6ix9ine, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande appear to be in fierce competition for the No.1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 next week. After Tekashi released his new song "Gooba" last week and Bieber and Ariana dropped their collab "Stuck With U" on the same day, it's uncertain who will come out on top.
On Tuesday evening (May 12), fans of the respective artists began to mobilize as word spread that 6ix9ine and the Bieber and Grande collaboration were neck and neck to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart. According to a Twitter page dedicated to Justin Bieber analytics, streaming data shows "Gooba" isn't trailing very far behind the pop song for the No. 1 spot.
As tensions from the artists' stan groups rise, Tekashi's fans have found a way to make up for the lack of radio play the rhymer has received since releasing his new single last Friday (May 8). 6ix9ine's fan base has apparently turned to the music discovery app Shazam to make up for missing streams and radio plays.
A factor that could possibly show a dip in streams is that "Gooba" was also not added to Spotify's New Music Friday playlist. However, Grande and Bieber's song is sitting at the top of the weekly updated music list. 6ix9ine's track is a part of five different playlists, though. "Gooba" can be found on the Global Top 50, the United States Top 50, This Is 6ix9ine, Power Gaming and the Rap Workout playlists.
I think its over boys 😥 from r/6ix9ine
An Instagram post from a 6ix9ine fan account was shared in a Reddit thread, detailing how Ariana and Justin are only 78 points above Tekashi as it pertains to early Billboard projections. The IG post also shows that Ariana had the price of her and Justin's "Stuck With U" lowered, suggesting that this is a way to increase the amount of streams they'll receive in order to compete with 6ix9ine.
The Brooklyn rapper's long-awaited return to music came last week, over a month after he was released from prison to serve the remainder of his sentence on home confinement. The release of "Gooba" was accompanied by a music video and 6ix9ine's debut on Instagram live.
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