The Black Eyed Peas [click to read] still maintained a Top 5 spot with The E.N.D. [click to read], despite a lot of radio airwave attention properly diverting to Michael Jackson in the last week and a half. Fergie, will.i.am and the gang may surpsise some as 2009’s second platinum album, after Eminem, affirming Interscope’s returning reign.
Speaking of, Em‘s Relapse [click to read], remains strong, staying in the Top 10 and eclipsing 1.2 million. The Detroit rapper’s album switched fully into “Beautiful” as its next single. With a new video, the superstar may see a swarm of new fans.
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There were three debuts in the Top 25 as well. DJ Khaled‘s Def Jam artist Ace Hood [click to read] made a lukewarm start to his sophomore, assist-heavy album, Ruthless. Perhaps more surprising, Maino [click to read], who had a heavy rotation single in “All Of The Above” (his second on the album), came just behind, with 18,000 overall units sold of If Tomorrow Comes… [click to read].
More surprising, Def Jam rookie Jeremih watched his self-titled album carry him into a Top 10 spot, with nearly 60,000 units sold. The young Chicago sensation may have some chart copulation in the cards to go along with his “Birthday Sex.”
* please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandeth.
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Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 5 | The Black Eyed Peas | The E.N.D. | 70,000 | 610,000 |
| 6 | Jeremih | Jeremih | 59,000 | 59,000 |
| 9 | Eminem | Relapse | 39,000 | 1,207,000 |
| 23 | Ace Hood | Ruthless | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| 25 | Maino | If Tomorrow Comes… | 18,000 | 18,000 |
The RZA-backed Wu Tang Presents…Chamber Music [click to read] project debuted in the Top 50. With extensive production from M.O.P.‘s Lil Fame (as Fizzy Womack) and a historic guest-list (Masta Ace, Kool G Rap, Sadat X), the unofficial Wu-Tang Clan compilation album is one of the brand’s most impressive outings in a year that already witnessed Top 10 charting from Method Man.
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Mos Def trudges towards a 100,000 with his Downtown Records debut The Ecstatic [click to read]. With appearances from an assortment of underground Hip Hop artists and producers, and interludes courtesy of the 1977 cult film Killer Of Sheep, Dante is garnering his first critical acclaim in Hip Hop in five years.
Jadakiss [click to read], although approximated, surpassed the 300,000 mark with his acclaimed The Last Kiss [click to read]. His frequent collaborator Lil Wayne [click to read] remained in Top 75, selling Tha Carter III [click to read] within a 300 unit range of Mos Def.
Cam’ron [click to read] closed out the overall Top 200 with his Crime Pays [click to read] album. At this rate, the comeback effort may fail to eclipse the 100,000 unit mark, though the Harlem veteran continues to tour, make videos and release material.
Other Notables
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 49 | Wu-Tang Presents… | Chamber Music | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| 69 | Mos Def | The Ecstatic | 6,600 | 71,000 |
| 71 | Lil Wayne | Tha Carter III | 6,400 | 3,197,000 |
| 134 | Jadakiss | The Last Kiss | 3,600 | 303,000 |
| 200 | Cam’ron | Crime Pays | 2,400 | 84,000 |
With an Eminem appearance on Chemical Warfare, will Alchemist follow Wu-Tang with a Top 50 debut for E1 Records? Stay tuned to HipHopDX to find out.
