Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 2/15/09

Taylor Swift restored her pole position, having held it much of the young year. Led Zeppelin alum Robert Plant‘s collaborative album with Allison Krauss was at #2, having been the biggest Grammy Award-winner. It was Neo-Soul, ’90s era songstress India.Arie that held the #3 spot, with her latest Universal Motown release Volume 2: Testimony: Love & Politics. Another R&B debut, this time from ex-Disturbing Tha Peace artist Bobby V [click to read], likely benefitting from his appearance on Lil Wayne‘s “Mrs. Officer” [click to read]

This chart movement sent Beyonce and her I Am…Sasha Fierce [click to read] down seven spots to #12. Saturday Night Live affiliates Lonely Island, an album featuring production by onetime HipHopDX columnist J-Zone [click to read], came in one position below. Jamie Foxx was right after with his Intuition [click to read].

Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)

T.I. [click to read] and his Paper Trail [click to read], performed well after a Grammy appearance of super-collaboration “Swagga Like Us.”

Another Grammy winner, Lil Wayne [click to read] did indeed take Tha Carter III [click to read] over the three million mark. The only other Top 200 releases to do so are from Country group Daughtry, ’70s Rock veterans The Eagles and Alicia Keys. Wayne’s label-mate Ryan Leslie [click to read] also debuted last week at #35 with his self-titled, critically welcomed release [click to read].

Both Young Jeezy‘s Recession [click to read] and the Notorious Soundtrack [click to read] held strong in a week of Top 200 chart, that was nearly absent from releases in the second 100 positions.

Be on the look for Akon [click to read] and T-Pain, both less than 15,000 units away from the 500,000 mark to go gold next week.

Other Notables

Can Zion I or N.A.S.A. crack the Top 200? Stay tuned to HipHopDX for next week….