There were no new Rap releases entering the Top 200 this past week. If anything, last week’s numbers were nearly repeated, though some of the rankings shifted. The top of the charts were held by singer/songwriter Jack Johnson and his To The Sea album. Hip Hop fans may know Johnson from his work with Prince Paul and Dan The Automator’s second Handsome Boy Modeling School album, White People.Usher‘s Raymond v. Raymondheld the #5 spot for a second straight week. The veteran Pop entertainer’s “divorce album” is marching its way to a platinum plaque for Mr. Raymond and his longtime backer, LaFace Records.
B.o.B. Presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray returned to its #13 spot from two weeks ago. The Rebel Rock sensation cleared 200,000 units, making him the most successful Atlantic Records Rap release in over six months. Damian Marley & Nas‘ Distant Relatives fell nine spots to #18. The Universal Republic/Def Jam Records collaborative release has garnered huge critical acclaim in the Rap community for 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.
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Just ahead of Nas and Jr. Gong, The Black Eyed Peas and their nearly year-old E.N.D. were at #17, and remain a potential consistent climber in this sales drought. Another 2009 release, Alicia Keys‘ Element of Freedom was included with the top five Rap/R&B sellers at #29. It was announced last week that the songstress and Swizz Beatz will be having their first child.
* 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 |
| 5 | Usher | Raymond v. Raymond | 35,000 | 791,000 |
| 13 | B.o.B. Presents | The Adventures of Bobby Ray | 20,000 | 210,000 |
| 17 | Black Eyed Peas | The E.N.D. | 17,000 | 2,569,000 |
| 18 | Damian Marley & Nas | Distant Relatives | 17,000 | 100,000 |
| 25 | Alicia Keys | Element of Freedom | 13,000 | 1,305,00 |
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Ludacris climbed four spots to #32 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. With Thank Me Later coming to the charts in two weeks, it’s to be noted that Drake’s mixtape-turned-retail album So Far Gone is on the cusp of going gold. With artists like T.I. and Lupe Fiasco having catalog album sales climb during new releases, Drake may garner two gold plaques this summer.
Trina‘s Pop-inspired album, Amazin’sold less than 5,000 units last week, still remaining in the top half of the charts. The Diamond Princess’ independent release boasts backing by EMI Records, similar to releases by Raekwon and Twista last year. Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek as Reflection Eternal’s Revolutions Per Minutefell to #104 in its third week on shelves. Despite some high critical praise, the decade-anticipated reunion album still sits short of 35,000 units sold.
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 28 | Ludacris | Battle of the Sexes | 12,000 | 441,000 |
| 82 | Drake | So Far Gone | 5,000 | 474,000 |
| 97 | Trina | Amazin’ | 4,700 | 59,000 |
| 104 | Reflection Eternal | Revolutions Per Minute | 4,700 | 33,000 |
| 162 | Gucci Mane | The State vs. Radric Davis | 2,900 | 369,000 |
Will Rhymefest’s El Che bring revolution to the stagnant charts? Stay tuned to HipHopDX to see…
