Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 5/23/2010
May 26, 2010 08:05:00 AM CDT
by Allen Jacobs
Hopeful for a #1 debut, Damian Marley & Nas' Distant Relatives project began its run on the charts at #4. The Universal Republic/Def Jam Records collaborative release fell behind The Black Keys, Justin Bieber and a new addition of Glee music. The Africa-inspired project did clear 50,000 units, with its rich commentary on the parallel relationship between Hip Hop and Reggae. Lil Wayne, K'Naan, Dennis Brown and Joss Stone appear on the work produced by Damian and brother Stephen.
The other major debut was the anticipated reunion album of Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek as Reflection Eternal. A decade after their acclaimed and commercially successful Rawkus Records debut, Train of Thought, Revolutions Per Minute has been met with a new dose of rave reviews, as the duo finds themselves on Warner Brothers/Asylum Records. With co-executive production by Sha Money XL, R.P.M. features appearances from Bun B, J. Cole, Mos Def and Jay Electronica, among an assortment of Pop/R&B appearances. The album debuted at #17, moving over 20,000 first-week units.
As usual of late, Usher's Raymond v. Raymond maintained its #7 place. B.o.B. Presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray also held at #13, as the Rebel Rock sensation has the strongest commercial debut in Rap thus far in 2010. Another genre-bending Georgia talent, DXnext alum, Janelle Monae's sophomore album, The Archandroid debuted at #16. With strong cosigns from both Big Boi and Diddy, the Bad Boy/Atlantic Records starlet furthers her ascent to the mainstream.
* Please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandth.
Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
Rank Artist Album This Week Est. Total
4
Damian Marley & Nas
Distant Relatives
57,000
58,000
7
Usher
Raymond v. Raymond
41,000
721,000
13
B.o.B. Presents
The Adventures of Bobby Ray
23,000
170,000
16
Janelle Monae
The Archandroid
21,000
21,000
17
Reflection Eternal
Revolutions Per Minute
21,000
21,000
Ludacris fell to #30 with Battle of the Sexes. The DTP/Def Jam album remains the imprint's most successful 2010 album to date, and carries itself towards a gold plaque, possibly due by mid-summer. Trina's Pop-inspired album, Amazin' sits on the cusp of 50,000 units sold. The Diamond Princess' independent release boasts backing by EMI Records, similar to releases by Raekwon and Twista last year.
Another Warner Rap release, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Uni5: The World's Enemy slipped to #82. The radio-friendly album features a reunited cast of Bone brothers, who have shot an assortment of videos to support the DJ U-Neek-produced effort.
Once kin to the same Ruthless Records family that spawned Bone Thugs, 8Ball & MJG remained in the Top 100 with Ten Toes Down. Distributed through E1 Entertainment, the Grand Hustle project is executive produced by T.I., and features an extensive guest-list of contemporaries and newer artists influenced by the Memphis mainstays.
Another comeback act, Cypress Hill, may be bidding the Top 200 farewell, with their Rise Up. The Priority Records release features production by Pete Rock and Alchemist, as well as high-profile appearances from Tom Morello and Pitbull. The reunion of B-Real, Sen Dog and DJ Muggs has yet to pass the 40,000 mark, though it remains close.
Rank Artist Album This Week Est. Total
30
Ludacris
Battle of the Sexes
13,000
417,000
59
Trina
Amazin'
6,700
49,000
82
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Uni5: The World's Enemy
5,700
45,000
89
8Ball & MJG Ten Toes Down 5,300
29,000
191
Cypress Hill
Rise Up 2,500
37,000
From HipHopDX.com
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11334/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-5-23-2010
