R. Kelly Bounces 50 Cent
Proving that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, R. Kelly’s
Chocolate Factory sold 532,000 copies in its first week,
according to SoundScan, to bump 50 Cent‘s Get Rich or Die
Tryin’ from the Number One slot.
For Kelly, the tally is a return to form at a time when most
thought he’d lost his step. The R&B crooner has been the focus
of a pair of child porn investigations over the past year. The
allegations were thought to play a role in the sputtering first
week sales of his collaboration with Jay-Z (The Best of Both
Worlds), which only mustered 223,000 copies out of the gate.
But Chocolate Factory‘s sales find Kelly at the top of his
game, nearly matching his previous best first week tally,
registered by 2000’s TP-2.com, which debuted Number One
with sales of 543,000.
And while Kelly regained his chart prowess, 50 Cent’s figure is
hardly chump change. The 520,000 copies it sold at Number Two push
its total to 2.2 million in less than three weeks of release.
Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me celebrated its one-year
anniversary with a 144,000-copy sales week, good enough for Number
Three. The album’s sales, well past 2 million, are likely to jump
significantly next week as its Grammy-sweeping momentum translates
into sales. Likewise, the Dixie Chicks’ Home and Kid
Rock’s Cocky remain Top Five mainstays, at Numbers Four
and Five, with sales of 126,000 and 102,000, respectively.
Just missing the Top Five was the week’s second highest debut,
the Cradle 2 the Grave, soundtrack, which featured new
material by DMX. The album sold 98,000 copies at Number Six, and
was one of three soundtracks — along with Chicago (Number
Eight, 81,000 copies sold) and Daredevil (Number Nine, up
from Fifteen last week, 70,000).
The charts also featured a few big movers. More is written about
T.A.T.U.’s age, country of origin and sexual preference (teens,
Russians and, reportedly, lesbians) than what their music actually
sounds like. Well, as Chocolate Factory has amply proven,
dubious sex (or allegations thereof) sells, and the duo’s 200
KM/H in the Wrong Lane bounded from Number Thirty-six to
Number Thirteen with sales of 51,000. A slot below, Sean Paul’s
Dutty Rock sold 49,000, scaling the charts from Number
Thirty-nine last week.
Next week’s charts should be a free-for-all, the Grammys being
the week’s biggest wild card. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ has
been suffering weekly sales decreases, but at a significantly
smaller percentage than the average release. Chocolate
Factory should muster strong six-figure sales, yet again,
giving it a chance. And Norah’s big Grammy night makes Come
Away With Me a tough contender.
This week’s Top Ten: R. Kelly’s Chocolate Factory; 50
Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’; Norah Jones’ Come Away
With Me; the Dixie Chicks’ Home; Kid Rock’s
Cocky; the Cradle 2 the Grave soundtrack; Avril
Lavigne’s Let Go; the Chicago soundtrack; the
Daredevil soundtrack; and Grammy Nominees
2003.