Four of the Top 5 charting releases last week were debuts. More Glee and Twilight fanfare topped the charts, while Christina Aguilera’s latest album, Bionic came in at #3. While the Pittsburgh Pop songstress worked with Gang Starr’s DJ Premier and Kwamé on her 2006 album, this one features board work from Polow Da Don and Dr. Dre’s Aftermath protege Focus… At #5 came Plies, with his fourth album in three years, Goon Affiliated. The 33 year-old Florida rapper’s latest sold less than half first week units of what his 2008 album, Da REAList did. Goon Affiliated features Def Jam stars Young Jeezy and Fabolous, and production from popular deejay/radio personality, Clinton Sparks.
UPDATE: Nielsen announced late Friday afternoon that one of the digital retailers had not provided sales information on time. New charts were sent, affecting the rankings and overall approximations for B.o.B., Travie McCoy, Ratatat, Nas & Damian Marley and Kutt Calhoun. The old information is crossed out, new is in parentheses, and the chart tables have been updated.
Usher‘s Raymond v. Raymondfell out of the Top 10 to #12. The veteran Pop entertainer’s “divorce album” is marching its way to a platinum plaque for Mr. Raymond and his longtime backer, LaFace Records.Just behind, The Black Eyed Peas and their nearly year-old E.N.D. were at #15, gaining two spots, and remain a potential consistent climber in this sales drought.
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B.o.B. Presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray fell eight (five) spots to (#18). The Rebel Rock sensation inches to 250,000 units, making him the most successful Atlantic Records Rap release in over six months, including label vet Plies.
Travie McCoy (once known as “Travis”) of Gym Class Heroes received a Top 30 debut. His album, taken from his middle name, Lazarus, was released through his own Fueled By Ramen imprint. The 12-track collection features two appearances by T-Pain, as well as DXnext alum Colin Munroe and Cee-Lo.
* Please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandth.
Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 5 | Plies | Goon Affiliated | 56,000 | 57,000 |
| 12 | Usher | Raymond v. Raymond | 30,000 | 821,000 |
| 15 | Black Eyed Peas | The E.N.D. | 21,000 | 2,590,000 |
| 18 | B.o.B. Presents | The Adventures of Bobby Ray | 19,000 | 229,000 |
| 25 | Travie McCoy | Lazarus | 15,000 | 15,000 |
Damian Marley & Nas‘ Distant Relatives fell 14 (13) spots to #32 (#31). The Universal Republic/Def Jam Records collaborative release has garnered huge critical acclaim in the Rap community for its rich commentary on the parallel relationship between Hip Hop and Reggae. Lil Wayne, K’Naan, Dennis Brown and Joss Stone appear on the work produced by Damian and brother Stephen.
Ludacris slid nine spots to #41 with Battle of the Sexes. Earlier this week, Def Jam confirmed the album had achieved a gold plaque, though the 500,000 mark is still well short domestically.
One of the week’s bigger surprises came courtesy of Lil Jon‘s Crunk Rock. Now a label-mate with Distant Relatives at Universal Republic, the king of Crunk failed to crack the 10,000 units sold mark, barely cracking the Top 50. The album, nearly four years in the making, features Ice Cube, Game, Soulja Boy and Pitbull. The performance comes after a very long dispute Jon had with former label, TVT.
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Having remixed tracks by Notorious B.I.G., Young Buck and Anti-Pop Consortium, Brooklyn duo Ratatat may be best known for Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” appearance and production. The duo’s aptly-titled fourth album, LP4. The XL Recordings release features no guests.
Lastly, Strange Music’s Kutt Calhoun cracked the charts with his Raw and Un-Kut album. The Kansas City Rap veteran’s third album features Too Short, Joe Budden and E-40, as well as label-mates Tech N9ne and Brotha Lynch Hung.
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 31 | Nas & Damian Marley | Distant Relatives | 13,000 | 113,000 |
| 41 | Ludacris | Battle of the Sexes | 11,000 | 452,000 |
| 48 | Lil Jon | Crunk Rock | 9,000 | 9,000 |
| 63 | Ratatat | LP4 | 6,900 | 7,100 |
| 151 | Kutt Calhoun | Raw and Un-Kut | 3,500 | 3,500 |
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Will Drake’s Thank Me Later come in at #1? Will the flood of fans to stores help the cause for Nappy Roots, Crooked I and Pastor Troy? Stay tuned to HipHopDX to see…
