As projections stated, J. Cole cleared 200,000 units with his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story. The Roc Nation artist scored a #1, and with a margin of over 50,000 units. With Phonte and 9th Wonder also having impressive debut weeks on the chart, the last days of September, 2011 are undoubtedly the biggest ever, for North Carolina Hip Hop.
Cole World sold over 215,000 first-week units. Backed by Sony Records, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation flagship artist achieved a #1 debut at just 26 years old. Largely self-produced, the Fayetteville, North Carolina native’s album featured Drake and Missy Elliott, in addition to Jay.
Lil Wayne‘s Tha Carter IV slipped two places to #7. The platinum works features the likes of Tech N9ne, Andre 3000 and Nas, as the top-selling 2011 Hip Hop/Rap release.
Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne fell two spots of its own to #11. The Roc-A-Fella alumni’s first collaborative album features production contributions from 88-Keys, RZA and Lex Luger.
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Jay’s wife Beyonce and her4 climbed three spots. The pregnant Pop/R&B superstar’s fourth solo offering features an appearance by Outkast’s Andre 3000, along with production from Kanye West and his production team – including Jeff Bhasker, as well as a writing credit to former G.O.O.D. Music artist Consequence.
Royce Da 5’9 and Eminem (as Bad Meets Evil) and their album, Hell: The Sequel fell just one spot to #33. The album features production from Mobb Deep’s Havoc, Mr. Porter and Self Scientific’s DJ Khalil.
* 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 | J. Cole | Cole World: The Sideline Story | 217,000 | 218,000 |
| 7 | Lil Wayne | Tha Carter IV | 68,000 | 1,452,000 |
| 11 | Jay-Z & Kanye West | Watch The Throne | 28,000 | 930,000 |
| 21 | Beyonce | 4 | 16,000 | 818,000 |
| 33 | Eminem & Royce Da 5’9 (Bad Meets Evil) | Hell: The Sequel | 11,000 | 552,000 |
It was a historic week for fans of Little Brother. Emcee/singer Phonte delivered his solo debut, Charity Starts At Home. Self-released on Foreign Exchange Music, with E1 distribution, the thematic works was a creative reunion with former band-mate 9th Wonder, who produced much of the album. The independent effort also featured vocal appearances by Evidence, Elzhi and Big K.R.I.T. Charity very nearly cracked the Top 50, selling over 8,000 units.
Speaking of Evidence, the Dilated Peoples emcee’s first project with Rhymesayers Entertainment, Cats & Dogs, was within 500 units of his North Carolina collaborator. The Los Angeles, California rapper/producer’s latest solo effort sold over 7,500 copies, with production by DJ Premier, Alchemist and Babu, in addition to himself. RSE’s co-founder Slug also appears on the work, along with label-mate Aesop Rock.
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Close behind, 9th Wonder’s long-awaited The Wonder Years album debuted at #70. The former Little Brother producer/deejay’s album was a carry-over from his tenure at Asylum Records. The latest carnation of the work has the Grammy Award-winning North Carolina mainstay in the lab with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Warren G and Mac Miller, in addition to his own WWMG/Jamla roster of Skyzoo, Thee Tom Hardy and Rapsody. An iTunes edition boasted three additional songs.
Houston, Texas Christian Rap group the 116 Clique released their latest album, Man Up, in conjunction with Reach Records and Lecrae’s film. The effort landed the trio’s fourth album a Top 100 debut. Meanwhile, label-mate Lecrae’s Rehab also bounced back onto the charts in a major way, at #109. According to data, the 2010 Reach Records project has sold over 115,000 copies to date.
Another H-Town act, emcee/singer Z-Ro’s latest “drug” series album, Meth, sold another 2,500 units. The Screwed Up Click alum has previously released Crack, Cocaine and Heroin. The fourth album in the series, released by Rap-A-Lot Records, features Willie D, Yo Gotti and Slim Thug.
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 56 | Phonte | Charity Starts At Home | 8,000 | 8,100 |
| 59 | Evidence | Cats & Dogs | 7,700 | 7,700 |
| 70 | 9th Wonder | The Wonder Years | 6,500 | 6,500 |
| 82 | 116 Clique | Man Up | 5,500 | 5,500 |
| 187 | Z-Ro | Meth | 2,500 | 7,900 |
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Styles P’s Master of Ceremonies is expected to chart, but where? Will Kurupt be able to hit the Top 200 of the charts with Penagon Rydaz after missing them last month with The Academy? Stay tuned to HipHopDX to find out.
