French Montana’s reputation in the music industry is taking a hit as accusations of fraud swirl around the sales numbers of his latest album, Mac & Cheese 5. Billboard, the music industry’s most respected chart compiler, has refused to accept the rapper’s sales numbers amid suspicions of foul play.
It all started when the commercial mixtape, Mac & Cheese 5, was projected to have an impressive 62K opening week. However, these numbers raised eyebrows as they seemed unusually high for French Montana, who had not been posting such big numbers lately. HDD reported that French had moved 50K in physical albums, an unheard-of ratio of sales to streams for a rapper in 2024.
Further investigation revealed that fans who ordered French’s $5 vinyl had their orders allegedly shipped to random US addresses in packages too small for a vinyl. This has led to speculation that French and his team may have run a scam involving the cheap vinyls that were never really shipped. These fraudulent activities have led to Billboard refusing to include Mac & Cheese 5 in the top ten of this week’s album chart, despite the album being predicted to debut top 5 with over 60K units sold.
This isn’t the first time French has been caught trying to cheat the charts, and it remains to be seen how much Billboard will penalize him. One thing is for sure – French Montana’s once promising album debut is now clouded with accusations of deceit and dishonesty, leaving his reputation in tatters. Only time will tell how he and his team will overcome these allegations and regain the trust of the music industry and his fans.
