In a week without strong new release, R&B divas Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige and Keyshia Cole held the top of the charts with #2, #3 and #11 spots respectively while Lupe Fiasco continued to be rap’s runaway success story of early ’08. The Chicago emcee held the #17 slot for the second week in a row, selling another 30,782 units (229,259 overall) in his third week – despite limited radio exposure.
The coveted #1 spot went to longtime Hip Hop-approved rock outfit Radiohead with their In Rainbows selling 122,323 units (131,165 overall), despite being considered a first-week sale. Below is a glimpse of the urban acts (excluding Black Eyed Peas‘ Pop princess Fergie).
Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Total |
| 2 | Alicia Keys | As I Am | 112,444 | 2,655,668 |
| 3 | Mary J Blige | Growing Pains | 89,084 | 924,520 |
| 6 | Chris Brown | Exclusive | 40,787 | 1,092,063 |
| 11 | Keyshia Cole | Just Like You | 34,973 | 975,657 |
| 17 | Lupe Fiasco | The Cool | 30,782 | 229,259 |
The notables held rank from last week, with Birdman moving ahead of Timbaland, despite a tenth of overall sales behind the recently platinum-certified Virginia super-producer. Jay-Z, though consistent on the charts despite radio and video decline, continues to push towards platinum as Kanye West likely readies another single from Graduation forecasting another surge in chart movement.
Other Notables…
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Total |
| 21 | Soulja Boy | Souljaboytellem.com | 24,286 | 682,766 |
| 26 | Jay-Z | American Gangster | 23,669 | 911,004 |
| 33 | Kanye West | Graduation | 22,667 | 1,914,585 |
| 36 | Birdman | 5*Stunna | 21,459 | 193,370 |
| 83 | Wu-Tang Clan | 8 Diagrams | 11,267 | 132,248 |
As March becomes the next pivotal release month, will Lil Wayne or another rapper deliver a sneak attack to warm the winter? Will Webbie and Dem Franchise Boyz prevail in ringtone rap, or will Saigon and Nas be Hip Hop saviors this warm winter?
