“Yo, first I snatched the street then, I snatched the charts….”
If anyone had doubts that JAY-Z‘s 4:44 would fail to hit the number one spot, chances are those very same people are dealing with some sort of delusion. Either that, or they truly believe ISSA > 4:44.
Considering the facts that Jay’s thirteenth studio album (which went went platinum in less than a week) was provided as a free download for non-TIDAL subscribers and was eventually made available on most competing streaming platforms (sans Spotify), it’s a pretty damn amazing feat. Then again, we’re talking about JAY-Z.
According to Billboard, 4:44 moved “262,000 equivalent album units,” with 174,000 units being rooted in traditional album sales. All this despite Billboard’s previous initial prediction.
4:44 also marks Shawn Carter’s 14th overall number one album, surpassing the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand whom both have 11 number ones, and sitting behind The Beatles‘ record 19 number ones.
Billboard also reports that 4:44 could have hit the peak of the Top 200 earlier, however “TIDAL did not report data for the album to Nielsen Music for the week ending July 6, so the album did not debut on the July 22-dated chart.”
This fall, Jay will hit the road for a 31-date tour to promote the album, with footwear brand PUMA teaming up for the affair.
