Hip Hop Singles Sales: Week Ending 03/09/14

This week, Pharrell’s “Happy” remains in the #1 position on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. The Top 10 also features Rick Ross’s “Sanctified” making its debut, while Young Money featuring Drake’s “Trophies” jumped 30 percent in sales this week.

Pharrell’s “Happy” Is #1

Pharrell Williams‘ “Happy” is the #1 song on the chart this week. In its sixteenth week, Williams’ song sold 490,185 copies, a 19 percent increase from last week’s 412,736 units. Overall, Williams’s cut has sold 2,623,450 units. The selection appeared on last year’s Despicable Me 2 soundtrack and is also the rapper-producer-singer’s lead single form his G  I  R  L album, which is available for streaming now.

Pharrell recently spoke with HipHopDX about his new album. “I wanted to stick to my subject matter, which was my full spectrum version of appreciation for women—which is why I named the album G  I  R  L,” Pharrell said in the HipHopDX exclusive. “That’s capital letters with two spaces between each letter. I just wanted to focus in on that.” 

Rick Ross’s “Sanctified” Debuts At #8

Rick Ross’s “Sanctified” makes its debut on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart this week at #8. The song is culled from the Miami rapper’s Mastermind album, which is the #1 album in the country this week. “Sanctified” sold 38,950 copies this week, while Mastermind sold 178,880 units.

Mastermind received 3 out of 5Xs in its HipHopDX review, which includes a discussion of “Sanctified.” “Rick Ross has seemingly run out of moves,” the review says. “His imagery isn’t quite as awe-inspiring as say Kanye West’s, and this truth is magnified when the two egos are juxtaposed next to one another (“Sanctified”). While Kanye is transposing himself with Muhammad Ali and washing his sins in the blood of Jesus and boldly second guessing God’s direct message the most grandiose thing Ross can muster is an ill-fated (and perhaps uninformed) comparison to fallen Waco cult leader David Koresh. It feels tired and uninspired.”

Young Money f. Drake’s “Trophies” Enjoys 30% Sales Spike

Young Money f. Drake’s “Trophies” enjoyed a 30 percent sales spike this week. It moved 38,036 units this week compared to 29,306 last week.

The song is featured on Young Money’s Rise Of An Empire album, which earned 2.5 out of 5Xs in its HipHopDX review. The review called “Trophies” “canned fanfare.” 

The trailer Drake released for his 2013 album, Nothing Was The Same, featured the Hit-Boy-produced“Trophies” playing in the background, but the song did not make the album. After teasing its release, the selection surfaced on the web in December. Hit-Boy says he was more than frustrated with the track’s rollout.  

“Frustration is an understatement,” Hit-Boy says in an interview with Stashed TV. “But it’s love. I got respect for Drake. He knows what’s best for him. He’s been dictating his career since Day One.

R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales: Week Ending 03/09/2014

#1. Pharrell Williams – “Happy” – 490,185 (2,623,450)

#2. John Legend – “All Of Me” – 210,159 (1,665,334)

#3. Jason Derulo f. 2 Chainz – “Talk Dirty” – 195,427 (1,999,567)

#4. Aloe Blacc – “The Man” – 108,238 (1,396,365)

#5. Beyonce f. Jay Z – “Drunk In Love” – 83,425 (1,139,139)

#6. Kid Ink f. Chris Brown – “Show Me” – 58,970 (922,970)

#7. Eminem f. Rihanna – “The Monster” – 41,711 (3,226,950) 

#8. Rick Ross f. Kanye West & – “Sanctified” – 38,950 (40,013)

#9. YG f. Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan – “My Hitta” – 38,297 (1,166,329)

#10. Young Money f. Drake – “Trophies” – 38,036 (67,342)

All sales data is courtesy of Nielsen Soundscan.

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