This week we see three r'n'b singers are charting on Charts Don't Lie. On top of this, hip-hop is also keeping itself near the top half of the charts, with help from Kendrick Lamar and Meek Mill. With Nicki Minaj and Rihanna both dropping big albums next week, it doesn't seem like hip-hop will be leaving the charts any time soon. It's always impressive to see a rapper atop the charts, as it's a feat we don't see every day, but now it seems like we are seeing it more and more. Obviously, hip-hop is diversifying, whether it's for better or worse. Nicki Minaj is a testament to this, as the femcee brought hip-hop to the mainstream (and then turned it pop), but still, is this not an important step for all of the hip-hop genre, to find acceptance from the general public? Or do we see this in a negative light, as it's watering down what true hip-hop heads know and love, so that it can be gobbled up by the average tween?
1) Ne-Yo – R.E.D.: Ne-Yo brought r'n'b near the top of the charts this week, with his R.E.D. album debuting at #4 and moving 66,313 units. R.E.D. did better than projected, as the projections indicated Ne-Yo would only move 50-55k units.This is actually an improvement from his last LP, Libra Scale, which landed at #9 when it dropped in 2010.
2) Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city: K. Dot's supremely executed debut album is still sitting in the top ten of the charts, although he dropped three spots this week, falling to #8. He sold 38,810 copies over the past week. That's not quite as much as of decline in sales as last week's 76%, this week he's down 34%. We'll have to see if the GKMC momentum continues.
3) Meek Mill – Dreams & Nightmares: Two rappers, who released slightly more than week after each other, are sitting side-by-side (or really, one on top of the other) on the charts this week. Meek is right below Kendrick, having made the drop from his #2 spot during opening week, to #9. He saw a similar decline in his percentage of sales which Kendrick saw the week prior-- that is, down 77%, with 38,615 copies sold. Are people preferring the “good kid” over the “Dreamchaser”?
4) Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream: Another r'n'b-er for the list, Miguel, who's album Kaleidoscope Dream has been out for a bit now, is still charting at #33 this week. That's another 12,385 units sold for his RCA label LP.
5) Brandy – Two Eleven: This is something you probably won't see very often: three r'n'b singers on Charts Don't Lie this week. Brandy's comeback album is still moving units, slightly less than her counterparts though. This week the singer pushed 10,824 units, dropping from #31 to #37 on the charts.
6) 2 Chainz – Based On A T.R.U. Story: Are you even surprised to see 2 Chainz still on here? The main-stay of Charts Don't Lie is slowly making his way down the charts, dropping just five spots from last week, he's now sitting at #44. The Hair Weave Killa moved 9,485 copies of his debut LP off shelves over the past week, keeping his “TRUUUU” ad-lib in heavy rotation.
The list you see on Charts Don't Lie will definitely be changing up in the coming weeks. The Weeknd's new re-release, Trilogy, is on course to sell around 100k units, we'll have to see how Nicki Minaj's re-release, dropping November 19th, stacks up beside it. Plus the Rih Rih is dropping her album, Unapologetic, on the 19th as well, and you know that's going to be taking over the top of the charts for awhile.