Billboard responds after Tekashi 6ix9ine accused Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber of rigging Hot 100 chart

Billboard chart bosses have responded after Tekashi 6ix9ine accused Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber of buying the Number One spot on the Hot 100 chart.

When it came to this week’s Hot 100 charts, Bieber and Grande’s ‘Stuck With U’ raked in 28.1million US streams, 26.3million in radio airplay audience and 108,000 sales in the tracking week. In contrast, 6ix9ine’s new track, ‘Gooba’, garnered 55.3million US streams, 172,000 in radio airplay audience and 24,000 sales, earning the Number Three spot on the charts.

In an Instagram video posted earlier this week (May 18), 6ix9ine claimed that “you can buy Number Ones on Billboard“. He referenced a large spike in units sold for ‘Stuck With U’ on Thursday May 14 and claimed that half of the 60,000 units sold were purchased with “six credit cards”.

Bieber later rebutted the rapper’s claims with a statement on his Instagram story. The singer wrote: “60,000 units came at the end because we don’t disclose our numbers until the end of the week.The rules are clear one credit card can buy max four copies. Anything over that, the entire amount gets thrown out.”

While Grande went on to attribute the track’s success to the devotion of her fans, Billboard also explained their rankings in a lengthy statement.

“Stuck With U was available to purchase through the week as a digital download, as well as in various physical format/digital download combinations through Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s webstores,” a statement confirmed.

“The sales spike is likely referring to sales on Thursday, May 14 – the final day of the tracking week – when signed Stuck With U singles were put up for sale in Grande and Bieber’s webstores. A signed single or album is an accepted form of sales available to any artist and has been noted repeatedly within Billboard chart stories when such items have impacted the Hot 100.”

It went on: “6ix9ine, meanwhile, released a non-signed CD single/digital download on the last day of the tracking week via his webstore.

“As noted in this week’s story announcing the results on the latest Hot 100, Stuck With U sold 108,000 in the tracking week ending May 14 and Gooba sold 24,000, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.”

They added: “The Hot 100 has a locked-in methodology, updated at least once a year, with each metric divided by a certain number, which results in an average chart ratio, whereby streams are the most heavily weighted factor, followed next by radio airplay and then sales. Each song has its own ratio breakdown based on its specific activity, which contributes to the overall chart average each week.

“Overall, Stuck With U drew 28.1 million U.S. streams, 26.3 million in radio airplay audience and 108,000 sold in the tracking week. Gooba had 55.3 million U.S. streams, 172,000 in radio airplay audience and 24,000 sold.”

6ix9ine’s latest comments come after his feud with Snoop Dogg escalated when he seemingly implied Snoop had snitched on Death Row co-founder Suge Knight, who is currently incarcerated. Snoop has since denied 6ix9ine’s claim.