Spotify allegedly removed 25 million streams from songs by 21 Savage on Sunday, according to a new report from Kurrco. The move comes amid rumors about bots allegedly boosting the numbers for the rapper's latest album, What Happened To The Streets?, although Spotify did not give an explanation.
Regardless, fans have been running wild with jokes about 21 Savage and bots on social media. In response to Kurrco's post on X (formerly Twitter), one user referenced J. Cole's appearance on 21's song, "A Lot." He raps: "How many faking they streams? (A lot) / Getting they plays from machines? (A lot) / I can see behind the smoke and mirrors / N****s ain't really big as they seem (Hmm)." Another fan joked that the album name should be changed to "What Happened To The Streams?"
21 Savage dropped What Happened To The Streets? back in December. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 after earning 73,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It features collaborations with Young Nudy, Latto, Drake, GloRilla, G Herbo, Metro Boomin, Lil Baby, and Jawan Harris.
21 Savage's "F*ck The Streets" Message
After the release of What Happened To The Streets?, 21 Savage made headlines for sparking a viral "F*ck the streets" message. He used the phrase on X while weighing in on Young Thug and Gunna's feud. He wrote: "Yall n***as fix that sh*t. Yall love each other n***a you knew gunna wasn’t no gangster when he told the first time and we swept it under the rug for you you know he wasn’t tryna leave you to hang n***a f*ck the streets we ain’t get sh*t but trauma from that sh*t." Young Thug responded by simply repeating "f*ck the streets," and the phrase went viral.
It proved to be incredibly controversial, with several rappers criticizing the idea. NBA YoungBoy, Fivio Foreign, 6ix9ine, and several more artists condemned the message in the ensuing weeks.
