6ix9ine & Nicki Minaj’s “Trollz” Debuts At Number One

Mike Wass | June 22, 2020 2:48 pm
Xtina & Nicki's 'Woohoo'
Christina Aguilera and Nicki Minaj's racy 'Woohoo' is a work of fine art.

In further proof that the Billboard Hot 100 is ill-equipped to deal with the current music landscape, 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj’s “Trollz” debuts at number one. Putting aside the profound ickiness of a convicted sex offender topping the charts, the way the rapper did it is galling. “Trollz” sold 116,000 copies, which is an impressive tally. Particularly for 2020. However, it was also released in four different, discounted versions — all of which counted towards the chart.

Not only that, but multiple versions of the video were rolled out (they also count) and 6ix9ine openly boasted about rigging the chart via bulk buying and encouraged fan manipulation of streaming. In some ways, “Trollz” is a response to Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande’s “Stuck With U,” which used similar tactics including charitable donations linked to downloads, reaching number one. It blocked the rapper’s last single (“Gooba”) from the top spot, before falling out of the top 10 the following week. Expect “Trollz” to suffer a similar fate.

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