What are we talking about when we talk about Nicki Minaj? This week, it seems we are mostly talking about her reaction to Queen debuting at No. 2 as opposed to No. 1, and the string of inflamed tweets blaming all sides of the industry that followed. 

While everyone rushes to deliver this Nicki take, A-Trak tweeted out some measured perspective on the negative consequences of the numbers game in music.

It's too easy to dismiss Nicki's tweets as sore loser / out of touch / generational turnover shit — which is the majority of the reactions I'm seeing. What worries me is that the stats game is literally doing artists' head in. I see it all around me. (Cont'd)

— Medieval Knievel (@atrak) August 20, 2018

Everyone compares themselves to others, numbers are given way too much importance, there's insane pressure and it's extremely unhealthy. And yes, clout swindles are now part of the game. But I wish didn't give so much importance to the game. It is what it is – a game. 🤷🏼‍♂️

— Medieval Knievel (@atrak) August 20, 2018

The other side of it is simply that Nicki's album is not very good. Travis's album is really fucking excellent. He deserves to be #1 for 2 weeks. I'm just on some "why do we need to compare Nicki to Travis". And let's think of what artists are experiencing from the inside.

— Medieval Knievel (@atrak) August 20, 2018

Here's the biggest paradox of this era of the music industry: numbers are more omnipresent than ever, stats are in your face all day, people literally get booked/endorsed off their followed count… And yet as an artist, you put music out and it feels like a bottle at sea.

— Medieval Knievel (@atrak) August 20, 2018

I guess my advice to artists is to try to not get caught up in the numbers game. Focus on making great art, keep your head down and have fun with it too. All the other shit is noise. And to the armchair commentators: this isn't sports, it's art — it's someone's soul. ❤️

— Medieval Knievel (@atrak) August 20, 2018

Across his thread, A-Trak harps on the unhealthy obsession we have all developed with numbers, be it sales or RIAA certifications or social media followers. From fans to outlets, no one is absolved of making the numbers game an essential element of the rap game. Though hip-hop is innately competitive, there are real people attached to these records, and as A-Trak points out, constant comparisons can weigh heavily on an artist’s psyche.

“Everyone compares themselves to others, numbers are given way too much importance, there’s insane pressure and it’s extremely unhealthy,” A-Trak writes, and he’s entirely correct. Of course, Nicki Minaj’s recent behavior is not simply a consequence of focusing too heavily on the numbers, but we can all agree her obsession over sales is partly a catalyst for her naming a “Hoe N***a of the Week” on her radio show.” No one wakes up that disgruntled.

The best takeaway here is what A-Trak communicates in his last tweet: don’t forget that art exists as expression, as a piece of yourself. Artists should never create for the sake of riling up their clout, and when they do, fans can tell. Of course, money and security matter, but neither will last if the music does not come from an organic place.

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