Interscope Records has not had two Rap artists in the Top 3 in quite some time. The Black Eyed Peas [click to read] changed that this week, with their latest Electro/Pop/House amalgam, The E.N.D. [click to read]. The album, almost entirely produced by will.i.am sold over a quarter million units in its first week, remarkable for a group, who five years ago, was at risk of losing their label support due to market disinterest. Eminem‘s Relapse [click to read], separated by Dave Matthews Band‘s latest album, crossed the milliion mark in just four weeks on the chart, an impressive feat for 2009.
With his first “proper” release in five years, Mos Def proved mighty still, snagging a Top 10 spot with his The Ecstatic [click to read]. The emcee’s debut in the Atlantic Records system, sees him working with veteran underground Hip Hop producers Madlib, Oh No and Preservation, while cracking the mic with Talib Kweli and Slick Rick.
Pleasure P‘s solo introduction away from Pretty Ricky also slide into the Top 10. The Introduction of Marcus Cooper is also an Atlantic-backed release for the Florida singer..
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Beyonce made a surge for the top of the charts, staying the Top 25 for a second straight week with I Am… Sasha Fierce [click to read].
* please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandeth.
Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 1 | The Black Eyed Peas | The E.N.D. | 304,000 | 305,000 |
| 3 | Eminem | Relapse | 88,000 | 1,049,000 |
| 9 | Mos Def | Ecstatic | 39,000 | 39,000 |
| 10 | Pleasure P | The Introduction Of Marcus Cooper | 39,000 | 39,000 |
| 24 | Beyonce | I Am…Sasha Fierce | 16,000 | 2,237,000 |
As Jadakiss’ [click to read] The Last Kiss [click to read] fell in at #90, selling just over 6,000 units, D-Block‘s [click to read] E1 Records release No Security [click to read] managed to make it exactly 50 spots better, though ‘Kiss appears on three of the album’s songs.
Redman & Method Man‘s [click to view] sequel, Blackout 2 [click to read], cracked the 100,000 units sold mark. The Def Jam release, featuring production from veterans such as Havoc, Pete Rock and Erick Sermon continues to do well, as Method Man’s name has stayed in the media, with comments made by ?uestlove and Joe Budden.
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Another “blackout” collaborative release, DJ Quik & Kurupt‘s [click to read] BlaQKout [click to read], entered the charts in Top 75, selling 10,000 units. Produced entirely by the veteran Compton beat-maker, and rapped by both former Murder Was The Case soundtrack standouts, the independent project has been gaining critical acclaim.
Cam’ron‘s [click to read] Crime Pays [click to read] approaches 75,000 overall units sold. Gorilla Zoe [click to read] stays longer on the Top 200 than some of his peers with the Bad Boy release Don’t Feed Da Animals [click to read].
Other Notables
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 40 | D-Block | No Security | 12,000 | 12,000 |
| 48 | Method Man & Redman | Blackout 2 | 10,000 | 102,000 |
| 61 | DJ Quik & Kurupt | BlaQKout | 8,700 | 8,800 |
| 125 | Cam’ron | Crime Pays | 4,100 | 76,000 |
| 174 | Gorilla Zoe | Don’t Feed Da Animals | 3,100 | 105,000 |
Can B.E.P. go gold in two weeks? Can Boots Riley get on the charts? Stay on HipHopDX to know.
