Tekashi 6ix9ine Claims Billboard Is Manipulating Hot 100 Chart Results
Written by SOURCE on May 16, 2020
6ix9ine is convinced Billboard is cheating him out of a No. 1 single.
On Friday, the Brooklyn rapper posted an Instagram video where he doubled down on his suggestion that Billboard was manipulating the Hot 100 charts and playing “favorites.” He presented forecasts that were purportedly sent to major record labels on Thursday. The initial email had Doja Cat’s “Say So” at No. 1, followed by his latest single “Gooba.” The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” was at No. 3, Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé’s “Savage” was at No. 4, and Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s “Stuck With U” rounded out the top five.
6ix9ine then showed a second email that was sent “last second” on Thursday night (the end of the sales period) that showed “Stuck With U” had submitted 60,000 units “out of nowhere,” which boosted it to No. 1.
“[Grande and Bieber] went from being fifth place to first place out of nowhere …” he said in the video. “So ‘Gooba’ never jumps to No. 1, but Ariana jumps from No. 5 to No. 1?”
He then pointed a Billboard tweet that was sent Thursday night, promoting signed physical copies of the “Stuck With U” single.
“I’ll be real disappointed ‘cause this is for every rapper, artist in the world. Every genre. If you manipulate the charts right and you create bundles…‘Gooba’ streamed over 200 millions streams—more than ‘Stuck With U,’ Doja Cat, more than every artist that released a song this week double the times. It’s a landslide,” he said, before claiming Sony and Universal Music has requested audits. “Because literally, you’re manipulating the charts now. So, Billboard, the world is watching … If y’all do this to every artist in the world, how can an artist that works hard get No. 1? How?”
6ix9ine made a similar statement earlier this week on Instagram. He told Billboard everyone was watching the charts “very closely,” and said he would hate to believe artists using tactics like payola or bundle offers to gain an edge.
“We love you (Billboard) and always supported the charting,” he wrote in the since-deleted post. “On every platform we are dominating by a LANDSLIDE. The numbers are there and to be looked at. WITH NO RADIO WE ARE DOMINATING THE STREAMS. I will hate to believe that people pay for their spins on the radio and making manipulating bundles to manipulate the chart. Again it’s still early Im just making it clear that the world is watching.”
6ix9ine promised if enough fans purchased “Gooba” on iTunes, he would release another song next week.
