Rap sales are trending down.
This means more rappers are posting what are perceived to be embarrassing first-week album numbers.
Gillie The Kidd believes this fear of the first week is preventing rappers from dropping.
"I a lot of you n*ggas scared to death to put your music out cause of first week sales. Cause y'all worried about Akademiks posting the first week sales. F*ck them first-week sales, man. Y'all got to understand the reality of it is a little of you n*ggas got some good sh*t in you hard drives. But y'all worrying about what perception gonna be. Fuck them first week sales. Killer Mike, he won a Grammy that n*gga sold 2900 first week.," Gillie said, and then discussed who Nas's classic album Illmatic didn't have a great first week. "It that's sh*ts hot it's hot."
Is Gillie talking about A-list rappers like Kendrick Lamar and Playboi Carti, who seem to be struggling with when to pull the trigger on their next album, perhaps to avoid competition with one of the pop girls?
Or is he talking about the more mid rappers, who now risk only putting up sad 20K first week?
First Week Numbers For SZA's SOS 'Deluxe: Lana' 
Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre's 'Missionary' Album Lands On Several Billboard Top 10 Charts