Yeah, maybe it's because I'm a child of the 90's but it's so weird to see these comments since most (if not all) people I know recognize Mariah for stuff like Hero, Always be my Baby, Vision of Love, Daydream, etc. lol Learn new something everyday, I really am getting old.
When it does come down to it, stuff like high sales and rankings really are just there for bragging rights because in the larger picture, do we really need stuff like Oricon and Billboard? Nothing about who's on top says anything about the quality of their music or their relevance in the industry. For older acts though, it can to some extent show their longevity in the industry like "hey we've been around for so-so years and this new act may be the hot thing right now but people still get hype whenever I release something yea". Not true for everyone though, acts like Madonna show their weight more on tour then on music charts but I feel I'm rambling now. lol I personally just think it's good fun and competitiveness and I like to brag about artists I like so to that extent stuff like rankings and streaks matter to me but just for artists I care about. /last thing she'll say on the topic XD