DJ Khaled is having quite a week. After it was announced that his latest album, Father of Asahd debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart – below Tyler, the Creator’s IGOR – several reports came out claiming Khaled was upset and looking to sue Billboard for allegedly “cheating” him out of the number one spot. While Khaled has remained fairly silent regarding the controversy, the mega-producer appeared to briefly share his thoughts on Instagram on Tuesday (June 11).
Khaled shared an image of the Billboard charts, which showed that his album was ranked No. 1. The chart he is referring to is the Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B Albums, not the Billboard 200.
“Fan Luv thank you for all your love and support,” he wrote. “We got the #1 Hip Hop album in the country this week! #FATHEROFASAHD TO THE WORLD! ANOTHER ONE! SUMMER IS OURS !” He also appeared to address the controversy, writing, “I’m in the music bizz not bundle bizz.”
As previously reported, Khaled claims Billboard agreed to count the downloads from his energy drink bundle package towards his debut numbers. Downloads from his bundle package reportedly totaled 100,000, which would’ve qualified Khaled for the No. 1 spot. Despite his initial understanding, however, those downloads were not included in the final tally.
According to Page Six, Billboard will be reviewing album/merch bundle guidelines and expect to have a new policy by 2020. Deanna Brown, President of Valence Media, said artists “tell us week after week, month after month, that they want us to occasionally throw a flag on the field when necessary.”