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Not charting is bugging Chance The Rapper, so he might sell his next album

By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 14 March 2017

Following Ed Sheeran’s chart takeover, there has been much discussion about how streaming should (or shouldn’t) be included in the weekly record sale counts. Many argue that the number of streams deemed equivalent to a sale should be increased. One dissenting voice though is Chance The Rapper, who thinks the bar should be lowered, for the American albums chart at least.

For this year’s Grammy Awards, the rules were changed to allow streaming-only releases to be considered for the first time, mainly in order to allow Chance The Rapper to be nominated. It paid off, as he took home some trophies on the night. That he’s achieved the success he has without ever putting out a traditional album release has garnered the rapper much attention and praise. But the fact the way the industry traditionally measures success is still arguably stacked against that approach is getting to him.

Speaking to Complex, he said: “I think I might actually sell this [next] album. That’s, like, a big step in itself. I kind of hate the fact that I can’t chart, really. I can chart, but the way they have the streaming shit set up is weak as fuck. It’s unfair. 1500 streams is the equivalent to one [album sale], and that’s just that’s unfair. Nobody listens to their songs [1500] times when they buy it – fuck outta here! So, it makes it hard. I can’t really compete with other people. Not that the charts matters at all, but like, come on”.

The novelty of fans actually being able to buy one of his albums seems quite exciting to the rapper, though he concedes that it might annoy some fans for whom the novelty element is what he’s already doing.

“I think having it for purchase would be dope”, he says. “Also, this is all hypothetical. There is no album. I can feel fans squirming in their chair, like, ‘oh shit, he’s changing!’ [But] this is [just] an idea”.