Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber have denied allegations made by the rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine that they bought their way to the US No 1 spot.
6ix9ine claimed that the pair had bought 30,000 copies of their charity single, Stuck With U, to enhance its chart standing.
He further claimed that sales of his single Gooba were discounted, resulting in it charting at No 3.
Writing on Instagram stories, Bieber denied 6ix9ine’s allegations, stating that if five or more copies of a single are purchased on the same credit card, all of those sales are discounted from the song’s chart placing.
He stated that Nielsen, the US data company responsible for compiling the Billboard charts, had checked the figures “and found all our sales were legit because our fans are amazing and bought them”.
Grande responded to 6ix9ine’s allegations without naming him:…SHE SAID— “to anybody that is displeased with their placement on the chart this week or who is spending their time racking their brain thinking of as many ways as they can to discredit hardworking women, i ask u to take a moment to humble yourself.”
Billboard published a detailed article refuting 6ix9ine’s allegations.
6ix9ine based his claims on an email showing a forecast that was allegedly sent to major labels last Thursday, prior to the chart’s unveiling on Friday, which showed Stuck With U charting at No 5.
He shared images of a second email, sent, he said, at “the last second” before the chart sales cutoff, which showed an additional 60,000 sales for Stuck With U, placing it at No 1.
6IX9INE SAID—-“Understand this, they bought 30,000 or so units on six credit cards.” . “It’s all manipulated, it’s all fabricated.” He further accused Billboard of “disqualifying” 20m of Gooba’s streams. “I want the world to know that Billboard is a lie. You can buy No 1s.”
The proceeds from Stuck With U go to the First Responders Children’s Foundation, which gives financial scholarships to the children of first responders, particularly those who have been killed or injured in the line of duty.