Lil Wayne‘s Tha Carter IV maintained a Top 5 position, as the iconic Tony Bennett took #1. A Rap-A-Lot Records veteran made a powerful chart impression, as Michigan Hip Hop had significant climbs on the charts, with Bad Meets Evil, Eminem and Twiztid.
C4, which features the likes of Tech N9ne, Andre 3000 and Nas, sold less than 100,000 units in a week for the first time – now at #5. However, the Cash Money Records/Universal Motown release is still the top-selling 2011 Hip Hop/Rap release.
Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne fell one spots to #9. The work could score a platinum plaque by month’s end, which has become a standard for both artists.
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Jay’s wife Beyonce and her4 fell five spots, but maintained a Top 25 position. The pregnant Pop/R&B superstar’s fourth solo offering features an appearance by Outkast’s Andre 3000, along with production from Kanye West and his production team – including Jeff Bhasker, as well as a writing credit to former G.O.O.D. Music artist Consequence.
Royce Da 5’9 and Eminem (as Bad Meets Evil) and their album, Hell: The Sequel gained a spot to #32. The album features production from Mobb Deep’s Havoc, Mr. Porter and Self Scientific’s DJ Khalil. Additionally, Eminem’s 2010 quadruple-platinum Recovery gained 12 spots, slipping back into the Top 50. This is a positive sign, as Shady Records gears up for Yelawolf’s studio debut this autumn.
Game has fallen 30 spots in two weeks with the R.E.D. Album. R.E.D. features 2011 sensations Tyler, The Creator, Kendrick Lamar and Lex Luger, along with album narration by Game’s mentor, Dr. Dre. The Compton, California star recently offered his Twitter followers a follow if they showed proof of two R.E.D. purchases.
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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 |
| 5 | Lil Wayne | Tha Carter IV | 84,000 | 1,385,000 |
| 9 | Jay-Z & Kanye West | Watch The Throne | 31,000 | 902,000 |
| 24 | Beyonce | 4 | 18,000 | 803,000 |
| 32 | Eminem & Royce Da 5’9 (Bad Meets Evil) | Hell: The Sequel | 12,000 | 541,000 |
| 48 | Game | The R.E.D. Album | 8,600 | 176,000 |
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Nicki Minaj‘s solo debut, Pink Friday slid six spots to #64. The platinum release featuring Kanye West, Drake and Lil Wayne continues to be a 2010 chart success, topping the critically-acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which was released the same week.
Houston, Texas veteran emcee/singer Z-Ro’s latest album in his “drug” series, Meth, debuted at #85. The Screwed Up Click alum has previously released Crack, Cocaine and Heroin. The fourth album in the series, released by Rap-A-Lot Records, features Willie D, Yo Gotti and Slim Thug.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s first emcee with a gold album, Wiz Khalifa and that aforementioned major label debut, Rolling Papers marched towards 600,000 units sold. The Taylor Gang founder’s Atlantic/Rostrum Records debut features Curren$y and Too Short, with production by Jerm and E.Dan.
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Warren, Michigan Hip Hop duo Twiztid climbed an astonishing 47 spots with their compilation, Cryptic Collection, Volume 4. The Psychopathic Records release nearly doubled its first-week performance, and entered the Top 100. Closely affiliated with the Insane Clown Posse, the veteran duo’s release features appearances by I.C.P., as well as E-40, Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko.
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 49 | Eminem | Recovery | 8,600 | 4,040,000 |
| 64 | Nicki Minaj | Pink Friday | 6,900 | 1,588,000 |
| 85 | Z-Ro | Meth | 5,400 | 5,400 |
| 95 | Wiz Khalifa | Rolling Papers | 4,600 | 580,000 |
| 100 | Twiztid | Cryptic Collection, Volume 4 | 4,500 | 9,500 |
As J. Cole makes a play for #1 with Cole World: The Sideline Story, will there be room on the charts for the plethora of independents, including Evidence, Phonte, 9th Wonder, J-Live and Nappy Roots? And if so, where? Stay tuned to HipHopDX to find out.
