Rap artist A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is the latest rapper to experience low album sales after promoting his music on social media.
The Bronx rapper’s current album HOODIE SZN is the country’s No. 1 album, but his album sales hit rock bottom at a total of 823 physical copies sold.
A Boogie addressed his album sales with the cast of Complex’s Everyday Struggle on Tuesday, Jan. 15.
“I did 90 units the first week. 50 something the second week. 50 something again, same number,” A Boogie said before adding that he focuses on making timeless music. “You can’t deny real music — like real music — you can’t deny that shit. That shit gonna live forever, for real for real. And a lot of songs on this album are forever lasting.”
A Boogie’s record low album sales reflect the music industry’s reliance on music streaming platforms that has resulted in historically lower music sales than CDs traditionally sold in brick and mortar stores.
Rappers T.I. and Jay-Z also struggled to sell their albums on music streaming platforms. T.I.’s Dime Trap album, released on October 5, 2018, sold just 32,000 copies in the first week.
And Jay-Z’s highly anticipated 4:44, debuted with 174,000 pure album sales on June 30, 2017. His previous album, Magna Carta Holy Grail – which was sold in brick and mortar stores when it dropped in 2013 – sold 1.5 million physical copies.
4:44 is Jay-Z’s lowest album sales since he released his debut album Reasonable Doubt in 1996.
Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
