Travis Scott's Team Challenges Billboard Over Album Chart Placement: 'This Could Happen to Any Artist'

Travis Scott's record label Cactus Jack Records has issued a formal statement to Billboard challenging the rapper's No. 2 ranking on the most recent album chart.

"Days Before Rodeo," Scott's mixtape originally released for free in 2014, was commercially re-released in August 2023.

Despite being ten years old, the album nearly clinched the top spot on the Billboard 200 this week, falling just short behind Sabrina Carpenter's "Short n' Sweet" by a small margin of a few hundred units.

Cactus Jack Records sent a letter to Billboard and Luminate, obtained by Vulture, raising concerns about the reliability and completeness of this week's data. They claimed that some sales were missing from the count, which might have affected the final ranking.

The "ASTROWORLD" rapper strategically released numerous deluxe versions of the album in his quest for the top spot right before the tracking period ended on August 29 – a tactic that reportedly caught Carpenter's attention.

According to Cactus Jack Records, last-minute orders caused a significant delay in processing, leaving around 1,000 units unaccounted for. The label claims this unexpected number could have changed the outcome.

Shift in Rankings and Sales Figures

Initially, Cactus Jack reportedly believed they had an 11,000-unit lead over Carpenter. However, once sales figures from independent retailers were counted, Carpenter took the lead.

According to the label's letter, Carpenter's independent sales were allegedly excessively emphasized, resulting in her securing the top position with 362,000 units, narrowly surpassing Scott's 361,000.

The rapper's team claimed that Luminate did not respond to their multiple requests to include the missing units in the count. They noted the company's lack of response was similar to a previous issue with the release of Scott's "Utopia" album in 2023, when Luminate had to retroactively add a specific number of sales.

The letter stated: "Everyone was fully in the dark from Luminate all weekend."

Cactus Jack also raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving a former employee of Island Records now working at Luminate, and urged a review of Scott's uncredited units.

The letter further stated: "This is especially concerning considering he had a legitimate and proven crossover with her signing to Island at the top of 2021 while he was still employed by the company (which lasted until May 2021)."

"Clearly logic would dictate Mr. [Nelson] Thomas [Partnerships Manager, Business Development for Luminate] has a personal incentive to encourage the artist signed to his previous employer [Island Records, Carpenter's record label] while under his tenure to 'win' the race this week."

In a statement to Vulture, Luminate reaffirmed their commitment to the accuracy of their tally, stating, "We are confident that our numbers are correct in accordance with our processes and methodology."

A representative from Cactus Jack also told Rolling Stone, "This was never about Travis versus Sabrina — it's about the integrity of the process and the questionable tactics used in US charting. This could happen to any artist."

READ MORE: Travis Scott Arrest: What Really Led to Rapper's Altercation With Bodyguard?

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Travis scott, Sabrina Carpenter