Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber React to Tekashi 6ix9ine Saying They Bought No. 1 Billboard Spot

Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber‘s quarantine-themed charity single, “Stuck With U,” debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

However, not everyone is celebrating the song’s success. rapper Daniel Hernandez, known professionally as 6ix9ine, has accused the duo and Billboard of fraud.

The 24-year-old rapper posted a video on Instagram on May 19, accusing Billboard of cheating, and Bieber and Grande of buying their No. 1 spot. He told his followers: “It’s all manipulated. It’s all fabricated. You can buy #1s. This is what these artists do. And it’s not fair.”

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@billboard YOU’RE A LIE AND CORRUPT. YOU GOT CAUGHT CHEATING AND THE WORLD WILL KNOW.

A post shared by TATTLE TALES SEPTEMBER 4TH (@6ix9ine) on May 18, 2020 at 10:46am PDT

“Gooba,” 6ix9ine’s song, is trailing behind “Stuck With U” in third place on the charts. It is his first single since his release from prison on April 2.

Grande has responded on Instagram: “Anyone who knows me or has followed me for a while knows that numbers aren’t the driving force in anything I do. My fans bought the song. Justin’s fans bought the song. Our fans bought this song.”

62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards ‚Äì Arrivals — Ariana Grande attends the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

“i’ve had a lot of ‘almost number ones’ in my career and i never said a goddamn thing because I FEEL GRATEFUL TO EVEN BE HERE. TO WANT TO BE HEARD AT ALL… and you should feel that way too. congratulations to all my talented ass peers in the top ten this week. even number 3,” she wrote.

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thank u to everybody who supported this song, this cause and made this happen. we love uuuuu so much. 🤍 there’s so much to celebrate today. 🤍 however, i would like to say a few things. anyone who knows me or has followed me for a while knows that numbers aren’t the driving force in anything i do. i’m grateful to sing. grateful to have people who want to listen. grateful to even be here at all. i didn’t have a number one for the first five years of my career and it didn’t upset me at all because from the bottom of my heart, music is everything to me. my fans are everything to me. i promise i couldn’t ask for another fucking thing. so with this celebration today, i would like to address a few things which i don’t usually do (i don’t give my energy to drama or strange accusations normally but this has gone a little too far)…my fans bought the song. JUSTIN’S fans bought the song. OUR fans bought this song (never more than four copies each, AS THE RULES STATE). they are ride or die motherfuckers and i thank god every day that i have them in my life. not just when they fight for us to win (even when i ask them not to as i did this week) but because they’re some of the greatest people i know. sales count for more than streams. u can not discredit this as hard as u try. to anybody that is displeased with their placement on the chart this week or who is spending their time racking their brain thinking of as many ways as they can to discredit hardworking women (and only the women for some reason…..), i ask u to take a moment to humble yourself. be grateful you’re even here. that people want to listen to u at all. it’s a blessed position to be in. i’ve had a lot of “almost number ones” in my career and i never said a goddamn thing because I FEEL GRATEFUL TO EVEN BE HERE. TO WANT TO BE HEARD AT ALL …. and you should feel that way too. congratulations to all my talented ass peers in the top ten this week. even number 3. 🥰 and thank u to @billboard for this honor. and thank u to everybody who helped us raise a lot of money for a very important cause this week. love u all a lot.

A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on May 18, 2020 at 12:40pm PDT

She was also angry with the rapper for singling her out over Bieber, saying he was discrediting “hardworking women.”

Bieber defended their achievement in his Instagram story. “All our sales were legit because our fans are amazing and bought them. Don’t discredit our fan base with false info.”

He also spoke out against 6ix9ine singling out Grande: “This is my song with Ariana Grande and I’m honored to work with her to help raise money for a great cause. If [you’re] gonna say her name make sure you say mine because it’s our song.”

An Evening With Justin Bieber - Performances — Justin Bieber performs onstage during An Evening With Justin Bieber at Staples Center on November 13, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Getty Images)

In an article titled “How Billboard Came to Its Calculations in This Week’s Race For the Hot 100 No. 1,” the Billboard staff detail their process for determining the Hot 100 chart. The addresses each and everyone of 6ix9ine’s accusations in great detail.