Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/5/2009

The Black Eyed Peas still maintained a Top 5 spot with The E.N.D., 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, 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.

There were three debuts in the Top 25 as well. DJ Khaled’s Def Jam artist Ace Hood made a lukewarm start to his sophomore, assist-heavy album, Ruthless. Perhaps more surprising, Maino, 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….

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.

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.

Mos Def trudges towards a 100,000 with his Downtown Records debut The Ecstatic. 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, although approximated, surpassed the 300,000 mark with his acclaimed The Last Kiss. 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 closed out the overall Top 200 with his Crime Pays 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.