Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 10/9/2011

by Allen Jacobs

The charts get a ghost-sighting by way of Styles P. As Phonte, 9th Wonder and Evidence all depart from the Top 200, Dessa and DJ Shadow appear, while Kanye West and DJ Khaled return after weeks away.

After the monumental swarm to the charts last week, only J. Cole and 116 Clique remained from the new releases in Hip Hop. However, this next week, The L.O.X./D-Block's Styles P made a strong debut, as two major label releases returned to the charts, and Doomtree's first lady and Solesides co-founder earned a place at the table.
Cole World: The Sideline Story sold over 50,000 second-week units. Backed by Sony Records, Jay-Z's Roc Nation flagship maintained a Top 5 position in Week 2. Largely self-produced, the Fayetteville, North Carolina native's album featured Drake and Missy Elliott, in addition to Jay.
Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV gained a spot to #6. The platinum works features the likes of Tech N9ne, Andre 3000 and Nas, as the top-selling 2011 Hip Hop/Rap release.
Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch The Throne fell two more spots to #13. The Roc-A-Fella alumni's first collaborative album features production contributions from 88-Keys, RZA and Lex Luger. Kanye West's critically-acclaimed 2010 solo album, My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy also climbed over 50 places to return to the charts. Like WTT, the sork features contributions from the likes of Beyonce, RZA, Mike Dean and S1.
Speaking of, Beyonce and her 4 climbed two spots - five in the last two weeks. The pregnant Pop/R&B superstar's fourth solo offering features an appearance by Outkast's Andre 3000, along with production from Kanye West and his production team - including Jeff Bhasker, as well as a writing credit to former G.O.O.D. Music artist Consequence.
Yonkers, New York emcee Styles P's latest solo endeavor Master of Ceremonies debuted at #32. The longtime member of The L.O.X./D-Block's E1 Entertainment effort features contributions from veterans such as Warren G, Pete Rock and Pharoahe Monch. This is marketed as The Ghost's fourth studio solo, his first in nearly four years.
* Please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandth.
Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)

Rank	Artist	Album	This Week	Est. Total
5	J. Cole	Cole World: The Sideline Story	54,000	272,000
6	Lil Wayne	Tha Carter IV	53,000	1,506,000
13	Jay-Z & Kanye West	Watch The Throne	23,000	954,000
19	Beyonce	4	15,000	834,000
32	Styles P	Master of Ceremonies	11,000	11,000

One of the founding members of Solesides Records (a/k/a Quannum Projects), DJ Shadow debuted at #126 with his The Less You Know The Better. The veteran Davis, California deejay/producer/record collector's latest work, released on the legendary Verve imprint, features De La Soul's Posdnuos as well as Talib Kweli. This is Shadow's first album in over five years.
Speaking of deejays, DJ Khaled's 2011 Cash Money Records debut also returned to the charts. We The Best Forever climbed over 60 spots. The Universal Motown-backed effort features Big Sean, B.o.B. and Drake, among others.
Minneapolis, Minnesota emcee/poet Dessa's latest work Castor The Twin debuted on the charts at #177. This follows up last year's A Badly Broken Code for the Doomtree Records artist. Dessa hails from the rhyme crew of the same name, which includes the likes of P.O.S., Cecil Otter and Sims.
Veteran Houston, Texas Christian Rap group the 116 Clique's latest album, Man Up fell 96 spots in its second week. The Reach Records project ties into a film encouraging fathers to accept more accountability with their lives.

Rank	Artist	Album	This Week	Est. Total
126	DJ Shadow	The Less You Know The Better	3,300	3,400
134	DJ Khaled	We The Best Forever	3,200	129,000
147	Kanye West	My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy	3,000	1,212,000
177	Dessa	Castor The Twin	2,500	2,500
178	116 Clique	Man Up	2,500	6,600