On the Charts: Rick Ross Wins Rap Battle for Top Spot
The Big News: The hip-hop-heavy fight for the top of the charts has ended with Rick Ross’ Trilla as the boss, debuting at number one with 198,375 copies. Ross beat out a pair of other six figure-selling albums, NOW 27 and Snoop Dogg’s Ego Trippin‘, which came in at number three with 136,575 copies. It was the lowest opening week sales for both Snoop and any entry in the NOW series. The last rap combatant, Fat Joe’s Elephant in the Room landed in sixth place, despite selling less than a quarter the copies of Trilla. Jack Johnson’s Sleep Through the Static and Alan Jackson’s Good Time rounded out the top five.
Debuts: Besides the big three rap debuts and the newest Now compilation, the only other noteworthy debuts were Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana’s Best of Both Worlds Concert at ten, the wholly unnecesary NOW: That’s What I Call 80s at eleven and Randy Jackson’s Music Club: Volume 1, which landed at fifty with a mere 13,000 copies sold despite the fact that thirty million people watch American Idol each week.
Last Week’s Heroes: Janet Jackson’s Discipline continued its descent after ruling the charts two weeks ago, falling to number eight from three last week. Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah Part One: 4th World also stumbled from six to nine. Sara Bareilles’ Little Voice held strong, sticking to seven for a second consecutive week. And finally, after an eighteen week run, Alicia Keys’ As I Am fell out of the top ten, coming in at thirteen, two spots above the never-say-die Alvin & the Chipmunks soundtrack.