Detroit, Michigan veteran emcee Royce Da 5’9 scored his first #1 album this week, by way of a partnership with longtime collaborator and friend Eminem. Bad Meets Evil’s first full-length, Hell: The Sequel, found the Slaughterhouse-D12 connection commemorating the new Shady Records roster, with a project that had been hinted at for over 10 years. The project grabbed the #1 by a margin of approximately 10,000 units, with production by Havoc, Mr. Porter and veteran underground Hip Hop producer Joey Chavez.
Bruno Mars, who worked on Hell: The Sequel, and his Doo-Wops & Hooligans landed the #22 spot.
Kansas City, Missouri emcee Tech N9ne and his All 6’s & 7’s maintained a Top 25 sophomore week on the charts. The Strange Music release has presently sold just under 75,000 overall units. This project features a number of high-profile guests, including Yelawolf, B.o.B. and Lil Wayne.
Wiz Khalifa‘s major label debut Rolling Papers is headed towards gold status. The Rostrum/Atlantic Records release features Chevy Woods, Curren$y and Too Short. A few units behind, Rihanna’s Loudgrabbed the #28 spot.
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* Please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandth.
Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 1 | Bad Meets Evil (Eminem & Royce Da 5’9) | Hell: The Sequel | 171,000 | 171,000 |
| 22 | Bruno Mars | Doo-Wops & Hooligans | 18,000 | 1,109,000 |
| 23 | Tech N9ne | All 6’s & 7’s | 18,000 | 74,000 |
| 27 | Wiz Khalifa | Rolling Papers | 14,000 | 459,000 |
| 28 | Rihanna | Loud | 14,000 | 1,326,000 |
As stores were filled with Bad Meets Evil buyers, Eminem’s 2010 album, Recovery, noticed some chart growth. The album climbed seven spots to #37. The work also features production from Mobb Deep’s Havoc and D12’s Mr. Porter.
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Rick Ross‘ re-vamped Maybach Music Group roster fell 14 spots with their new compilation, Self-Made, Volume 1. Now backed by Warner Brothers, the trio of Wale, Pill and Meek Mill sold another 11,000 units – just a thousand less than last week. MMG’s Teedra Moses, Stalley and veteran Gunplay of Triple C’s also appear on the project.
Onetime Boyz N Da Hood member Gorilla Zoe returned with his third album landing a Top 50 debut. No Longer signed to Bad Boy Records, the E1 Entertainment artist’s latest work, King Kong, features Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti and Lil Jon.
Another super-group with Michigan ties impressed the charts this week. Random Axe, consisting of Heltah Skeltah’s Sean Price, Guilty Simpson and producer/emcee Black Milk, sold over 7,000 first-week units. The Duck Down Records project has been in the works for over two years, and landed a #73 debut. Guests include Roc Marciano, Trick-Trick and Rockness Monstah.
Like Em, Rick Ross benefitted with a surge of sales from his recent project. The Maybach Music Group leader’s 2010 solo album, Teflon Don, climbed eight spots, as it inches towards 650,000 sold.
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 37 | Eminem | Recovery | 12,000 | 3,905,000 |
| 46 | Maybach Music Group Presents… | Self-Made, Volume 1 | 11,000 | 101,000 |
| 49 | Gorilla Zoe | King Kong | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| 73 | Random Axe (Sean Price, Black Milk & Guilty Simpson) | Random Axe | 7,300 | 7,400 |
| 150 | Rick Ross | Teflon Don | 3,500 | 638,000 |
Will Blaq Poet and Rhymesayers’ Grieves shock the charts? Will Random Axe go on to be Duck Down Records’ best-seller in a high-profile year? Stay tuned to HipHopDX.
