This week, Eminem enters the charts with a #1 album. Drake remains in the Top 10 overall, Lecrae debuts with a Top 25 release and Tech N9ne debuts in the Top 35.
Going into this week, sales projections were made for Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2. Projections noted that the album was set to likely secure the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. According to billboard.com, the album was set to possibly sell between 700,000 and 750,000 units in its first week. Today, the chart was released, noting Eminem surpassed sales projections.
Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 Lands At #1
Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 sold more than 793,000 copies in its first week. The album debuted at # 1 overall. Recently, Eminem spoke with Rolling Stone about the making of this album. “I feel like right now I’m probably working harder than I’ve ever worked in my life,” Eminem said. “And I’ve probably worked harder on this record than any other record aside from maybe the time period during The Eminem Show, which is a little hazy ’cause just so much shit was going on at that time. Just being so busy with The Eminem Show and doing the 8 Mile movie, and the soundtrack and the score to the movie. This is probably the equivalent of that but all focused on the record mostly.”
Outside of opening at #1 with The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Eminem also had other albums make leaps on the chart. The album’s predecessor, 2000’s The Marshall Mathers LP, went from #106 to #30 this week, selling more than 10,000 copies. The project has sold more than 10,766,000 units to date. Eminem’s 2002 album The Eminem Show moved up from #100 to #58, selling just under 7,000 copies this week. That album has moved more than 10,270,000 units to date. Eminem’s 2010 release Recovery also moved up on the charts, jumping from #99 to #64. The album sold more than 6,000 copies this week. It’s sold more than 4,508,000 to date. Eminem’s Curtain Call compilation moved up from #157 to #94 with sales totaling more than 5,000 for the week. To date, Curtain Call has sold more than 3,778,000 copies. Eminem’s 1999 release The Slim Shady LP, which was not on the Top 200 last week, moved into #115 this week, selling more than 4,000 copies. The project has moved more than 5,433,000 units to date. Eminem’s 2004 album, Encore, at #158 this week, sold more than 3,000 copies to move its total up to more than 5,343,000 overall. Eminem’s 2009 project Relapse, #159 this week, sold more than 3,000 copies. Relapse has sold more than 2,335,000 units to date.
Drake’s Nothing Was The Same Remains In Top 10
Drake’s Nothing Was The Same remains in the Top 10 this week, landing at #7. The album sold approximately 37,000 units this week. Last week, Nothing Was The Same reached the platinum sales marker. This week, Drake’s Nothing Was The Same sales totals moved up to 1,066,000 units after seven weeks in stores. Drake released the music video for his “Worst Behavior” selection off the album this week. The video for “Worst Behavior” includes cameos from his father, Dennis Graham, and fellow rappers, including Bun B. Drake is also currently promoting the album on his “Would You Like A Tour?” tour, a run that features Future.
Lecrae Breaks Into Top 25 With Church Clothes Vol. 2
Lecrae broke into the #21 slot in this week’s charts with Church Clothes Vol. 2. Lecrae’s second installment in the Church Clothes series sold more than 15,000 units this week. Although Lecrae had this type of success in sales this week, he was recently asked if it bothered him that many radio stations do not play his music. “I’d definitely be lying if I said it didn’t,” he said in an interview with MySpace. “But I get it. I’m not naïve…My music doesn’t get played on the radio, so I might as well make good, timeless music.” Lecrae also spoke about the album and its features during a recent interview with BET‘s “106 & Park.” “As I have matured as a person, you get to hear the growth of me as an artist,” Lecrae said during the interview. “[I have] a lot more comfortability in my own skin and [I’m] getting to say some of the things that I will uniquely say, but great production, got David Banner and Boi-1da on there. Features from Paul Wall, B.o.B and Kevin Ross, it’s going to be a good situation.”
Tech N9ne Breaks Into Top 35 With Therapy
Tech N9ne’s Therapy Sessions With Ross Robinson EP landed at #32 this week. The project features “Public School,” a song that Tech recently spoke with HipHopDX about. “It’s a song that’s bitter about my education back then,”Tech N9ne says during an exclusive interview with HipHopDX. “Now keep in mind that I’m the #1 independent rapper, they say. So I did this with the education I have, business savvy and everything. But I’m just thinking, what would I have been with a bit more information? I could talk to way more people. When I went to France, I couldn’t speak. Motherfuckers had French in school. I didn’t have it. They rather give me an hour and something in gym. I skipped it and fucked. I did, in the hallways, in the little stairwells. I skipped it, every day and fucked. I could have been doing other things, and that’s what ‘Public School’ is about, is me being bitter about some of my teachers, because education is the key to everything, to unlock any door. That’s what I think.”
Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 11/10/2013
#1. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP 2 – 793,000 (793,000)
#7. Drake – Nothing Was The Same – 37,000 (1,066,000)
#21. Lecrae – Church Clothes Vol. 2 – 15,000 (15,000)
#29. Linkin Park – Recharged – 11,000 (43,000)
#30. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP – 10,000 (10,766,000)
#32. Tech N9ne – Therapy Sessions With Ross Robinson– 10,000 (10,000)
#50. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist – 8,000 (1,132,000)
#58. Eminem – The Eminem Show – 7,000 (10,270,000)
#64. Eminem – Recovery – 7,000 (4,509,000)
#65. Jay Z – Magna Carta…Holy Grail – 6,000 (1,054,000)
#87. Pusha T – My Name Is My Name – 6,000 (119,000)
#99. DJ Khaled – Suffering From Success – 5,000 (41,000)
#100. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city – 5,000 (1,082,000)
* data comes from Nielsen Soundscan, rounded to nearest thousand for units above 10,000, nearest hundred for units below 10,000. Each week, HipHopDX presents top albums in Hip Hop/related, and five notables.
Will Drake remain at the top of the Rap charts next week? Stay tuned to HipHopDX.
