Swift overpowers Ye; breaks his Billboard winning streak
In a major feat for Swifties, Taylor Swift's recent album, The Tortured Poets Department, has dethroned rapper Ye's record of 11 consecutive No. 1 albums on the Billboard chart. Ye's new release, Vultures 2 with Ty Dolla Sign, debuted at the second spot. This comes despite a dip in West's career following a string of antisemitic comments since 2022. His album sold approximately 107K equivalent album units in its first week.
Swift's album sales and promotional strategies
Swift's album secured the number one spot this week with 142K equivalent album units sold in the US for the week ending August 8. The Tortured Poets Department has maintained its top position for 14 weeks since its April release. According to Billboard, Swift's album sales were propelled by several promotional factors, including five digital album variations available online for a limited period.
Swift broke the record for most weeks atop 'Billboard' 200
This week marks Swift's record-breaking 83rd week atop the Billboard 200, surpassing Elvis Presley's second-place record of 67 total weeks among solo artists. Swift is now tied with Jay-Z for the most number-one albums, with 14 each. The album has held the top position for 14 weeks since its release in April. The most recent female artist to achieve a similar record was Adele with her album 21—which was number one for 24 weeks nonconsecutively between 2011 and 2012.
Ongoing feud between Swift and Ye
The conflict between the controversial rapper and the pop sensation can be traced back to the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when Kanye West (now legally Ye) interrupted Swift's acceptance speech for the Best Female Video award. The feud intensified after the release of his 2016 track Famous, where he claimed that Swift had approved a derogatory reference to her in the song—a claim that Swift has refuted.
Swift's response to the feud through her music
In a 2019 interview, Swift stated that she channeled her feelings about the feud into her music. Swift's fans speculate that she responded to Ye's recent jab at her and her boyfriend, NFL player Travis Kelce, during a concert in Warsaw by wearing a "22" t-shirt with the slogan "I Bet You Think About Me." This song from her re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version) is widely believed to be a diss track targeting West.
Meanwhile, Kelce's father criticized Ye's actions
Kelce's father, Ed Kelce, publicly criticized Ye for his lyric referencing his son and Swift on his new album. He described the rapper's actions as "mental illness." West has previously disclosed his struggle with bipolar disorder. Meanwhile, to recall, in a 2023 interview with Time magazine, Swift referred to the feud with Ye as "a career death" that "psychologically" took her down.
