Almost two years after the release of 21 Savage's last LP american dream, the conversation around his new album WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? has been even more controversial than the last album cycle. That's not just because of the current state of Atlanta hip-hop, though. Many fans took note of the project's disappointing first week sales projections, which suggested 53K album-equivalent units sold with a No. 7 Billboard 200 albums chart debut.
However, according to Kurrco, things are looking up for 21 commercially. Reportedly, updated projections now indicate 93K in first week sales units and a No. 2 debut on the Billboard charts. It might not match the 133K mark of the previous record, but it represents almost double the units sold from previous projections.
It's unclear exactly what metrics have gone up to increase these projections, if there was data the initial projections didn't account for, or what this rise actually looked like as far as fan engagement and sales. Nevertheless, it's good news for this beef-squashing 21 Savage era. Beyond the music on WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS?, his remarks on Atlanta hip-hop conflicts and the state of the game as a whole have been quite divisive.
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That's because of skeptics who don't believe in 21 Savage calling for unity in Atlanta hip-hop. He spoke candidly about Young Thug and urged him to forgive Gunna, he also took to social media to squash issues with Future, and he talked about squashing to attempting to squash other rap tensions.
21 Savage's messages against "the streets" have also been a big conversation topic. This probably contributes to WHTTS?' continued performance, but he's also getting a lot of pushback from folks rejecting Thugger's narrative, criticizing the new music from these artists, and alleging a hypocritical lack of accountability when things got rough.
Does all of this mean WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? will fall off once these debates die down? We'll have to wait and see. Also, these are just projections, so we'll see how the album actually does in its first week right before we enter the big 2026.
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