Rapper 50 Cent has turned out to be worth a lot more than that to the music biz, keeping an iron grip on the top spot in the album charts and powering his way to a second consecutive week of sales well north of 800,000 units.
The Eminem protege has scanned almost 1.7 million units to date of his aptly named disc "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" (Interscope/Shady/Aftermath). His stratospheric debut perf last week alone earned 50 Cent the title of best opening week of all time for a major-label debut.
Last week marked 50 Cent's first full week of sales -- "Get Rich" shipped several days early to thwart digital pirates, but bowed two days after the customary Tuesday street date in its debut session.
The hip-hop star once again trounced his nearest competition -- the Dixie Chicks -- many times over, despite a healthy gain from the country trio. The Chicks' latest effort "Home" (Columbia/Open Wide) boosted sales by 49% to just under 171,000 discs.
In fact, albums posted sales gains virtually across the board in the top 200; in the upper 50 alone, just four releases suffered a downturn in sales from the prior session (including a modest 6% decline for 50 Cent himself).
Strong week for vets
Many of this week's biggest gains were logged by chart veterans.
"It Had To Be You: the Great American Songbook" (J Records) from Rod Stewart moved ahead 16 places to 10 on an 87% increase in sales. The self-titled Warner Bros. disc from classically trained singer Josh Groban nearly doubled sales, jumping 19 spots to 11.
Country crooner Tim McGraw's "Tim McGraw & the Dancehall Doctors" (Curb) jumped 15 places to 24, on an 83% sales jump. And muzak titans Mannheim Steamroller took advantage of Valentine's Day to boost sales of "Romantic Melodies" (AMG) by more than 320%.
There was also a solid slate of new releases making their way on to the charts this week, led by country veteran George Strait. His live collection "For the Last Time: Live From The Astrodome" (MCA Nashville) sold nearly 101,000 copies, good enough to claim seventh place.
Fellow twanger and labelmate Vince Gill hit the street at 14 with "Next Big Thing" (MCA Nashville), shifting just shy of 67,000 discs. The Warner compilation release "Grammy Nominees 2003" bowed at 16 with 65,000 units sold, and a live double disc from John Mayer titled "Any Given Thursday" (Columbia) landed at 17, scanning nearly 64,000 copies.
Next week could hold a rare piece of good news for accused child pornographer R. Kelly -- the R&B star's latest Jive Records LP "Chocolate Factory" may prove a strong rival for 50 Cent's throne at the top of the charts.
Contact the Variety newsroom at
news@variety.com