R. Kelly, Missy Elliott Top Chart
R. Kelly’s seventh solo album, TP.3 Reloaded, sold a whopping 491,000 copies in its first week out to take the top spot, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Apparently, the Chicago R&B superstar’s ongoing legal battles — Kelly is currently awaiting a pre-trial hearing for child pornography charges — and his very public falling-out with rapper Jay-Z have not hurt his CD sales, boosted as well by the heavy radio play of the album’s five-part epic, “Trapped in the Closet.”
In a very distant second place is Missy Elliott’s sixth effort, The Cookbook, which moved 176,000 units. The album features Mary J. Blige, M.I.A., Fantasia and Slick Rick, as well as production by Rich Harrison and the Neptunes. Rounding out the Top Five are Brit rockers Coldplay, whose X&Y stood strong at Number Three (127,000); relentless diva Mariah Carey’s The Emancipation of Mimi stuck to Number Four (116,000), still in the Top Five three months after its release; and hip-hop duo the Ying Yang Twins’ fourth effort, United State of Atlanta, which dropped three spots to Five (101,000).
Down from last week’s top spot is country veteran George Strait’s Somewhere Down in Texas. His third Number One crossover album fell five places to Number Six (91,000), making this a country album not built to last on the pop chart. California hip-hoppers Black Eyed Peas’ Monkey Business slipped a spot to Number Seven (75,000), while the Foo Fighters’ In Your Honor fell two places to Nine (66,000).
The other big debut this week came from Dirty South Louisiana rapper Webbie, whose debut album, Savage Life, sold 68,000 copies in its first week out. Meanwhile, Gwen Stefani’s solo debut, Love, Angel, Music, Baby, continues to hang in the Top Ten seven months after its release, down one place this week to Ten (62,000). And Houston rapper Mike Jones’ debut, Who Is Mike Jones?, experienced a resurrection, up eight spots to Number Twelve (55,000).
The one unhappy mug this week belongs to Cassidy: Despite the strong Number Five debut, I’m a Hustla, the sophomore album from the Philly rapper set to stand trial for murder, plummeted seventeen spots to Number Twenty-two (37,000).
Next week, expect Already Platinum, the major-label debut of rapper Slim Thug, self-proclaimed Boss of the South, to hit big. And Oklahoma rockers the All-American Rejects may hit the upper echelon of the chart their sophomore effort, Move Along.
This week’s Top Ten: R. Kelly’s TP.3 Reloaded; Missy Elliott’s The Cookbook; Coldplay’s X&Y; Mariah Carey’s The Emancipation of Mimi; Ying Yang Twins’ United State of Atlanta; George Strait’s Somewhere Down in Texas; Black Eyed Peas’ Monkey Business; Webbie’s Savage Life; Foo Fighters’ In Your Honor; Gwen Stefani’s Love, Angel, Music, Baby.