Spotify Wrapped 2024 is here. This means personalized year-end listening data for every user, but it also means Spotify reveals the top artists, songs, and albums across all of Spotify in 2024.
What Was The Most-Streamed Song On Spotify In 2024?
One of the biggest superlatives is the most-streamed song, and on both the global and US-only charts, that honor belongs to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” The song, which was released in April, currently has over 1.65 billion streams on Spotify.
On the global chart, it beat out Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” while on the US chart, it topped Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
Find the full lists of the most-streamed songs globally and for the US below.
This is the time of year where the music industry generally starts to wind down (unless you’re Kendrick Lamar). Most of the year’s biggest albums have been released and folks are gearing up to make a splash next year.
There’s still one more significant matter to tackle in 2024, though: the 2024 Billboard Music Awards, which are set to air on December 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox (or on-demand via Paramount+). Today (November 25), the finalists were announced.
Unlike other award shows, instead of being voted on by a committee, winners are determined by year-end Billboard chart data from October 28, 2023 to October 19, 2024, so the winners are based on data, not the opinions of a select few.
Zach Bryan is this year’s leading finalist with 21 entries, while Taylor Swift is close behind with 17. After them are Morgan Wallen (15 entries), Sabrina Carpenter (9), Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Teddy Swims, Tyla (8 each), Bad Bunny, Benson Boone, Chandler Moore, Jung Kook, Naomi Raine, Shaboozey, and SZA (6 each).
First-time finalists include Swims, Tyla, Boone, Shaboozey, Tommy Richman, and Chappell Roan.
Check out the full list of finalists below.
Artist Awards
Top Artist
Zach Bryan
Sabrina Carpenter
Drake
Taylor Swift
Morgan Wallen
Top New Artist
Benson Boone
Tommy Richman
Chappell Roan
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims
Top Male Artist
Zach Bryan
Luke Combs
Drake
Post Malone
Morgan Wallen
Top Female Artist
Sabrina Carpenter
Billie Eilish
Chappell Roan
Taylor Swift
SZA
Top Duo/Group
blink-182
Coldplay
Fuerza Regida
Linkin Park
Stray Kids
Top Billboard 200 Artist
Zach Bryan
Drake
Taylor Swift
SZA
Morgan Wallen
Top Hot 100 Artist
Zach Bryan
Sabrina Carpenter
Billie Eilish
Taylor Swift
Morgan Wallen
Top Hot 100 Songwriter
Amy Allen
Jack Antonoff
Zach Bryan
Kendrick Lamar
Taylor Swift
Top Hot 100 Producer
Jack Antonoff
Zach Bryan
Daniel Nigro
Finneas O’Connell
Taylor Swift
Top Streaming Songs Artist
Zach Bryan
Sabrina Carpenter
Kendrick Lamar
Taylor Swift
Morgan Wallen
Top Radio Songs Artist
Sabrina Carpenter
Doja Cat
Taylor Swift
SZA
Morgan Wallen
Top Song Sales Artist
Jelly Roll
Jung Kook
Shaboozey
Taylor Swift
Teddy Swims
Top Billboard Global 200 Artist
Sabrina Carpenter
Billie Eilish
Ariana Grande
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd
Top Billboard Global (Excl. U.S.) Artist
Sabrina Carpenter
Billie Eilish
Ariana Grande
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd
Top R&B Artist
Brent Faiyaz
Tommy Richman
SZA
Tyla
The Weeknd
Top R&B Male Artist
Brent Faiyaz
Tommy Richman
The Weeknd
Top R&B Female Artist
Muni Long
SZA
Tyla
Top R&B Touring Artist
Chris Brown
Bruno Mars
Usher
Top Rap Artist
Drake
Future
Kendrick Lamar
Metro Boomin
Travis Scott
Top Rap Male Artist
Drake
Kendrick Lamar
Travis Scott
Top Rap Female Artist
Doja Cat
GloRilla
Nicki Minaj
Top Rap Touring Artist
Nicki Minaj
Travis Scott
$uicideboy$
Top Country Artist
Zach Bryan
Luke Combs
Post Malone
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Top Country Male Artist
Zach Bryan
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Top Country Female Artist
Beyoncé
Megan Moroney
Lainey Wilson
Top Country Duo/Group
Zac Brown Band
The Red Clay Strays
Treaty Oak Revival
Top Country Touring Artist
Zach Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Luke Combs
Top Rock Artist
Zach Bryan
Hozier
Jelly Roll
Noah Kahan
Linkin Park
Top Rock Duo/Group
Good Neighbours
Linkin Park
The Red Clay Strays
Top Hard Rock Artist
Bad Omens
Hardy
Linkin Park
Top Rock Touring Artist
Coldplay
The Rolling Stones
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Top Latin Artist
Bad Bunny
Fuerza Regida
Junior H
Karol G
Peso Pluma
Top Latin Male Artist
Bad Bunny
Junior H
Peso Pluma
Top Latin Female Artist
Karol G
Shakira
Kali Uchis
Top Latin Duo/Group
Eslabon Armado
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Frontera
Top Latin Touring Artist
Bad Bunny
Karol G
Luis Miguel
Top Global K-Pop Artist
Enhyphen
Jimin
Jung Kook
Stray Kids
Tomorrow X Together
Top K-Pop Touring Artist
Enhyphen
Seventeen
Tomorrow X Together
Top Afrobeats Artist
Asake
Burna Boy
Rema
Tems
Tyla
Top Dance/Electronic Artist
Beyoncé
The Chainsmokers
Charli XCX
Dua Lipa
Calvin Harris
Top Christian Artist
Lauren Daigle
Elevation Worship
Forrest Frank
Brandon Lake
Anne Wilson
Top Gospel Artist
Kirk Franklin
Maverick City Music
Chandler Moore
Naomi Raine
CeCe Winans
Album Awards
Top Billboard 200 Album
Zach Bryan — Zach Bryan
Drake — For All the Dogs
Noah Kahan — Stick Season
Taylor Swift — 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift — The Tortured Poets Department
Top Soundtrack
Hazbin Hotel: Season One Trolls: Band Together Twisters: The Album Wish Wonka
Top R&B Album
Chris Brown — 11:11
Brent Faiyaz — Larger Than Life
PartyNextDoor — PartyNextDoor 4 (P4)
Bryson Tiller, Bryson Tiller
Tyla — Tyla
Top Rap Album
21 Savage — american dream
Drake — For All the Dogs
Future & Metro Boomin — WE DON’T TRUST YOU
Nicki Minaj — Pink Friday 2
Rod Wave — Nostalgia
Top Country Album
Beyoncé — Cowboy Carter
Zach Bryan — The Great American Bar Scene
Zach Bryan — Zach Bryan
Chris Stapleton — Higher
Bailey Zimmerman — Religiously. The Album.
Top Rock Album
Zach Bryan — The Great American Bar Scene
Zach Bryan — Zach Bryan
Hozier — Unheard (EP)
Noah Kahan — Stick Season
Dolly Parton — Rockstar
Top Hard Rock Album
Bring Me The Horizon — POST HUMAN: NeX GEn
Falling In Reverse — Popular Monster
Hardy — Quit!!
Pearl Jam — Dark Matter
Sleep Token — Take Me Back to Eden
Top Latin Album
Bad Bunny — nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana
Fuerza Regida — Pa Las Baby’s Y Belikeada
Grupo Frontera — El Comienzo
Junior H — $AD BOYZ 4 LIFE II
Karol G — Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season)
Top K-Pop Album
Ateez — THE WORLD EP.FIN: WILL
Jung Kook — GOLDEN
Stray Kids — ROCK-STAR
Stray Kids — Ate: Mini Album
Tomorrow X Together — The Name Chapter: FREEFALL
Top Dance/Electronic Album
Charli XCX — BRAT
Jungle — Volcano
Odetari — XXIII SORROWS
Troye Sivan — Something to Give Each Other
John Summit — Comfort in Chaos
Top Christian Album
Elevation Worship — CAN YOU IMAGINE?
Forrest Frank — CHILD OF GOD
Brandon Lake — COAT OF MANY COLORS
Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine — The Maverick Way Complete: Complete Vol 02
Katy Nichole — Jesus Changed My Life
Top Gospel Album
Kirk Franklin — Father’s Day
Koryn Hawthorne — On God
Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine — The Maverick Way Complete: Complete Vol 02
CeCe Winans — More Than This
Naomi Raine — Cover The Earth: Live in New York
Song Awards
Top Hot 100 Song
Benson Boone — “Beautiful Things”
Jack Harlow — “Lovin on Me”
Post Malone Feat. Morgan Wallen — “I Had Some Help”
Shaboozey — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Teddy Swims — “Lose Control”
Top Streaming Song
Zach Bryan Feat. Kacey Musgraves — “I Remember Everything”
Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
Post Malone Feat. Morgan Wallen — “I Had Some Help”
Shaboozey — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Teddy Swims — “Lose Control”
Top Radio Song
Benson Boone — “Beautiful Things”
Jack Harlow — “Lovin on Me”
Tate McRae — “Greedy”
Taylor Swift — “Cruel Summer”
Teddy Swims — “Lose Control”
Top Selling Song
Benson Boone — “Beautiful Things”
Jung Kook — “Standing Next to You”
Post Malone Feat. Morgan Wallen — “I Had Some Help”
Shaboozey — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Teddy Swims — “Lose Control”
Top Collaboration
Zach Bryan Feat. Kacey Musgraves — “I Remember Everything”
Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar — “Like That”
Post Malone Feat. Morgan Wallen — “I Had Some Help”
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone — “Fortnight”
Morgan Wallen Feat. Ernest — “Cowgirls”
4batz Feat. Drake — “act ii: date @ 8 (remix)”
Muni Long — “Made for Me”
Tommy Richman — “MILLION DOLLAR BABY”
SZA — “Saturn”
Tyla — “Water”
Top Rap Song
Doja Cat — “Agora Hills”
Doja Cat — “Paint the Town Red”
Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar — “Like That”
Jack Harlow — “Lovin on Me”
Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
Top Country Song
Zach Bryan Feat. Kacey Musgraves — “I Remember Everything”
Dasha — “Austin”
Post Malone Feat. Morgan Wallen — “I Had Some Help”
Shaboozey — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Morgan Wallen — “Thinkin’ Bout Me”
Falling In Reverse Feat. Jelly Roll — “All My Life”
Falling In Reverse, Tech N9ne & Alex Terrible — “Ronald”
Hardy — “Psycho”
Linkin Park — “The Emptiness Machine”
Superheaven — “Youngest Daughter”
Top Latin Song
Bad Bunny — “MONACO”
Bad Bunny & Feid — “PERRO NEGRO”
FloyyMenor & Cris MJ — “Gata Only”
Karol G & Peso Pluma — “QLONA”
Xavi — “La Diabla”
Top Global K-Pop Song
ILLIT — “Magnetic”
Jimin — “Who”
Jung Kook — “Standing Next to You”
Jung Kook Feat. Jack Harlow — “3D”
Le Sserafim — “Perfect Night”
Top Afrobeats Song
Adam Port & Stryv Feat. Malachiii — “Move”
Tems — “Me & U”
Tyla — “Truth or Dare”
Tyla — “Water”
Tyla, Gunna & Skillibeng — “Jump”
Top Dance/Electronic Song
Dua Lipa — “Houdini”
Dua Lipa — “Illusion”
Kenya Grace — “Strangers”
Ariana Grande — “yes, and?”
Marshmello & Kane Brown — “Miles on It”
Top Christian Song
Elevation Worship Feat. Brandon Lake, Chris Brown & Chandler Moore — “Praise”
Forrest Frank — “GOOD DAY”
Josiah Queen — “The Prodigal”
Seph Schlueter — “Counting My Blessings”
Tauren Wells with We The Kingdom & Davies — “Take It All Back”
Top Gospel Song
Koryn Hawthorne — “Look at God”
Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine — “God Problems”
Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine ft. Tasha Cobbs Leonard — “In the Room”
Victor Thompson X Gunna Feat. Ehis ‘D’ Greatest — “THIS YEAR (Blessings)”
CeCe Winans — “That’s My King”
Depending on who you ask Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet was the album of the summer (if you ask me, that honor goes to Charli), and with the album debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200, viral videos for the singles “Please Please Please” and “Taste,” the near ubiquitousness of Espresso (I couldn’t go into an Uber, a gym, or a store this year without hearing it blasting from speakers), nobody can deny that 2024 has been the best year in Sabrina’s career.
Even though summer is over, if you’re a Carpenter — what Sabrina affectionally calls her fan base — Sabrina has been keeping you fed. For her Short ’N Sweet tour, Sabrina is making headlines and filling social feeds with her fun, light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek stage show, her kitschy meme-worthy merch, and a series of pop-up takeover cafes that have hit New York City, Chicago, and this weekend, Los Angeles.
The LA Short N’ Sweet Cafe will run from November 15-17 between the hours of 9 AM – 7 PM and is being presented at Melrose’s Verve Coffee Roasters (a solid coffee shop in its own right) and offers limited edition merch, a full Sabrina-inspired menu, and all sorts of staged photo opportunities that look… straight out of a Sabrina Carpenter music video. The pop-up was made in partnership with Cash App, which we’re only mentioning because using the app will score you a 30% discount on a single transaction.
We hit up the Short N’ Sweet Cafe to give you the full details on what to expect.
What’s The Vibe?
Dane Rivera
Sabrina Carpenter is the vibe. Cute outfits, perfect makeup, get your poses ready — I showed up to the pop-up wearing what I thought was an okay outfit, but I felt a little underdressed considering all the super fans and influencers who were dressed to impress.
What we’re trying to say is, don’t slump on the fit — you might be visiting a coffee shop in the middle of the day, but almost everyone is dressed like they’re hitting the club after.
The Menu
Dane Rivera
As a coffee connoisseur, I was thoroughly impressed by the menu, which featured all sorts of delicious iced and hot lattes named or themed after Sabrina Carpenter songs and lyrics. The menu also has several pastries, but they were sadly unavailable at the preview event.
I tried two drinks, the Honeybee Draft Latte and the Heartbreak Jamaica. The Honeybee featured a mix of lavender, honey, espresso, and milk, and featured a floral and herbaceous flavor that hovered nicely over vivid toasty coffee notes.
Dane Rivera
The Heartbreak Jamaica couldn’t be more different despite being iced. The drink featured hibiscus and coffee cherry, providing a flavor that was well-balanced between tangy, sweet, floral, and bitter-tasting notes.
I honestly wanted to try the full menu but I was buzzing on caffeine after the two drinks.
The Merch
Dane Rivera
The merch was typical concert fodder: shirts, bags, hoodies, socks, as well as coffee mugs, but everything is very, well, Sabrina. For example, one shirt featured a graphic print of lacy lingerie over a plain white t-shirt cut. It’s a sleep shirt that lets you have things both ways, which feels kitschy and very in line with the Short ’N Sweet aesthetic.
Prices for the merch go as low as $15 and as high as $80.
The Photo Ops
Dane Rivera
Aside from the menu, the photo ops are the real draw of the pop-up experience. There are several stage set-ups with vintage-inspired furniture that recalls the ’50 and ‘60s that’ll have you looking like you’re starring in your very own Sabrina Carpenter video.
But in my opinion, it’s the more naturalistic sets that use the Verve coffee shop architecture that look the best. Posing in front of a Sabrina-emblazoned backdrop on a lip-shaped couch is one thing, but sitting on beautifully paved steps while sipping coffee with the sunshine hitting your perfect fit? That’s some straight-up Gossip Girl Blair Waldorf shit.
All in all, the Short ’N Sweet Cafe offers a lot for die-hard Sabrina Carpenter fans, and a good enough menu that even non-fans will find something to enjoy.
The Short ’N Sweet Cafe can be found at Verve Coffee Roasters in Melrose, 8925 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Without fail, every year the Grammy Awards cause an uproar across one genre or another. Although fans’ chatter about snub is still at the top of online forum, the 2025 Grammys nomination list sparked another interesting question. What qualifies an artist as “new?”
“Every year, the #GRAMMYs Best New Artist category acknowledges rising stars who are shaping the future of music through their own artistry,” read the post (viewable here). “Little does it matter if they have just a few singles or 10 studio albums under their belts. The Best New Artist Category is all about highlighting how an act pushes creative boundaries and challenges a saturated industry with outstanding — and sometimes surprising — music.”
Khruangbin’s debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, was released nearly a decade ago. The same goes for Sabrina Carpenter’s Eyes Wide Open. But based on the Recording Academy’s post, an artist’s breakthrough is weighed more heavily. Maybe the Recording Academy will reconsider their three submission rule for the category to allow Uproxx cover Tate McRae a chance to compete based on this logic.
Well, the official Best New Artist winner won’t be announced until February 2, 2025, which is bound to cause yet another online teasy.
Lil Durk continues to prove himself to be one of the most in-demand rappers in the world. He’s dropped hit singles, won Grammy Awards, and now he’s prepping for the release of his new album, Love Songs 4 the Streets 3. Durk has not only released the tracklist for the album, but the list of features as well. And we’ll be honest with you. The rapper might have the most eclectic and star-studded list of collabs of any rapper in 2024. Truly, Love Songs 4 the Streets 3 is going to be an incredible snapshot of this year in pop culture.
Let’s start with the most surprising features. Lil Durk has always linked up with other notable rappers. But nobody could have predicted that he would land a Sabrina Carpenter feature. Carpenter has been one of the breakout stars of 2024, if not the breakout star. It’ll be fascinating to hear how they sound together. The other names that are surprising to see on Lil Durk’s tracklist aren’t even rappers! iShowSpeed and Kai Cenat are two of the biggest streamers in the world. Yet, they will appear on the song “War Scars” together. We really have no clue what to expect there.
Where do you go after pop stars and streamers? Country, of course. Lil Durk is going to drip into another genre bag thanks to his Morgan Wallen collab “Come Home.” Rod Wave is also featured on what’s bound to be one of the biggest stylistic switch-ups of Durk’s entire career. Lil Baby and Future are slated to be on the songs “Sing this Song” and “Anti Hero,” respectively. Though their inclusion makes way more sense given the style Durk usually works in. The biggest question, though, revolves around the 6 God. Drake was supposed to be on the song “Discontinuing Wockhardt,” but it looks like he was cut from the album version. Since the other features are listed, it’s safe to assume Drake isn’t merely being hidden for dramatic effect.
Sabrina Carpenter’s album Short N’ Sweet barely managed to edge out Travis Scott’s tape Days Before Rodeo on this week’s edition of the Billboard 200 chart, earning the approval of Nicki Minaj.
The recording industry can be a competitive business, but no one takes that competition more seriously than Nicki and her minions. And while she’s usually the one in the lead on any given release week, she apparently still considers her No. 2 debut for Queen in 2018 a black spot on her record because of Travis Scott’s Astroworld. Nicki has clearly been out for revenge ever since, and this past week, she finally got it, in a way, thanks to Sabrina Carpenter. Nicki thanked Carpenter for avenging her by sending her a massive bouquet of white roses. Carpenter posted a photo of the bouquet on her Instagram Story with a caption reading, “I adore u + the barbz :’) this is so thoughtful!!!! and these are so beautiful.”
Sabrina Carpenter reveals Nicki Minaj sent her flowers:
“I adore u + the barbz :’) this is so thoughtful!!!! and these are so beautiful” pic.twitter.com/BxpkChgNmF
Carpenter took up the challenge of putting Travis in his place when the release dates for their respective projects — her album Short N’ Sweet and his mixtape Days Before Rodeo — fell on the same day. “This one’s for Nicki,” she wrote on Twitter, reminding fans of Nicki’s 2018 feud with the Houston rapper for outselling her by skirting Billboard‘s counting rules (she did the same, but that’s neither here nor there for Nicki. If she wins, it’s because she’s the best; if she loses, there was a conspiracy rife with chicanery to keep her from her deserved success). Nicki clearly appreciates the thought.
Several news outlets have confirmed That Travis Scott’s highly anticipated Days Before Rodeo mixtape is slated to take the No. 1 spot on Billboard 200, beating out Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet album for the pole position.
New media reports have Scott’s project sales projected to be 365,000 in the first week while Carpenter’s album is counted at around 354,000.
Neither side knows how this will end even with Travis in the lead, with both artists having heavily pushed deluxe versions, physical copies and extra tracks in order to secure that number 1 spot.
Critics, such as rapper turned podcaster Joe Budden, believe that the numbers of Scott’s Days Before Rodeo have been embellished. “Numbers all across the board everywhere else are down,” he said on his podcast. “What YG do, 8,000? Everybody else is between 20 and 30,000. They’re saying that Travis Scott is one of the first examples of the latest trend in music where the artists are signing directly to tech companies. The tech companies are offering different packages. I don’t believe those numbers for a second.”
It turns out both projects had just about an equal chance to top the latest Billboard 200 chart (dated September 7), and the race was incredibly close. Now, we know who won: Billboard announced today (September 3) that Short N’ Sweet is No. 1.
It claimed the title thanks to 362,000 equivalent album units in the US during the week ending August 29. Days Before Rodeo was very, very close behind with “a little over 361,000” units. So, there was a difference of about a thousand, or less than 1 percent, between the two projects’ unit numbers.
Short N’ Sweet is Carpenter’s first No. 1 album, beating her previous best performer Emails I Can’t Send, which peaked at No. 23. This follows “Please Please Please” becoming Carpenter’s first No. 1 single on the Hot 100.
Travis Scott and Sabrina Carpenter are both mega stars in their respective genres. The latter has more recently become one, thanks to smash singles such as “Espresso”, “Please Please Please”, and “Feather”. The former of the two are on her latest album Short n’ Sweet, which saw its release on August 23. That happened to be the same Friday that Travis Scott would go on to reissue his beloved 2014 mixtape DAYS BEFORE RODEO. Since then, multiple updates have come through in regard to the final sales projections. Originally, Sabrina was ahead by 100,000 units about five days ago. However, thanks to the power of bundling, as well as deluxe and alternate editions, that all quickly changed. Scott was then aiming to both surpass the pop phenom and achieve the best first week for any hip-hop album in 2024.
Sadly, for him and his fans, Sabrina was able to make Nicki Minaj and her Barbz proud. According to a report from Billboard via Luminate, Short n’ Sweet was able to eek by DAYS BEFORE RODEO by a mere 1,000 units. The final tally is 362,000 to 361,000. Congratulations are in order for the Pennsylvania singer and songwriter, as this is her first top 10 charting project and it’s also the third largest debut of 2024. With this, it’s safe to say she’s here to stay for the long haul.
As for Travis Scott, it was a case of just too little too late, if you even want to say that. The final push over the last couple of days was quite extraordinary, and it goes to show that how coveted of a tape DAYS BEFORE RODEO truly is. Initially, 190,000 physical sales were projected to be the case when the 12-song set was on pace for 217,000 overall. Now, that number has jumped to 331,000, making it the second-biggest sales week of 2024. Of course, both projects will debut at number one and number two respectively once the charts update.
What are your thoughts on Sabrina Carpenter outselling Travis Scott? Do the final results show how impactful DAYS BEFORE RODEO is? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Travis Scott. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
While promoting her new album, Short N’ Sweet, pop star Sabrina Carpenter tweeted, “This one is for Nicki,” prompting “Barbie World” rapper Nicki Minaj to acknowledge the “Espresso” singer during a livestream. Fans quickly deduced that Carpenter was out for revenge on Nicki’s behalf, involving herself in a long-running rivalry between the Queens rapper and Travis Scott. Here’s a refresher on why Nicki Minaj has beef with Travis Scott, and just how Carpenter fits in.
You may remember that Minaj pitched quite a fit in 2018 after Scott’s album Astroworld returned to the No. 1 spot in its second week, relegating Minaj’s new album Queen to a No. 2 debut after Nicki campaigned heavily for the top spot. Her main grievance was that many of Astroworld‘s second-week sales came from merch bundles the Houston rapper pitched on his website, which Nicki felt was unfair, as fans were really buying the merch, not the album, but Travis got the sales anyway.
“I put my blood sweat & tears in writing a dope album only for Travis Scott to have Kylie Jenner post a tour pass telling people to come see her and Stormi,” she wrote on Twitter, before restating her case on Queen Radio. She argued that Billboard should change its counting rules — and it did, eventually — but she was unhappy at the possibility that her project might be seen as a relative failure based on the bar of going No. 1 in its first week (which, technically, she set herself, but we’ll leave that alone for a moment).
Which brings us to today, and Sabrina Carpenter. Clearly, Carpenter counts herself one of Minaj’s loyal Barbz (hopefully, not the toxic kind that bullied journalists and other artists on her behalf). With Short N’ Sweet released on the same day as the re-release to streaming of Scott’s breakout mixtape Days Before Rodeo, it looks like Sabrina sees this as a chance to get justice for Ms. Minaj, if her album can top the Billboard 200 over Scott’s — especially as Scott appears to be up to his old shenanigans. Frankly, everybody here seems way too obsessed with the numbers game, especially as they’re probably not even all competing for the same limited group of fans. Maybe they’d all be better served joining adult sports leagues, so they can get their winning fix somewhere more productive. What I’m saying here is: Bring back Rock N’ Jock. For the culture.
COMING SOON
Future
‘Short n Sweet’ 362K