Rick Ross fires back at critics by comparing his album sales to The Game's weaker 'Documentary III' debut numbers.
- September 4, 2026
AceShowbiz - Rick Ross responded to criticism surrounding the modest sales of his recent album by highlighting the even lower first-week numbers for The Game’s latest release, The Documentary III.
On September 1, Rozay took to Instagram to comment on the sales figures for The Documentary III, which debuted at No. 68 on the Billboard 200 chart with 14,806 units sold in its first week. In contrast, his own album, Set In Stone, released in July, opened at No. 39 with 19,214 units moved during the same period.
The Documentary III featured high-profile collaborations with artists such as Kanye West, Drake, PartyNextDoor (whom Ross jokingly referred to as “Party Downstairs”), Snoop Dogg, E-40, Marsha Ambrosius, and the late Drakeo The Ruler. Despite these star-studded features, the album’s sales were notably lower than Ross’s project, which received support from what he described as a “stimulus package.”
Though Rozay used this comparison to defend his own album’s performance amid recent jabs from rapper 50 Cent over Set In Stone’s sales, he also took the opportunity to encourage The Game to keep pushing forward.
He emphasized the importance of continued hustle and creativity, urging The Game to keep making music for the West Coast and reminding other artists not to let sales figures dictate their artistic direction.
This exchange comes amid ongoing conversations in the hip-hop community about album sales and relevance, with Rick Ross clearly using the moment to not only defend his numbers but to shift focus onto the comparatively low debut of The Documentary III.
The Game’s album, despite heavy promotion and notable features, struggled to gain traction, which Ross pointed out as a way to contextualize his own commercial performance. Meanwhile, Drake and his OVO labelmate PartyNextDoor remain prominent collaborators on the project, adding to the surprise over the underwhelming sales.
This back-and-forth highlights the competitive nature of album releases and sales in the current music industry landscape, especially among veteran hip-hop artists.
Fans and observers can watch Rick Ross’s full commentary on The Game’s album sales on social media platforms where he posted his reaction.
This article is based on reporting originally published by Xxlmag.
