Master P's 'Ghetto D' tops U.S. album chart

By ADAM SANDLER

Entrepreneur Master P, who surprised the industry in June with the success of the direct-to-video pic "I'm Bout It," which sold more than 50,000 copies, owns the bestselling album in the nation, according to sales data released Wednesday.

The rapper's "Ghetto D" disc, released on his own No Limit Records and distributed by Priority Records, topped the chart on sales of 260,000 copies. (The soundtrack to "I'm Bout It," bowed with 92,000 copies and has topped 600,000 copies in 16 weeks. The rapper's last album, released in 1996, sold 32,000 copies in its first week.)

Master P's solid bow pushed Puff Daddy & The Family's "No Way Out" disc down a notch to No. 2 with sales of 140,000 copies during the seven-day period that ended Sept. 7.

The Bad Boy/Arista Records disc has topped 1.7 million units since its bow seven weeks ago.

"Be Here Now," the eagerly awaited third album from English rock group Oasis, dropped seven spots to No. 9 on sales of 72,000 copies, roughly half of its tally last week.

The entrance of Master P, and the continued strong run of Puffy, who performed on the Sept. 4 MTV Music Video Awards, held Fleetwood Mac's "The Dance" at No. 3.

The Reprise Records disc logged 117,000 copies and represented an almost negligible decline from its 142,000 copies sold to consumers during the previous week.

A best-of set by country songstress Trisha Yearwood claimed the No. 4 spot on sales of 98,000 copies, making it the only country disc to grace the Top 20 of the pop charts.

Chart stalwart Jewel jumped three posts to No. 5 on sales of 92,000 copies for her Atlantic Records "Pieces of You" disc.

The rise by Jewel caused the Spice Girls to slide into the No. 6 position.

Their Virgin Records disc "Spice" landed in the hands of 88,000 consumers during the week and by doing so raised its overall sales total to more than 4.1 million copies in just over seven months of release.

The 84,000 unit tally logged by Matchbox 20's Atlantic Records disc "Yourself or Someone Like You" landed the disc at No. 7.

The sixth-month old disc, which continues to be primarily driven by the "Push" single, edged out Columbia Records/Sony Music Soundtrax's "Men in Black," which checked in at No. 8 with sales of 82,000 copies.

Prodigy rose a pair of slots to No. 10 on sales of 71,000 copies of its Maverick Records disc, "Fat of the Land."

Mercury Records teen trio Hanson fell out of the Top 10 for the first time as its "Middle of Nowhere" disc slid two notches to No. 11 on sales of 67,000 units.