Sales projections are in and tomorrow is the big day. Here is our take.
If you are a fan of hip-hop then I am sure you studiously listened to Yeezus, Born Sinner, and Watching Movies with the Sound Off with acute vigilance. Numbers do talk, but are they saying anything worth listening to? The bottom line trumps an artist’s creative space and their art becomes a reflection of the aforementioned numbers. There are the “Yeezists”, the ones who will not abandon ship and disobey the captain’s orders. They will stick by whatever Kanye says or does, already crowning Kanye’s 6th solo album as the manifestation of Ye’s artistic genius. J. Cole’s fans share their enthusiasm and rightfully so. With his first album selling over 200,000, Born Sinner is a sign of a promising tomorrow for Cole. Mac Miller is soaring above expectations with his sophomore project. If you’ve heard his album from beginning to end you cannot deny that it is cohesive and Mac seems to show poise and continuity in his music.
June 18th will undoubtedly have all of our attention, certainly for the following weeks as we tune in for those all important sales numbers. Let’s talk about the marketing for a second. All three artists planned accordingly, Kanye West’s striking and unconventional methods will absolutely help him, just on the basis of everything surrounding the album. He just became a father, the Yeezus projections, and the album leak. Whether you like it or not, Ye is running circles in your subconscious like a lurking nightmare. J. Cole definitely stepped it up with his promotion for Born Sinner. After a quiet winter, he planted seeds in all of our minds. His listening session mirrored a large classroom, Cole being the interactive professor sharing a story before his lesson. Cole surprised the doubters, enveloped the loyalists, and if anything won over a few new souls. Mac’s movie theater experience starred a turtle on his journey to the big bad ocean. Strangely, this National Geographic-esque documentary perfectly played into his album. The music synched into the the turtle’s voyage but most importantly the music was good, oh so good. Everyone there payed close attention to the hooks, the lyrical barrage Mac and his album guests threw their way, and the elevation of Mac’s voice throughout the album.
J. Cole and Kanye are set to sell more than 100,000 in their first week, something that has not happened in hip-hop since Kanye West and Nicki Minaj did so in 2010. Mac Miller is projected to debut at 80,000-100,000. His album has 200,000 potential, yes I said it. The Pittsburgh native might be known for his silly antics on MTV 2‘s Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family but the 21 year-old rapper strayed away from the tomfoolery so you can appreciate his music, all while staying true to himself. If all 3 artists sell 100,000 copies in their first week it will the first time it has happened since 2006 when Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and 2pac’s Pac’s Life did so that November. Do not forget about Statik Selektah’s album Extended Play which releases tomorrow as well. An eclectic mix of features with Statik mechanically supplying dope beats. The album offers pairings between Flatbush Zombies and Smif-N-Wesson, Styles P, Bun B, and Hit-Boy to highlight the diversity amongst emcees on the album.
As tomorrow approaches, we would like to share our album projections for the first week. Share your thoughts and do remember, just because it sells more does not necessarily make it better.
Kanye West – Yeezus (Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella) – 450,000
J. Cole – Born Sinner (Roc Nation/Columbia) – 300,000
Mac Miller – Watching Movies with the Sound Off (Rostrum Records) – 175,000
Virgilio Mendez
@REGULARGUYV
