The second week of March was a quiet one for both Rap and R&B. No releases debuted in the Top 200, but the movement and milestones approaching made it interesting nonetheless. Ludacris fell two spots, from a #1 debut last week. Battle of the Sexes fell behind Pop Country outfit Lady Antebellum and Michigan Gospel singer Marvin Sapp respectively. Luda’s latest album has not been met with many warm reviews, but the Atlanta/Def Jam mainstay nearly cleared 200,000 within two weeks. The album, which looks at gender relations, features such artists as Nicki Minaj, Trina, Eve and Lil Kim.
The Gorillaz’ Plastic Beach fell seven spots in its second week. The multi-platinum crew’s third effort, and first in five years, features Rap acts such as Mos Def, Snoop Dogg and previous Gorillaz collaborators, De La Soul.
Sade’s Soldier Of Love held the #6 spot for another week. After several projections, the singer did not reach her platinum milestone last week, but will definitely meet her million next week. The Black Eyed Peas gained a spot with The E.N.D., as they have throughout many weeks in the last nine months. Lil Wayne‘s Rebirth fell five spots to #17. The incarcerated rapper has two releases in the Top 50, joining Lady Gaga, whose releases are both in the Top 10.
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* 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 |
| 3 | Ludacris | Battle of the Sexes | 61,000 | 198,000 |
| 6 | Sade | Soldier of Love | 40,000 | 992,000 |
| 8 | Black Eyed Peas | The E.N.D. | 39,000 | 2,309,000 |
| 9 | Gorillaz | Plastic Beach | 38,000 | 150,000 |
| 17 | Lil Wayne | Rebirth | 24,000 | 445,000 |
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Jay-Z‘s Blueprint 3 remains in the Top 60, coming in at #59. Eminem’s Relapse inches closer to two million, falling to #76. Having just signed Lil Twist, a featured artist on the We Are Young Money compilation, Young Money fast approaches 400,000 units.
DJ Khaled‘s Victory fell 23 more spots, slowing the momentum of the respectable debut week sales. The release remains short of 40,000 units sold upon hitting shelves. 50 Cent‘s Before I Self Destruct fell just two spots, after losing plenty of ground in the last two weeks. The rapper, believed to be departing from his Interscope Records family, is at work on Black Magic and directing a video for Tony Yayo’s “Obama.”
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A popular story from last week is still ongoing. Suburban Boston rapper Sam Adams released his debut EP Boston’s Boy, which debuted at #1 on the iTunes Rap charts. The digital album, released through 1st Round Records, shocked the local community as the relatively unknown college-aged emcee shocked the charts. Reports arose that Adams and his label had purchased the units themselves, but those reports have been vehemently denied.
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 31 | Young Money | We Are Young Money | 16,000 | 391,000 |
| 76 | Eminem | Relapse | 7,200 | 1,891,000 |
| 88 | DJ Khaled | Victory | 5,700 | 42,000 |
| 120 | 50 Cent | Before I Self Destruct | 4,300 | 426,000 |
| 199 | Sam Adams | Boston’s Boy EP | 2,500 | 15,000 |
Will Inspectah Deck get an overdue return to the charts? Are Ruste Juxx and Donwill in for independent surprise? Will Brotha Lynch Hung be the latest for Strange success? Stay tuned to next week at HipHopDX.
