Billboard: Jay-Z's Samsung Album Sales Won't Count

NEW YORK — Jay-Z's got 99 problems and the Billboard chart is one.

Billboard said Friday it will not include the 1 million album downloads Jay-Z is giving to Galaxy mobile phone users through a deal with Samsung. Jay-Z announced the partnership this week. His new album, "Magna Carta Holy Grail," will be released July 7, but it will go out to 1 million Samsung users on July 4.

In a letter posted on Billboard's website, editorial director Bill Werde says it won't count the downloads because Samsung ultimately isn't selling the album on its phones. He adds that it wasn't easy turning down Jay-Z's request to include the downloads on the Billboard chart.

Werde writes: "The passionate and articulate argument by Jay's team that something was for sale and Samsung bought it ... doesn't mesh with precedent."

New Jay-Z Album, 'Magna Carta Holy Grail,' To Drop July 4th

Jay-Z surprised fans on Sunday evening when he made the announcement that he will be releasing a new album called "Magna Carta Holy Grail" on July 4.

With weeks until the release of "Magna Carta Holy Grail," the news of the album came as a surprise. Jay-Z made the announcement in a video which rportedlyaired during the NBA finals and was posted to the rapper's website, Life + Times.

The video (shown above) offers seemingly candid footage of Jay-Z in a partnership with Samsung. The clip cuts to footage of the 43-year-old rapping, as he explains his vision for the project, saying, "It's this duality of how do you navigate your way through this whole this whole thing... through success, through failures, through all of this, and remain yourself." Keep an eye out for some famous faces including Rick Rubin and Pharrell Williams.

Samsung has set up an arrangement with Jay-Z for the upcoming album. The company has purchased one million copies of "Magna Carta Holy Grail" and will distribute them days before the album's July 4 release to users of the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy S 4, and Galaxy Note II.

Born Shawn Carter, Jay-Z released his last solo studio album, "The Blueprint 3," in 2009. He released a live album, "Live In Brooklyn," in 2012, and a collaboration album with Kanye West, "Watch the Throne," in 2011. Jay-Z's upcoming partnership with Samsung reportedly earned the rapper $20 million.