The seemingly unstoppable rap phenom 50 Cent regained control of the album charts last week, wresting the No. 1 spot from Grammy goddess Norah Jones despite "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " having a sales decline of more than 15% in the latest session.
Queens, N.Y., rapper's Interscope/Aftermath album sent nearly 360,000 units out the door, with cumulative sales scraping 3 million copies after less than a month on the record racks.
Meanwhile, Jones' wild post-Grammy ride seemed to calm down a bit in the frame as sales ebbed by 46% to a still-staggering 337,000 units. Singer, who took home five golden gramophones last month, has sold almost 4.6 million discs in a year on the charts.
Warner Music scores
Warner Music had a big week on the new release front, claiming two of the top five with debut discs in what is normally a quiet time for new material. Landing at third was Brooklyn rapper Fabolous, whose sophomore effort for Elektra Records titled "Street Dreams" scanned 185,000 copies.
And self-styled "queen bee" Lil' Kim grabbed fifth place with her second major-label effort "La Bella Mafia" (Atlantic). LP, which features guest spots from 50 Cent and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, sold more than 166,000 units.
Two spots below Kim was Arkansas-based alt-rock quartet Evanescence, who managed an impressive seventh-place bow with their debut effort "Fallen" on Wind-Up Records, the indie that's also home to multiplatinum rockers Creed. "Fallen" scanned almost 142,000 copies.
Several more records breached the top 25 in an unusually heavy week for the sleepy first quarter. The children's disc "Kidz Bop Kids Vol. 3" (Razor & Tie) landed at 17 with sales of 55,000; "Offerings II: All I Have to Give" (Essential/Zomba) from Christian rockers Third Day sold 53,000 and took 18th place; and "So Long Astoria" (Columbia) from the Ataris claimed No. 24, shifting nearly 45,000 discs.
50 Cent is on track to continue his chart dominance in next week's frame, with no blockbusters on deck with a strong chance of unseating him. There are a few strong releases on the way, however, including new material from Killer Mike, Everclear and Ben Harper.
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