The diva is back in the building. Mariah Carey‘s latest, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel[click to read] led the urban charts, selling just under a 170,000. This effort gained street support with help from Gucci Mane [click to read] on “Obsessed (Remix).” Mariah came right behind Paramore and perhaps the quintessential diva herself, Barbra Streisand, known in Hip Hop circles for creating the popular sample “Woman In Love,” used most famously on Royce Da 5’9″s “Life.”
After Breaking Benjamin and Alice In Chains debut releases at #4 and #5 respectively, Jay-Z [click to read] held strong with Blueprint 3 [click to read]. The record will see platinum in just under a month, although it fell a mere 3,000 units short last week. Whitney Houston slid nine spots, though I Look To You remains one of the biggest comeback albums of 2009.
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Drake continues to reinvent EP success with So Far Gone [click to listen]. Best Buy has the effort priced at $6.99, and included the Canadian star’s hits, “Successful” and “Best I Ever Had” as well as “Fear” [click to listen] which acknowledges one-time peers Little Brother and Slum Village.
The Black Eyed Peas [click to read] slipped to #22. With continued radio success, the Hip-Pop veterans may use The E.N.D. [click to read] to become the beginning of a rumored re-negotiation period with longtime label A&M Records, part of the Interscope family.
* 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 |
| 3 | Mariah Carey | Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel | 168,000 | 169,000 |
| 6 | Jay-Z | Blueprint 3 | 89,000 | 997,000 |
| 13 | Whitney Houston | I Look To You | 51,000 | 672,000 |
| 20 | Drake | So Far Gone | 31,000 | 141,000 |
| 22 | Black Eyed Peas | The E.N.D. | 29,000 | 1,169,00 |
Ghostface Killah [click to read] experienced a shockingly low debut sales week with the experimental Ghostdini: The Wizard Of Poetry In The Emerald City [click to read]. The Def Jam effort did not crack the Top 25, as it sold less than 20,000. Ghost‘s longtime rhyme partner Raekwon [click to read] tries to climb towards the 200,000 mark with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 [click to read]. Released through Chef‘s own Ice Water imprint, he was backed and distributed by the ’09-secret success story, EMI Records. The album is Rae‘s most elaborate to date, with Dr. Dre, RZA, Erick Sermon, Alchemist, J Dilla, Pete Rock and Marley Marl all contributing production. The duo is supposed to join Method Man on a trio LP in 2010.
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Another Def Jam debut came in a bit low. Disturbing Tha Peace‘s Playaz Circle [click to read] struggled with their sophomore LP, Flight 360: The Takeoff [click to read], debuting at #74. Without the popularity of a single like “Duffle Bag Boy,” the duo of Tity Boi and Dolla saw a considerable drop-off from their 2007 debut.
Skyzoo [click to read] had an impressive independent debut of his The Salvation [click to read] first full-length. The Duck Down/Jamla release was executive produced by 9th Wonder [click to read], and boasts production from Just Blaze and Nottz [click to read].
Lastly Mack 10 [click to read] made his returning, reviving the Hoo Bangin’ imprint on Soft White [click to read]. The Fontana-released effort features a lot of Mack’s Cash Money Records cohorts, as well as his own artists, Glasses Malone [click to read] and Red Cafe.
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| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Est. Total |
| 28 | Ghostface Killah | Ghostdini: The Wizard Of Poetry In The Emerald City | 19,000 | 19,000 |
| 61 | Raekwon | Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 | 10,000 | 111,000 |
| 74 | Playaz Circle | Flight 360: The Takeoff | 7,900 | 8,000 |
| 126 | Skyzoo | The Salvation | 4,500 | 4,600 |
| 141 | Mack 10 | Soft White | 3,800 | 3,900 |
Will Fat Joe make jealous ones envy? Will Saigon get on the charts again in ’09? Stay tuned to HipHopDX to find out.
