Nicki Minaj neared #1 again, within 2,000 units – before being inched out by singer-songwriters Amos Lee and Iron & Wine. The success of her platinum-selling Pink Friday brought the Queens, New York sensation up six places to #3, in a week that ended with her highly-watched SNL appearance.
Atlantic’s Bruno Mars climbed a spot to #5 with his Doo Wops & Hooligans. Additionally, Mars stepped away from possible jail-time after a cocaine possession arrest last year. To date, Bruno’s debut has sold 595,000 copies and spawned two number one singles—“Grenade” and “Just the Way You Are.”
Speaking of Mars, he, along with B.o.B., Eminem and Cee Lo Green are included in this year’s Grammy Nominees release. The Recording Academy’s annual preview to the awards show snagged a #4 debut.
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Down a spot to #13, Rihanna’s Loudalbum continues to climb towards platinum, with features from Eminem, Drake and Nicki Minaj.
Eminem’s Recovery climbed 1 spot to #16. As one of the year’s best-selling albums, the Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records release reached 3.5 overall domestic units sold. The work features production from Alex da Kid, DJ Khalil, Just Blaze and Mobb Deep’s Havoc. This weekend, Eminem’s likeness will appear in a Lipton Brisk commercial during Super Bowl XV.
* 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 |
| 3 | Nicki Minaj | Pink Friday | 38,000 | 989,000 |
| 4 | Various Artists | 2011 Grammy Nominees | 38,000 | 38,000 |
| 5 | Bruno Mars | Doo Wops & Hooligans | 33,000 | 595,000 |
| 13 | Rihanna | Loud | 26,000 | 865,000 |
| 16 | Eminem | Recovery | 21,000 | 3,511,000 |
Holding at #20 was Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The platinum album remains a constant Top 10 and Top 20 performer week-to-week. Kanye West interviewed fellow-charting sensation Rihanna for this month’s issue of Interview magazine.
Talib Kweli‘s second completely self-released album, Gutter Rainbows, made a splash in its first week on the charts. With CD and vinyl pressing coming in the next month, the Javotti Media digital release pulled a Top 30 debut, selling approximately 14,000 units. Kweli’s first solo album in three-plus years, after last year’s Reflection Eternal reunion, features production from Ski Beatz, 88-Keys and Blaqtoven, with vocal contributions from Sean Price and Jean Grae.
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T.I.‘s No Mercy slid five spots to #31. The emcee and label owner’s latest album was released while he was incarcerated for probation violations earlier this year, involving drugs. The latest album from Tip features Kid Cudi, Scarface and Rocko, with production by DJ Toomp, Kanye West and Jake One.
Lil Wayne‘s digital-turned-physical 2010 release I Am Not A Human Being climbed one space in the last week, to #33.
The latest free mixtape-turned-retail release, Tech N9ne & DJ Whoo Kid’s Bad Season landed at #113 on the charts. Strange Music released the untagged, extended version of the tape originally premiered by XXLMag.com, from the Kansas City, Missouri emcee and the G-Unit deejay.
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total | |
| 19 | Kanye West | My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy | 19,000 | 981,000 | |
| 29 | Talib Kweli |
| 14,000 | 14,000 | |
| 31 | T.I. | No Mercy | 13,000 | 395,000 | |
| 33 | Lil Wayne | I Am Not A Human Being | 13,000 | 717,000 | |
| 113 | Tech N9ne & DJ Whoo Kid | Bad Season | 4,400 | 4,400 |
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Can DJ Revolution’s Malcolm & Martin, RJD2 or Trae Tha Truth crack the charts next week in this dormant sales time? Stay tuned to HipHopDX to find out.
