Five new major label singles appeared this week. While Jay-Z & Kanye West’s88-Keys-produced album opener “No Church In The Wild” already sported six-figure sales, the latest single from Watch The Throne got down on the charts. Also included was the controversial new single from Lupe Fiasco that has Pete Rock unhappy, and new joints from T.I., Rick Ross and Waka Flocka Flame.
Lupe Fiasco Says “Freedom Ain’t Free” And Neither Is His Song
Said to be a Food & Liquor 2 cut, Lupe Fiasco’s new single “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)” drove headlines last week. The Simonsayz & B-Side cut samples (with permission) Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth on “T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You).” The New York producer and the Chicago emcee both released statements about a communication dispute, while over 50,000 fans paid for the single.
Wiz Khalifa & Maroon 5 Dial A Hit At The “Payphone”
Maroon 5’s second go-round with a Rostrum Records (following 2011’s Mac Millerremix of “Moves Like Jagger”) artist has transferred to a seven-figure-selling hit. “Payphone” appeared at #3 on this week’s Digital Singles chart, bumping Flo Rida from the top spot. Signed to Young Money Entertainment as a soloist, M5’s PJ Morton recently spoke to HipHopDX about getting down with the Pittsburgh emcee Wiz Khlifa’s vibe in a mutually-beneficial way.
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Hip Hop Digital Singles Sales: The Week Ending 5/27/2012
#3. Maroon 5 f. Wiz Khalifa – “Payphone” – 199,000 (1,635,000)
#5. Pitbull – “Back In Time” – 147,000 (560,000)
#8. Flo Rida f. Sia – “Wild Ones” – 134,000 (2,420,000)
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#11. Nicki Minaj – “Starships” – 103,000 (2,033,000)
#22. Kanye West f. Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz – “Mercy” – 66,000 (671,000)
#26. Lupe Fiasco – “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)” – 54,000 (54,000)
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#59. T.I. – “Like That” – 29,000 (29,000)
#78. Rick Ross featuring Usher – “Touch’N You” – 24,000 (24,000)
#111. Waka Flocka Flame – “Rooster In My Rari” – 16,000 (16,000)
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#175. Jay-Z & Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean – “No Church In The Wild” – 9,100 (314,000)
* data comes from Nielsen Soundscan, rounded to nearest thousandth for units above 10,000, nearest hundredth for units below 10,000. Each week, HipHopDX presents top albums in Hip Hop/related, and five notables.
