Travis Scott‘s label is disputing reports that Sabrina Carpenter beat him to the Number One slot on Billboard‘s album chart.
Two weeks ago, Carpenter released her sixth studio album ‘Short N’ Sweet‘, while Scott shared a 10th anniversary reissue of his 2014 mixtape ‘Days Before Rodeo’ to streaming platforms.
The two releases were poised to take the coveted Number One slot, but it was ‘Short N’ Sweet’ that won the chart battle in the end, with Carpenter selling 362,000 album units, compared to Scott’s 361,000.
Now, Vulture is reporting that an anonymous representative from Cactus Jack Records, the label founded by Scott, sent a letter of complaint to Billboard and tabulation company Luminate, disputing the final chart.
The representative reportedly claimed that Billboard‘s methods were “unreliable and incomplete” and that they had missed “an extremely high volume of orders” from their counting that would have presumably increased ‘Days Before Rodeo”s chances of reaching Number One.
Cactus Jack representatives also reportedly claimed that a Luminate employee might have “a personal incentive” to want Carpenter to reach Number One, on account of his former employment at Island Records – Carpenter’s label. The letter insists that they were “not reaching out as management for an upset artist” but rather on behalf of the Cactus Jack label and store.
A spokesperson for Luminate responded saying that the company stands by the final chart: “We are confident that our numbers are correct in accordance with our processes and methodology.”
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Last May, Scott settled the last of several wrongful death lawsuits towards him and festival promoter Live Nation following his ill-fated Astroworld Festival performance in 2021.
The ongoing Circus Maximus tour has not gone without hiccups though – Scott was arrested in Miami for “disorderly intoxication and trespassing” in late June, and arrested in Paris in August for assaulting a hotel security guard.
Despite the controversy – along with the shadow lingering from Astroworld Festival – Scott has continued to break tour records. In July, Scott’s London gig drew in over 48,500 attendees and grossed more than $6.6million (£5.1million) from one night alone. He also broke the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium merchandise sales record for any event to date at the stadium, including the NFL.
‘Short N’ Sweet’ was released last week, and was given a glowing four-star review by NME. “As ‘Short n’ Sweet’ arrives, it feels like the 25-year-old singer is at something of a turning point,” wrote Rhian Daly.
“Keep Carpenter’s musical calling cards, justify the hype, and she’ll soon be levelling up to major festival headliner – and this record largely gets the job done.”
Since then, the singer has made headlines after being locked in an ongoing chart battle with Oasis, and for teaming up with Jenna Ortega for the music video to her latest single, ‘Taste’.