In a week without strong new release, R&B divas Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige and Keyshia Cole held the top of the charts with #2, #3 and #11 spots respectively while Lupe Fiasco continued to be rap’s runaway success story of early ’08. The Chicago emcee held the #17 slot for the second week in a row, selling another 30,782 units (229,259 overall) in his third week – despite limited radio exposure.
The coveted #1 spot went to longtime Hip Hop-approved rock outfit Radiohead with their In Rainbows selling122,323 units (131,165 overall), despite being considered a first-week sale. Below is a glimpse of the urban acts (excluding Black Eyed Peas‘ Pop princess Fergie).
Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Total |
| 2 | Alicia Keys | As I Am | 112,444 | 2,655,668 |
| 3 | Mary J Blige | Growing Pains | 89,084 | 924,520 |
| 6 | Chris Brown | Exclusive | 40,787 | 1,092,063 |
| 11 | Keyshia Cole | Just Like You | 34,973 | 975,657 |
| 17 | Lupe Fiasco | The Cool | 30,782 | 229,259 |
The notables held rank from last week, with Birdman moving ahead of Timbaland, despite a tenth of overall sales behind the recently platinum-certified Virginia super-producer. Jay-Z, though consistent on the charts despite radio and video decline, continues to push towards platinum as Kanye West likely readies another single from Graduation forecasting another surge in chart movement.
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Other Notables…
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Total |
| 21 | Soulja Boy | Souljaboytellem.com | 24,286 | 682,766 |
| 26 | Jay-Z | American Gangster | 23,669 | 911,004 |
| 33 | Kanye West | Graduation | 22,667 | 1,914,585 |
| 36 | Birdman | 5*Stunna | 21,459 | 193,370 |
| 83 | Wu-Tang Clan | 8 Diagrams | 11,267 | 132,248 |
As March becomes the next pivotal release month, will Lil Wayne or another rapper deliver a sneak attack to warm the winter? Will Webbie and Dem Franchise Boyz prevail in ringtone rap, or will Saigon and Nas be Hip Hop saviors this warm winter?
