The charts were shaken up this past week, as the releases from September 28 impacted the status quo. As he’s done throughout the last decade, Lil Wayne‘s I Am Not A Human Beingsold considerably well, as the Cash Money Records superstar spent the week in a Rikers Island prison cell.
I Am Not A Human Being is a digital-only release until later this month (October 12), when the collection of songs is expected to appear on CD. Selling 110,000 first week, the collection of songs features Young Money Records artists such as Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lil Twist. Production for the album released in honor of Wayne’s September 27 birthday was handled by Cool & Dre, Boi-1da and Streetrunner, among others. It was Country star Kenny Chesney that prevented Lil Wayne from achieving that coveted #1 spot.
Another artist familiar with incarceration, Gucci Mane, achieved a Top 5 release with the second in his current trilogy of albums, The Appeal: Georgia’s Most Wanted. The Atlanta, Georgia sensation’s sequel to The State vs. Radric Davis cleared 60,000 units, as The Appeal features Nicki Minaj, Swizz Beatz and Wyclef Jean. The Warner Brothers/Asylum/1017 Brick Squad release curiously did not feature Gucci’s artists OJ Da Juiceman and Waka Flocka Flame. Waka released his debut album, Flockaveli, yesterday.
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Eminem’s Recovery advanced a spot back into the Top 5 this week. The Interscope/Aftermath Entertainment release has the possibility of reaching the three million mark by year’s end.
Singer Trey Songz remained at #7 overall with his Passion, Pain & Pleasure. Headed towards the 350,000 mark, Trey may now be Atlantic Records’ biggest star in the wake of T.I.’s legal woes. The Petersburg, Virginia native’s fourth album features Drake and Nicki Minaj.
John Legend & The Roots‘ Wake Up! fell just four spaces to #12. Released through Columbia/Sony Records, the G.O.O.D Music singer and the Philadelphia mainstays linked to update soulful classics, with covers of tunes by Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone, Bill Withers, Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes and more. Additionally, emcees such as Common, Black Thought and CL Smooth appear on this collection. The release heads towards a likely 100,000 next week. Further down the charts, this summer’s album from The Roots, How I Got Over, crossed the 150,000 mark, with giant critical praise.
* Please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandth.
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Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 2 | Lil Wayne | I Am Not A Human Being | 110,000 | 110,000 |
| 4 | Gucci Mane | The Appeal: Georgia’s Most Wanted | 60,000 | 60,000 |
| 5 | Eminem | Recovery | 59,000 | 2,716,000 |
| 7 | Trey Songz | Passion, Pain & Pleasure | 42,000 | 348,000 |
| 12 | John Legend & The Roots | Wake Up! | 31,000 | 94,000 |
Another artist debuted on the charts while presently incarcerated. Lil Boosie‘s aptly-titled Incarcerated released last week, as the Trill Fam rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana is presently indicted for murder. The collection of new songs, largely featuring Webbie and Foxx, debuted at #13, selling 30,000 units.
Atlanta, Georgia Christian emcee Lecrae garnered a Top 20 debut with his own album called Rehab. Released on Reach Records, the veteran Lecrae’s latest album appears to have cleared 28,000 units, although the listing on the charts may have a typographical error in overall units sold, it is presumed that the first week units are accurate.
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Ice Cube‘s first album in two years received a Top 25 debut. The controversially-titled I Am The West, debuted at #22. Released through Cube’s own Lench Mob Records, the aggressive collection of songs featured fellow west coast pioneer WC, as well as veteran Jayo Felony and Cube’s son, OMG. I Am The West featured a reunion with 24-year production partner Sir Jinx, as well as iTunes bonus tracks produced by E-A-Ski and DJ Quik.
UGK co-founder Bun B‘s Trill O.G. fell just units short of 100,000 this week, although the approximations say otherwise. The Rap-A-Lot Records release features Drake, Gucci Mane and Yo Gotti, along with production from Boi-1da and DJ Premier. Yesterday, Bun B’s late UGK partner released The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones, his final collection of songs.
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 13 | Lil Boosie | Incarcerated | 30,000 | 30,000 |
| 17 | Lecrae | Rehab | 28,000 | 28,000 |
| 22 | Ice Cube | I Am The West | 22,000 | 22,000 |
| 123 | Bun B | Trill O.G. | 3,600 | 100,000 |
| 183 | The Roots | How I Got Over | 2,600 | 151,000 |
Will releases from Pimp C, Waka Flocka Flame and Skyzoo & !llmind keep the charts freshly updated after a long, hot summer? Stay tuned to HipHopDX.
