynna take the power from the musician because they never learned how to measure influence properly. At this point, just shut the f**k up and enjoy the music.”
In a follow-up tweet, Joey Badass added that said comments had nothing to do with his own album sales. “For all the people saying, ‘He’s only saying that because he’s not doing good first-week numbers,’ first of all, that’s subjective nowadays unless you’re [on] Drake or Taylor Swift level. Second of all, do your Google [search], [I’ve] been packing out venues since inception and will continue to do so,” the 2000 rapper said. “I have always had a loyal fan base that have always supported me, even after taking [five] years off… STILL came back and sold out 1,500-3,500 cap rooms ALL OVER THE WORLD. Something that a lot of your favorite mainstream acts can’t do. So please don’t shoot the messenger. [I’ve] been in my own lane and I love it here.” See related posts below.
As previously reported by REVOLT, last month, the Beauty actor unveiled a free mentorship program for Black men. “I’m excited to announce that I’ve been silently working on a free mentorship program for men of color in the U.S. [and] Puerto Rico called ImpactMENtorship,” he wrote on Instagram. “Inspired by my friend Sophia Chang [and] Unlock Her Potential, I recruited an impressive network of incredible mentors in the areas of ART, CULINARY, FASHION, FILM/TV, MEDIA, MUSIC, and SPORTS.”