Ariana Grande drags 6ix9ine after he accuses her of “buying” her Number 1
19 May 2020, 10:47
6ix9ine accuses Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande of buying their No. 1 spot
Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber topped the charts with 'Stuck with U' ahead of 6ix9ine's new single 'GOOBA' at Number 3.
Ariana Grande has called out 6ix9ine after he accused her and Justin Bieber of cheating to beat him to Number 1 in the US.
Yesterday (May 18), Billboard announced that Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber had earned the #1 single on the Hot 100 with their new charity collaboration 'Stuck with U'. The hit song came out on top after a tight chart battle with Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj's 'Say So', 6ix9ine's 'GOOBA', The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' and Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé's 'Savage'.
READ MORE: Ariana Grande confirms Dalton Gomez is her boyfriend in Stuck with U video
However, 6ix9ine has since made claims that Ariana bought her new Number 1 single and now she's clapped back at him.
Taking to Instagram yesterday, 6ix9ine wrote "@billboard CAUGHT CHEATING" alongside a video of him making accusations against the charts and Ariana in particular. "I want the world to know that Billboard is a lie. You can buy Number 1s." He then implied that Ariana and her team bought over 30,000 copies of their song just so that they could score their Number 1.
After 6ix9ine's video went viral, Ariana made a statement on her Instagram page to set things straight. Ariana wrote: "i would like to say a few things. anyone who knows me or has followed me for a while knows that numbers aren’t the driving force in anything i do. i’m grateful to sing. grateful to have people who want to listen. grateful to even be here at all. [sic]"
She then added: "i would like to address a few things (i don’t give my energy to drama or strange accusations normally but this has gone a little too far)...my fans bought the song. JUSTIN’S fans bought the song. OUR fans bought this song (never more than four copies each, AS THE RULES STATE). they are ride or die motherfuckers. [sic]"
Ariana continued: "sales count for more than streams. u can not discredit this as hard as u try. to anybody that is displeased with their placement on the chart this week or who is spending their time racking their brain thinking of as many ways as they can to discredit hardworking women (and only the women...), i ask u to take a moment to humble yourself. [sic]"
She then wrote: "be grateful you’re even here. that people want to listen to u at all. it’s a blessed position to be in. i’ve had a lot of “almost number ones” in my career and i never said a goddamn thing because I FEEL GRATEFUL TO EVEN BE HERE. TO WANT TO BE HEARD AT ALL .... and you should feel that way too. [sic]"
Ariana ended the post by making clear that it was about 6ix9ine. She said: "congratulations to all my talented ass peers in the top ten this week. even number 3. and thank u to @billboard for this honor. and thank u to everybody who helped us raise a lot of money for a very important cause this week. [sic]"
“[…] Don’t discredit our fanbase with false info. This is my song with @ArianaGrande and I’m honored to work with her to help raise money for a great cause. If you’re gonna say her name make sure you say mine because it’s our song.” — @JustinBieber via Instagram Stories 🤍 pic.twitter.com/jP0UOko6yu
— Ariana Grande Today (@ArianaToday) May 18, 2020
Justin Bieber also defended Ariana in an Instagram story pointing out that 6ix9ine was using incorrect figures in his Billboard chart estimates. He wrote: "Don’t discredit our fanbase with false info. This is my song with Ariana Grande and I’m honored to work with her to help raise money for a great cause. If you’re gonna say her name make sure you say mine."
In response, 6ix9ine posted another video on Instagram writing: "All I’m saying is I worked hard to make it out of Brooklyn. I speak for the millions of kids who aren’t as fortunate as you. LIFE is REAL when you’re on welfare LIFE is REAL when you grow up with out a father. You say for me to be humble .... I don’t think you know what humble is.........."
6ix9ine responds to Ariana Grande after she and Justin Bieber shut down claims 'they bought No.1'
Billboard has since posted an article breaking down the numbers that led to Ariana and Justin being Number 1 over 6ix9ine. Regardless though, 'GOOBA' debuted at Number 3 so even if 'Stuck with U' hadn't come out this week, 6ix9ine wouldn't have debuted at Number 1, 'Say So' would have taken the top spot.
6ix9ine was recently released from prison early amid coronavirus. He was charged for racketeering. The rapper also pled guilty to use of a child in a sexual performance in 2015 and in 2019, he also admitted to committing repeated domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend.