JAY HOLZ: While there’s a ton of promising albums to be released this year — Drake, Kendrick, Rihanna, Kanye, Yo Gotti, etc. — the chances that we see a platinum album in 2015, by a hip-hop artist, is unlikely. Let me explain…

In today’s era of hip-hop, album sales do not mean what they used to mean. That’s the sad, cold reality. Back in the early 2000s when the likes of 50 Cent, Jay Z, Eminem, Kanye West, etc. were releasing their first couple albums, they had no choice but to sell a lot of records if they wanted to stay atop of the hip-hop totem pole. 50 made it very clear that album sales were the only thing that mattered, and when Ye’s Graduation outsold Curtis in 2007, that ideology became even more apparent.

These cats aren’t relying on going Gold or going Platinum in order to increase their bank accounts, but instead, they’re focusing on their tours and their merchandise and how to please their fans in the process. Artists have even stopped putting marketing dollars behind their albums because it truly doesn’t matter how many records they sell anymore (cc: Beyoncé) and it’s a waste of time and money. The worst part…the fans know this and where they’re spending their money in hip-hop (tours and merch) is proof.

Besides, in 2014, was there not awesome albums that dropped? Sure, Cole and Nicki’s albums didn’t drop until December, so I understand why they didn’t go platinum, but YG, Future, Rozay, Wiz, T.I., ScHoolboy Q, etc. didn’t have great, platinum-potential albums? In the early 2000s, I bet you My Krazy Life would’ve gone at least Gold in the first week and Platinum before it was all said and done…

So, with that being said, I don’t think there will be a platinum hip-hop album this year. Is it possible? Sure. And I hope that it happens this year, I really do. But the way hip-hop has changed over the last few years in terms of how artists make money and how fans spend their money, I don’t see a platinum album happening in 2015. Someone prove me wrong and restore my faith, please.