AceShowbiz - The latest album from Kanye West, Bully, has made a solid impact on the Billboard 200 despite the controversies surrounding its release. The album debuted at number two on the chart, earning 152,000 equivalent units in its first week, according to data from Billboard.

Of the total units, 96,000 came from streaming, with an impressive 98.43 million on-demand official streams, while 56,000 units were generated through traditional album sales. Despite this strong performance, Bully was unable to claim the top spot, which was secured by K-Pop powerhouse BTS. Their 10th album, ARIRANG, earned 187,000 equivalent units in its second week, following its massive debut of 641,000 units at number one.

This marks a notable shift for Kanye West, as Bully ends his remarkable streak of 21 consecutive number one solo albums. It is only his second solo project to miss the Billboard 200 top spot since his 2004 debut The College Dropout, which also peaked at number two.

However, there is some dispute over the official sales figures. Gamma., the company founded by former Apple Music executive Larry Jackson and responsible for distributing Bully, has claimed that the album actually surpassed 200,000 equivalent units in its first week. Such a figure would have been sufficient to dethrone BTS and secure number one on the Billboard 200.

Gamma. shared this information via Instagram Stories, posting a detailed "full seven-day sales and consumption" breakdown that showed Bully generated a total of 200,997 units in its first week. As of now, neither Billboard nor Luminate—the data provider powering the charts—have responded to these claims from Gamma.

Adding to the momentum, Bully already features a substantial 18 tracks, but there may be more music on the way. Gamma. teased an upcoming expanded version of the album in a separate Instagram Story, announcing: "Bully deluxe on the way." The company has yet to reveal further details such as a release date or the number of additional songs included.

Meanwhile, Kanye West faces ongoing backlash related to his controversial public statements. His upcoming headline performances at London’s Wireless Festival in July have sparked significant scrutiny, with major sponsors such as Pepsi, PayPal, and Diageo withdrawing support from the event.

Political figures have also voiced concern. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the booking as "deeply concerning" due to Ye's prior antisemitic remarks and alleged celebration of Nazism. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has joined in the criticism, highlighting the contentious nature of the festival’s headliner choice.

Despite the controversies, Kanye West recently completed two sold-out shows at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium promoting Bully and is scheduled to headline all three nights of the Wireless Festival this summer.