The battle for the Billboard 200 throne just got juicier than a soap opera plot twist! Sabrina Carpenter, the pop princess extraordinaire, is holding onto that No. 1 spot for the second week in a row, while Travis Scott’s crew is out here claiming he was robbed of the crown. That’s right—robbed! Somebody call Sherlock Holmes!
Now, in case you missed last week’s episode of “Who Wants to Be Billboard Royalty?” let me catch you up. Our 25-year-old pop darling Sabrina, armed with catchy tunes and irresistible charm, swooped in and claimed Billboard’s top spot. But it wasn’t an easy win—no, no. Travis Scott, who decided to dust off his old mixtape Days Before Rodeo and slap on an anniversary sticker, was right on her heels. So close, in fact, that they were practically elbowing each other for space on the throne, with just a measly 1,000 equivalent units separating them. That’s like winning a marathon by the length of a shoelace.
Fast forward to Monday (September 9), and Billboard’s like, “Hey, Sabrina’s still the queen. Second week running.” But oh, you didn’t think Travis would go quietly into that Billboard-less night, did you? Of course not! Over the weekend, his label Cactus Jack Records pulled out their magnifying glasses, calculators, and maybe even a few abacuses (abaci?), claiming that Billboard and Luminate—the people in charge of counting this musical madness—might’ve missed a crucial 1,000 units for Days Before Rodeo. Coincidence? Conspiracy? Only the chart gods know.
Vulture got their hands on this spicy letter, and it reads like something out of a courtroom drama. Cactus Jack threw some serious shade, calling the chart system “unreliable and incomplete.” Basically, they’re saying, “We don’t trust your math, Billboard. You didn’t carry the one!” Their letter went viral faster than a cat video, and fans everywhere began clutching their pearls.
But don’t worry, Billboard didn’t let the accusations slide. They puffed out their chests and said, “We stand behind our numbers.” Meanwhile, Luminate, the chart calculator-in-chief, waved their metaphorical calculator and said, “No mistakes here, folks. We triple-checked. We even used extra batteries.”
Despite all this drama, Sabrina’s chilling at No. 1, possibly sipping tea and writing more catchy songs, while Travis’ album dropped out of the Top 10 faster than you can say, “What’s going on?”
And so, the great chart feud of 2024 continues. Stay tuned for the next episode: Will the mixtape rise from the ashes? Will Sabrina take a third victory lap? Will Billboard and Luminate have to hire a chart referee? Grab your popcorn, it’s going to be a wild ride!
