ChartWatch for July 13, 2010
Welcome back to ChartWatch where we watch the charts (It’s
pretty self explanatory.) and let you know some of the Hip Hop albums coming
out during the week. Plus I get the
opportunity to vent my random thoughts about all things Hip Hop related (like
right now I’m watching a repeat of the Def Jam Hip Hop Honors wondering if
anyone got fired for that awkward pairing of Warren G and Trey Songz. I mean Trey Songz does Nate Dogg’s verse…that
s*$% was horrible) so that’s good for me.
Let’s get into the charts.
Eminem starts the countdown at number one for the third time
in so many weeks. The Detroit rapper’s
seventh studio album, Recovery,
cracked a million last week and this week moves another 229,526 copies. I’ve been critical of Em over the last year
but this album is definitely a step up creatively. No funny voices and no imaginary pseudo thug
(like when he had that beef with Ja Rule and Em was doing his best 50 Cent
impression). The album just has good
lyrics and decent beats with a touch of that weird, serial killer craziness. Eminem’s total record sales for Recovery now total 1,308,494.
At number two is Drake whose debut album, Thank Me Later, continues to put up
decent numbers. This week the Canadian
MC racks up 73,178 copies bringing his total sales to 797,447. It’s pretty hard to go platinum these days
(unless your Eminem or Justin Bieber) so almost 800k in a month isn’t that
bad. It could be worse…he could be
Plies. His album sales fell harder
than…I don’t really have an analogy for Plies sales…but it was bad.
Eminem and Drake have been at the top of the charts for the
last three weeks now and this week they are joined by Atlanta native Big
Boi. His debut solo album, Sir Lucious Left Foot the Son of Chico Dusty,
enters the charts at number three and sells 59,043 copies. Not gonna lie…I was expecting more. Well not really. It’d be nice to see ½ of Outkast to have some
decent debut sales but I haven’t even seen a big push for this album. Lead single?
Video? MTV? Something?
Dropping down to the 24th spot is a group that
held this same position last week. The
Black Eyed Peas move another 14,398 copies of their fifth studio album, The E.N.D, bringing their total album
sales to 1.83 gazillion. Actually this
album is well over double platinum, moving around 2,639,216 copies to
date.
They are followed by B.o.B, whose debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, comes in at
number 25. To date the Atlanta rapper’s
debut album has sold 273,361 copies.
B.o.B, can we please get another single… because that airplanes joint
is being used as the theme music to some movie about a dude named Charlie St.
Cloud. Charlie St. Cloud? Congratulations on getting the soundtrack
placement because I’m sure that’s money in your pocket but I need to hear a new
song when I turn on the radio. Work on
that and get back to me.
The next group should be up higher on the charts but he all
know that sales don’t necessarily equal talent or artistic worth. Illmatic
took a decade to go platinum and Please
Hammer, Don’t Hurt Them was the first hip Hop album to go diamond. Don’t take this as a shot at Hammer. I had a few of his albums myself. It’s
just I listened to Illmatic last week
and I can’t remember the last time I listened to Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt Them.
I think I had a flat top.
(Commenter: First!
U hippocrate. If album sales
don’t matter then why did you make fun of Plies for having low album sales? U Fail.
Me: I didn’t make fun of Plies for having low
album sales. I made fun of Plies because he’s not a good artist. I just used his album sales as a vehicle for
the humor. By the way I think the word
you were trying to use was hypocrite.
Commenter: This is why AllHipHop is the worst site. I come here EVERYDAY and you guys LOVE Rick
Ross but then you clown Plies. Ya’lll
ain’t Hip Hop.
Me: The site is a collection of opinions…like a
magazine on your computer. I’m not a fan
of either artist you just named but if they put out a decent song I won’t
hate. Ross is getting a little better
with the rhymes and Plies…I got nothing for Plies.
Commenter:
Man. AllHipHop you should fire this
dude. He has no idea what he’s talking
about. Plies is the best rapper
ever! The list goes
Biggie…Tupac…Plies…and then my cousin Young Killreezy the great.)
Ok…..back to the column…..
The Roots come in at number 31 with their ninth studio
album, How I Got Over. I said it last week and I’ll say it
again…this is a good album. The
Philadelphia natives sold 12,603 copies bringing their total sales to
80,397.
Finally, Ludacris continues to hold on to the top fifty,
coming in this week at number forty eight, with his seventh studio album, Battle of the Sexes. The DTP leader moves 7,066 copies bringing
his total sales to 452,159. And….
Kelis sells 7,800 units of her first week with Flesh Tone. Eminem
Dropping This Week
What’s dropping this week?
It should be what isn’t dropping this week. We have a lot of albums coming out starting
off with a sequel of a Hip Hop favorite.
Capone-n-Noreaga drop The War
Report 2: Report the War
, thirteen years after their influential debut The War Report. The group’s fourth studio album features TheLox, Raekwon, Faith Evans, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Musaliny, T.H.U.G, and Avery
Storm. You got to pick this one up for
the nostalgia alone.
Houston’s own Paul Wall returns this week with his fifth
studio album, Heart of a Champion. The production for this album is split
between Travis Barker of Blink 182 and Beanz N Kornbread with guest appearances
from Lil’ Keke, Chamillionaire, Kid Sister, Bun B, Jim Jones, Yo Gotti, Z-Ro,
Devin the Dude, Jay Electronica, Raekwon, Yelawolf, Slim Thug, and Expensive
Taste.
Next up is Stat Quo whose debut, Statlanta, was supposed to be released in 2003. Well he did sign with the Aftermath/Shady
camp and if you’re not named after candy of some form of change (see that’s a
play on M&M’s and $0.50) you might not put out an album as quickly as you
would like. Ask Dawn Robinson, Joell
Ortiz, Rakim, Eve, Hittman, Bobby Creekwater, etc. Stat Quo’s debut features guest appearances from
Marsha Ambrosius, Esthero, Raheem DeVaughn, Devin The Dude, and Talib
Kweli. Congrats go out to Stat Quo for
finally putting out an album and who knows what the future holds. Eve went with Aftermath twice and, if the
rumors are true, Joel Ortiz and the Slaughterhouse are headed over to
Shady. They recognize good talent over
there (even if they don’t always release it on an album) so if you get a chance
buy a copy of Stat’s debut.
Normally I don’t even mention these compilations but this
one deserves some shine. Duckdown
records is celebrating its 15 year run in the music industry by releasing, 15 Years of Duckdown, a compilation
album consisting of tracks voted on by fans of the label. There are a couple of bonus tracks on there
as well so this is a nice representation of Duckdown’s history.
Finally, Curren$y drops his third studio album, Pilot Talk. This is not only Curren$y’s third album, but it
is also the first album on the re-launched Roc-A-Fella records. Pilot
Talk features Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Jay Electronica, Devin the Dude, and Big
K.R.I.T with production by Ski Beatz, Mos Def, Monsta Beatz, and Nesby
Phillips. Curren$y has been with No
Limit, Cash Money/Young Money, and now is working closely with Dame Dash and
Roc-A-Fella records. Fans of the New
Orleans rapper have been waiting on this one so there should be a few people
picking up copies.
Well that’s it for the ChartWatch and dropping this
week. We’ll see who puts up numbers next
week. (And did anyone notice Jay
Electronica and Devin the Dude guest appearing on a couple of albums in
dropping? Are we going to get another
album from the dude and a debut album from Jay?
Who knows…)