The lone Rap act still in the Top 10 this week was California’s Black Eyed Peas [click to read]. Quite distant from their Ruthless Records roots on The E.N.D. [click to read], Interscope‘s other big money-maker is just one week away from Rap’s second platinum plaque handed out to 2009 releases. Label-mate Eminem sank to #28 with his Relapse [click to read], an album that may reach 1.5 million units sold before October.
This week’s charts welcomed urban newcomers. Former Destiny’s Child member Letoya Luckett [click to read] released her second solo album, Lady Love. The Capitol Records release debuted at #12, with just over 30,000 first week units sold. Ludacris [click to read] and MIMS [click to read] guest on the release. Queen Latifah‘s [click to read] first Rap release in 11 years debuted inside the Top 25. Released independently on her famed ’90s imprint Flavor Unit, Latifah‘s Persona [click to read] featured an album almost entirely produced by Florida hit-makers Cool & Dre [click to read]. The other debut release came from Alternative emcee Matisyahu. The third album from the West Chester, Pennsylvania native focuses more on his Reggae influence, boasting production from Sly & Robbie.
Maxwell’s Black Summer’s Night slipped to #17, still holding platinum-potential.
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* please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandeth.
Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 8 | Black Eyed Peas | The E.N.D. | 36,000 | 994,000 |
| 12 | Letoya Luckett | Lady Love | 33,000 | 33,000 |
| 17 | Maxwell | Black Summer’s Night | 27,000 | 668,000 |
| 19 | Matisyahu | Light | 22,000 | 23,000 |
| 25 | Queen Latifah | Persona | 18,000 | 18,000 |
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Fabolous [click to read] fell 13 slots with Loso’s Way [click to read].With strong radio play, the Def Jam album likely passes the 200,000 mark next week. Twista‘s [click to read] Category F5 [click to read] continues to prove to be a success for both the Chicago veteran and EMI Records. Released independently, with the strong distribution, the effort is similar to the machinery coming with Raekwon‘s highly-touted Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 album coming later this month.
Hypnotize Minds‘ artist Lil Wyte cracked the charts just outside of the Top 100. The Memphis rapper’s The Bad Influence [click to read] album boasts DJ Paul & Juicy J [click to read] production, underneath tracks largely devoted to drug use and partying. Having previously sold six-figure numbers on independent releases, Wyte may be one to watch accumulate sales over time.
Slaughterhouse [click to read] remained in the Top 150, but fell considerably for the second straight week, with their acclaimed self-titled release [click to read].
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 28 | Eminem | Relapse | 16,000 | 1,396,000 |
| 32 | Fabolous | Loso’s Way | 15,000 | 193,000 |
| 87 | Twista | Category F5 | 6,000 | 110,000 |
| 104 | Lil Wyte | The Bad Influence | 4,900 | 4,900 |
| 147 | Slaughterhouse | Slaughterhouse | 3,300 | 28,000 |
Will Pitbull, Beanie Sigel or The Chronic Re-Lit burn on the charts? Stay tuned to HipHopDX to find out.
