The Final Numbers Are in: Kanye and J. Cole Win Big, Kelly Rowland Loses

Photo Credit: Instagram/Urban Belle
Photo Credit: Instagram/Urban Belle

By: Amanda Anderson-Niles

Three albums that received lots of buzz from the urban blogs dropped last week, and the speculation on how many albums Kanye West, J. Cole, and Kelly Rowland would sell in their first week of sales is now officially over. As we reported recently, Kanye was officially projected to sell about 500,000 copies of “Yeezus” in the first week, however his projections were lowered to about 375,000 when numbers were crunched again just days before the album’s release. J. Cole was originally projected to sell around 100,000 copies of “Born Sinner,” but the final projections showed he would sell around 290,000. Kelly Rowland’s projections looked bleak, with projections indicating she would only sell 66,000 copies of “Talk a Good Game” the first week. So how on point were these projections? According to Hits Daily Double:

Yeezus, Kanye West’s provocative, adventurous, furiously discussed new Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam/IDJ release, finishes at #1 on our Album Sales Chart this week with 328k. West’s 2010 effort, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, streeted with 495k and has moved 1.3 million to date.

Meanwhile, Roc Nation/Columbia’s J. Cole exceeded expectations significantly, coming in with 297k for his Born Sinner, and indie rapper Mac Miller (who’s graced the pop airwaves lately as a guest on Ariana Grande’s hit “The Way”) seizes the #3 spot with 101k for his Rostrum/INgrooves set Watching Movies With the Sound Off.

…Motown’s Kelly Rowland bowed with 65k to take fourth place; her 2011 album Here I Am kicked off with 76k and is now at 247k to date.

 

Kelly’s numbers may be disappointing now, but it’s not impossible for her to increase to more impressive numbers in the next coming weeks. It all depends on her fan base.

20 comments

  1. Who really bought that trash Yeezus and I love J.Cole his album is fire!!!!!!!!! Well deserved J.Cole and he didn’t nearly have as much promotion as Kanye and Kelly. I love Kelly but the promotion for that album was all wrong. All she did was talk about Beyonce and that dirty laundry was not a radio single. Her team needs to start from scratch.

  2. When you consider all the attention whoring Kanye did for Yeezus, you would think he’d sell a lot more than 300,000 albums.

  3. I’m thinking Kanye needs to drop the whole god thing. I mean his album sales are decreasing and Justin Timberlake sold a million one week out. Justin is clearly more deserving of the Yeezus title LOL.

    1. Even they have common sense to know when an album is not good. I heard it, but I only found a few songs worth listening to. Folks want music CD’s they can listen straight through without having to skip over the mediocre songs. And to think she though sex would sell her music. It might work for some, but it doesn’t work for everyone.

  4. At this point, Kelly either needs to walk away or get a completely new team. Dirty Laundry had the hype but was never single material. Kisses Down Low was too urban to chart and the more sexual image isn’t working for her.

    1. I completely agree she needs a new team because they dropped the ball again. Even that last album should have sold way more it was hits on there but after motivation it went down hill. I tell you what Kelly and Ciara better get it together because its some young talented r&b ladies that are really good they are coming.

  5. As hard as Kelly’s fans were going in on the blogs, you would think she’d at least break 100,000 copies. I guess they were just fronting like they cared.

  6. Now if Kelly would have had a song with Bey, it would have flew off the charts. She’s really treated like the step child when she really has talent. I really want her to do well, Im going to purchase a copy today!

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