Nah Right talks about Drake’s Thank Me Later sales. It reportedly sold sold 462,989 copies.

Hype is a helluva drug. It clouds the judgement of rappers, fans and critics alike. It can also hurt just as much as it can help, if not more. If Drake wasn’t so over hyped, this 462K he did would seem like an epic debut. But with expectations what they were, anything short of a million first week will be viewed by many as a failure. Which is completely absurd. To put things in perspective, Jay-Z, arguably the most famous rapper living, did 475K his first week out with Blueprint 3. And you’re out of your mind if you think this Drake album isn’t eventually going platinum.

The album really grew on me after a few listens and I find myself going back to some of the first leaked tracks and enjoying them again. Eskay says he tolerates the singing on Thank Me Later more than the singing on So Far Gone. I agree with that. I pretty much skipped all the singing tracks on So Far Gone but I really like “Karaoke” and “Shut it Down” (which really grew on me because I didn’t want to listen to it at all when it leaked on its lonesome).

So what does all of this mean for the music industry? Probably nothing except that it’s just as hard to sell records as it was last year and the year before, and that the Carter 3 numbers were an anomaly.

I was thinking about how much exposure Thank Me later had on its release and it seemed like a lot of people were listening to it. But then I remembered what it was like when Tha Carter III came out and it seemed like everyone was listening to it. My guess is Kanye’s going to do huge numbers with his next album. Graduation did 957,000 its first week and 808s & Heartbreak did 450,145 its first week and that was all singing. Unless all his antics (before becoming a studio hermit) hurt the public’s perception of him more than I think it did.

As much as I enjoy “Karaoke” and the CD version of “Shut it Down” (hated the leak), I still think the singing tracks on So Far Gone are better. TML is solid, but it left me a little unsatisfied (and maybe that’s due to all the leaks). All that aside, 463k is a great week.

Agreed with comment above.

the album is great but i was furious when pple were actually comparing dis guy to 50 cent that iz givin him alot of hype actually.now look at da outcome.perfect sales for any rapper but for drake wit all da anticipation i think its a flop.

I”ll put it this way. Imagine if TML was his mixtape last year, and SFG was his official release this year. Our minds would have been blown.

That would’ve been crazy if SFG was the official release… you’re right Dan.

TML is the best selling album this year so far… but after 2 days of sales, Eminem’s Recovery is on pace to sell 500,000 – 600,000. Yeeeeea!

Dan do you mean our minds would be blown if SFG was his official? SFG was so impressive _because_ it was a mixtape (“THAT SHIT SOUNDED LIKE AN ALBUM”). It was received very very well last year and I don’t think its reception could be any more positive if it were an official album.

If you mean our minds would be blown if TML was released last year as his mixtape—yeah I agree. Some might argue SFG was mind-blowing already, considering how far a mixtape has taken Drake’s career and taking into account how much airplay “Best I Ever Had” got.

I’m just saying if “Best I Ever Had” had been his official single to an official SFG with a smaller amount of buzz generated by TML as a mixtape from last year, he’d be selling more than he is now (and I know that’s still a hell of a lot of albums he sold). Remember, “Best I Ever Had” had been available for free download for 2 or 3 months before it got radio play.

Now, it’s like TML is a solid album, but doesn’t match the expectations of SFG. And with that small negative buzz (even if it’s a small slight), it’s enough for folks to at least stop and think before buying the album.

Dan’s correct about the “Best I Ever Had” statment. His singing in SFG, like Junior, IMO is a lot better. Let’s face it, SFG has better songs. The good songs on SFG were a lot better than the good songs on TML. TML fell a little short of the hype, but with that said, it’s a solid album but I still put Distant Relatives and Adventures of Bobby Ray as better albums this year so far. I still have yet to fully listen to Recovery and How I Got Over.

And oh yah…Drake got the Trey Songz debate. Their mixtape being as good if not better than the actual album they put out. (Treys album was a lot better than his mixtape imo)

Add a new comment