Common‘s buddies The Jonas Brothas took the top spot this week, but The Black Eyed Peas [click to read] moved ever-so-comfortly to #2 with their smash The E.N.D. [click to read]. The album, almost entirely produced by will.i.am sold over a quarter million units in its first week, remarkable for a group, who five years ago, was at risk of losing their label support due to market disinterest. How will the newfound Perez Hilton controversy affect the album moving into next week though, with so much BEP publicity?
Eminem‘s Relapse [click to read], separated by Dave Matthews Band‘s latest album, came in at #4, an impressive feat for 2009. As “Beautiful” becomes a radio single, will another crop of fans get behind Marshall?
Beyonce made #26 with I Am… Sasha Fierce [click to read]. She also held down 10 places lower with her Above & Beyonce collection, new last week.
With his first “proper” release in five years, Mos Def proved mighty still, managed a Top 30 week two with The Ecstatic [click to read]. The emcee’s debut in the Atlantic Records system, sees him working with veteran underground Hip Hop producers Madlib, Oh No and Preservation, while cracking the mic with Talib Kweli and Slick Rick.
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Keri Hilson proves ever-strong, as the Interscope star stayed Top 40, inching here way towards a gold plaque with the debut In A Perfect World [click to read].
* please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandeth.
Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 2 | The Black Eyed Peas | The E.N.D. | 148,000 | 452,000 |
| 4 | Eminem | Relapse | 72,000 | 1,122,000 |
| 26 | Beyonce | I Am…Sasha Fierce | 17,000 | 2,253,000 |
| 29 | Mos Def | The Ecstatic | 16,000 | 55,000 |
| 34 | Keri Hilson | In A Perfect World | 15,000 | 355,000 |
Boots Riley of The Coup [click to read] fame made an impressive return to the charts with a Top 40 debut of his Street Sweeper Social Club project [click to read]. The outing pairs Boots with Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave fame in a Rock/Rap hybrid with lots of energy and opinion.
Redman & Method Man‘s [click to view] sequel, Blackout 2 [click to read], cracked the 100,000 units sold mark. The Def Jam release, featuring production from veterans such as Havoc, Pete Rock and Erick Sermon remains in the Top 75, despite limited radio play.
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Northern California rapper Tha Jacka [click to read] made a Top 100 debut with his album Tear Gas [click to read]. Being the rapper’s first official studio album, the outing features an extensive guest list including the late Andre Nickatina and Cormega.
Cam’ron‘s [click to read] Crime Pays [click to read] approaches 80,000 overall units sold. Will it get there before leaving the Top 200?
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Another “blackout” collaborative release, DJ Quik & Kurupt‘s [click to read] BlaQKout [click to read], fell considerably in its second week. The critically-acclaimed project sits at less than 13,000 units sold in only two weeks on shelves.
Other Notables
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 37 | Street Sweeper Social Club | self-titled | 14,000 | 14,000 |
| 70 | Method Man & Redman | Blackout 2 | 7,700 | 110,000 |
| 94 | Tha Jacka | Tear Gas | 5,800 | 5,800 |
| 179 | Cam’ron | Crime Pays | 3,200 | 79,000 |
| 191 | DJ Quik & Kurupt | BlaQKout | 3,000 | 12,000 |
With over 10 Rap releases before month’s end, can U-God or Grand Puba get a chart spot? Will dead prez wave the flag high? Stay tuned to HipHopDX to find out.
