Eminem’s Recovery and Drake’sThank Me Laterheld rank for a third straight week at #1 and #2 respectively. Em may see 1.5 million units cleared by next week, while his Toronto collaborator marches towards his first million-selling work. Further down the charts, Drake’s So Far Gone retail mixtape from 2009 sits within 3,000 units of crossing the 500,000 mark. Expect to see that next week in a summer that could see the former Degrassi actor take his proper debut to platinum, while his calling card to the industry reaches gold.
Outkast’s Big Boi garnered a strong #3 debut. The Atlanta Hip Hop pioneer sold over 60,000 units of his critically-acclaimed Def Jam debut, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. The release features artists such as T.I., Gucci Mane and Too Short, with production from Organized Noize, Scott Storch and Lil Jon. Big Boi’s new label-mate, The-Dream, fell eight units to #12 with Love-King.
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Usher‘s Raymond v. Raymondslid to #17. The veteran Pop entertainer’s “divorce album” is marching its way to a platinum plaque for Mr. Raymond and his longtime backer, LaFace Records.
* 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 |
| 1 | Eminem | Recovery | 229,000 | 1,287,000 |
| 2 | Drake | Thank Me Later | 74,000 | 783,000 |
| 3 | Big Boi | Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty | 62,000 | 63,000 |
| 12 | The-Dream | Love King | 23,000 | 82,000 |
| 17 | Usher | Raymond v. Raymond | 19,000 | 918,000 |
The Roots maintained a Top 25 spot with their latest, How I Got Over. The album is their third with Def Jam Records, and shows the group’s first “Jimmy Fallon-era” recordings, garnering critical acclaim.
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While southern Rap veteran Big Boi returned to the charts on a high note, New Orleans’ Juvenile‘s Beast Mode failed to debut in the Top 50. The Hot Boys member’s latest E1 album features guests and producers new to the scene. Another curious debut on the charts came courtesy of Kelis. The singer’s Interscope Records debut, Flesh Tone, has been worked on by will.i.am, a producer and performer noted for chart success. The ex-wife of Nas debuted at #46, with her fifth overall album largely pulling from a European club influence.
As was the forecast last week, Young Money‘s We Are Young Money compilation album crossed the 500,000 mark. The 2009 release served as a large introduction to Lil Wayne’s label roster, including Drake, Nicki Minaj, Jae Millz and Gudda Gudda.
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 25 | The Roots | How I Got Over | 14,000 | 86,000 |
| 46 | Kelis | Flesh Tone | 7,800 | 7,900 |
| 55 | Juvenile | Beast Mode | 6,400 | 6,600 |
| 92 | Young Money | We Are Young Money | 4,600 | 504,000 |
| 127 | Drake | So Far Gone | 3,700 | 497,000 |
Will Curren$y soar with Pilot Talk? Can Capone-N-Noreaga recreate some late ’90s first week numbers with their ’97 sequel? Will Stat Quo see patient fan support? Stay tuned to HipHopDX to find out.
