Drake and Future are certainly two rappers in their element. They are still human though, and even they can be hit with the poor sophomore week sales.
After a stellar sales performance the week of release, sales for What a Time To Be Alive, the joint mixtape between the two, have dropped by approximately 80%, the second highest drop off in hip hop album history. 375k for a debut week is more than what some rappers will pull in an entire year of a release, but it is definitely interesting to see such a dramatic shift in sales.
It’s probably due in part to the fact that Drake and future have taken the crown as the most pirated artists. While it speaks volumes of their popularity, you have to wonder what their respective sales would look like if these albums came out a decade ago, considering Drake just hit the platinum milestone with his If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late release.
The numbers dwarf the competition, and with rap overwhelmingly the most frequently pirated genre, it just goes to show that maybe a resurgence in the popularity of hip-hop isn’t as lucrative as first though.
WATTBA also debuted on Spotify following the Apple Music release, which has probably deterred many potential purchasers; alongside those who were perhaps expecting an exclusive availability a la Dr Dre’s Compton.
No matter the unexpected drop off in numbers, we can be assured that Drake and Future will continue to crush the competition and take their place atop the charts.