Stand tall Kanye. You likely don’t need us to tell you this, but Mr. West kicked 50 Cent’s ass in first week sales: Graduation almost hit a consciously cool million (956,936), while Curtis moved 691,304. Why Kanye? Well, maybe it’s all them there videos … or just the one where he’s freaking out? Maybe though it’s that he’s brandishing hip hop’s new trophy, Chris Martin, and dropping lines that confirm ownership (“Told Jay I did a song with Coldplay / Next thing I know he got a song with Coldplay / back of my mind, I’m like, ‘damn, no way’ / Translate Español, ‘No way, Jose!’”).
Don’t hold your breath for that 50 Cent retirement speech, though; he told the LA Times a steep second week drop off for Graduation is a central part of the bet, which would be evidence of an Island Def Jam market manipulation to artificially boost West’s numbers. “We keep our angles covered before we make a decent bet,” said Curtis. Anyway, give it to Kanye: He’s given the music industry its best debut of the year (before this week it was the Linkin Park LP with 623,000). The rest of the charts don’t come close. Kenny Chesney’s Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates, which clocked in at number three, logged 387,000 and Disney’s High School Musical 2’s at number four with 133,000. After that, it drops to double digits…
Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus soundtrack: 42,000
Fergie’s The Dutchess: 41,000
Nickelback’s All the Right Reasons: 35,000
Colbie Caillat’s Coco: 32,000
NOW 25 compilation: 32,000
Wow, we really don’t have our finger on the pulse. Oddly enough, looks like Justin Timberlake’s annoying VMA shenanigans were enough to launch him back into the top ten: A year after it’s release FutureSex/LoveSounds had a 14% sales increase, moving 31,000 copies.
Already mentioned the other records that dropped. Wonder how many copies of Strawberry Jam shipped … or better yet, Enuff Z’nuff’s Tonight – Sold Out. Chances are there are still plenty of seats left for that one.
Related Stories |
|
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post, reply to, or rate a comment.
“He’s given the music industry its best debut of the year (second place goes to Linkin Park LP with 623,000)”
uh, wouldnt second place go to fifty? kanye 956, fifty 691, linkin park 623. hmm.
How long before their rivalry turns to murder, 2Pac and Biggie style?
And how the hell do those NOW compilations ALWAYS rank so highly on the charts?
m — yes, i can confirm that you’ve ordered those #s properly. all fixed up, thanks!
Good for him, Graduation is a really fun album to listen to. Hip-hop album of the year, dare I say it! (Unless of course Wu-Tang’s 8 Diagrams is a knockout, or Lupe every gets around to collaborating with Pink Floyd.)
“Told Jay I did a song with Coldplay / Next thing I know he got a song with Coldplay / back of my mind, I’m like, ‘damn, no way’ / Translate Español, ‘No way, Jose!’”
Very deep lyrics. They’ll probably wind up shooting each other.
this is scholarly stuff, really. I fear for our country….
“And how the hell do those NOW compilations ALWAYS rank so highly on the charts?”
because most people love their tastes packaged up and defined for them.
I don’t think Chris Martin is synonymous with Coldplay in the same way Damon Gough is with Badly Drawn Boy or Chris Carrabba is with Dashboard Confessional.
And though I’m no rhymery expert, I don’t think Chris Martin rhymes with Chris Martin as nicely as coldplay rhymes with coldplay. So he might be justified there.
It’s funny how you guys poke fun of his lyrics, as though your indie freak-folk bands are modern day Shakespeares. *listens to my hyper-literate prog-rock Decemberist songs*
It’s all about the delivery with hiphop, scrubs.
delivery with nothing to say. Then they shoot each other
and it’s all about degrading women and glorifying murder and gun violence too. i’m gonna buy some for my daughter now so she can learn to speak English incorrectly, grow up a “ho”, and have a life of poverty!! Fun!!!!
“It’s all about the delivery with hiphop, scrubs.”
Agreed, but why is it after a few listens of Kanye’s songs am I always looking forward to the chorus rather than the lyrics? Maybe it’s because someone else is singing/rapping and it doesn’t grate on my nerves. I find that all of Kanye’s albums get a lot of play upfront and then I get sick of him rapping about coldplay or drunk girls.
flashing lights is wonderful tho (for now).
first one to commit murder or get shot becomes the next hero
Colin Meloy has more intelligence in his turds than these two idiots have in their combined brains. So, their richer. They’ll end up riddn’ with bullets. God bless ‘em.
I think hip-hop glorifies women. In as far as they should all be ho’s, while the heros, the “pimps” of the the world, sell them. This hip-hop culture is good for our children, you’ll see.
Colin Meloy is also boring, don’t forget that part.
that’s probably because you don’t understand all the big words he uses
And because he doesn’t start his songs with “Yo, this be Colin from da decemberists!”
knowwhattimsayin? (no, I don’t)
I still think that when the dust settles, Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” is going to end up bigger than anything off of either of these releases. Why? That’s all anyone seems to be blasting out of their cars around here…
In suburbia…
White, white suburbia…
DwD
@Dw Dunphy
Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
you know how i know you’re gay? you rap with coldplay
After reading this comment thread, I’m suddenly seeing Kanye’s move into corrupting indie rock… starting with a Decemberists collaboration. Hyperliterate prog-rock-rap, anyone? I imagine there are probably a few words that rhyme well with “dungarees” or “disarray”.
hey, did you guys read about idolator smashing the gum and us commentors concerning this very same post?
check this bullshit out
http://idolator.com/tunes/open-minds/when-exactly-did-stereogums-comments-section-turn-into-the-national-review-301742.php
Idolator kinda has a point. I used to have this exact same ‘Those kids and their rapping music’ argument with my parents like 15 years ago.
I had no idea this site attracts so many boomers. I thought you guys were mainly into Fleetwood Mack and James Taylor and shit like that.
My kid is 15 months old, his stereo has Bach, Beck, the Doors, Miles….. and Kanye, among others (James Taylor, too).
I’m not going to have any racists under my roof. Or prog rock.
There is some great rap out there. You just gotta look past the mainstream. What if all hip-hop fans judged rock by Nickelback, Creed and Hinder?
Ya but I think there are some legitimately great mainstream hip-hop albums out there as well. The Blueprint, Illmatic, etc. are amazing albums regardless of their mainstream status.
Most rappers don’t shoot anyone.
Don’t talk about HINDER. They’re a great band!
Sorry but i got to admit that the IDOLATOR post is kinda right. You guys seems to bash on rap music everytime without taking the time to analyse a bit.
A real music lover makes abstraction of the genre and keep away those sterotypical comment.
You guys should really listen to Kanye West album. Its really beyond the bitches and hoes thing
so… who’s up for the Devendra Banhart vs. Iron and Wine sales showdown this week? Loser shaves his beard and takes a bath! Who’s with me?
Well, I’m 31 so I’m in the midle here I grew up listening to hip hop as well as being tortured by elton john james taylor journey you name it… ( now there all in my collection of 3600 CD’S ) I will tell you rap in its infency was a movement a story and something you could dance to. I remember it as fun good be An this bet between fifty and kayne is a MONEY move.. I garuantee no less then 200,000+ were sold on both sides just because of the challenge…. no ones gettin shot They dont live in the hood anymore period.. as far as that soulda boy …. if that fn single makes any money its a shame Its 90% chorus its a discrace to hip hop it will be forgotten tomorrow how many dances are you gonna make up? I mean steal and put together…
Well, I’m 31 so I’m in the midle here I grew up listening to hip hop as well as being tortured by elton john james taylor journey you name it… ( now there all in my collection of 3600 CD’S ) I will tell you rap in its infency was a movement a story and something you could dance to. I remember it as fun good be An this bet between fifty and kayne is a MONEY move.. I garuantee no less then 200,000+ were sold on both sides just because of the challenge…. no ones gettin shot They dont live in the hood anymore period.. as far as that soulda boy …. if that fn single makes any money its a shame Its 90% chorus its a discrace to hip hop it will be forgotten tomorrow how many dances are you gonna make up? I mean steal and put together…