It’s a debate that we’ve been having for the last few years ever since the digital age of technology took over hip-hop — do album sales matter anymore?

In an industry where album leaks are expected to happen, how can artists be expected to sell a ton of records the same way their predecessors did? With music being so easily attainable, why would a fan pay for an album they can hear for free? And with the influx of streaming services taking over the way we enjoy music, will physical copies of CDs become the modern day Vinyls?

Despite all that, hip-hop fans still use first week sales and overall numbers as arguing tactics in the local barbershops (and Twitter), proving that they still hold weight. Just ask Troy Ave, who’s currently receiving quite a bit of backlash for his low album sales on his debut that dropped last week.

So, like we do every time a hot topic comes up, it’s time for another edition of our Civil Court series, where two of our writers go head-to-head to debate the importance of album sales. Click the following pages to read both arguments and give us your own thoughts in the comments section below.