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Artist News
Jadakiss Inks New Deal With Roc-A-Fella
November 15, 2007, 2:50 PM ET
Jadakiss has signed to Roc-A-Fella/Ruff Ryders and will release his third, as-yet-untitled studio effort
next year. The rapper's two previous efforts, 2001's "Kiss Tha Game Goodbye" and 2004's "Kiss of Death," bore the Ruff Ryders
imprint but were worked through Interscope.
"Kiss of Death" entered at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 upon release and has gone on to sell 1.03 million
units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The effort was helped by the popularity
of its singles, "Time's Up" featuring Nate Dogg, "Why" featuring Anthony Hamilton and "U Make Me Wanna" featuring Mariah Carey.
Jadakiss has previously been engaged in beefs with Roc-A-Fella artist Beanie Sigel, but the pair buried
the hatchet several years ago at a concert in Philadelphia.
They have since appeared on DJ Khaled's 2006 album, "Listennn ... The Album."
Legal Drama Delaying Next Hawthorne Heights CD
November 21, 2007, 10:55 AM ET
With an estimated 25 songs written and a producer lined up, Hawthorne
Heights is ready to set its third album in motion. But outstanding "legal
aspects" are still holding things up.
"It's not really a matter of us being prepared," drummer Eron Bucciarelli tells Billboard.com. "It's a
matter of us working out some of our (legal) situation right now. Once we get that resolved, we're gonna be in the studio
as soon as possible."
Earlier this year, the Dayton, Ohio,
quintet did some pre-production on the new material with producer Howard Benson (Daughtry, Hoobastank). "We can't wait to
get back with him," Bucciarelli says. "The songs got so much better just from the week or two we worked with him. We can't
wait to see the finished project."
Bucciarelli describes the songs as "sort of all over the place ... a lot more diverse. I don't think any
two songs sound the same, which is cool. I think these songs are the best we've ever written. It's very much a natural growth.
I think people will see the progression."
Hawthorne Heights -- which kicks off a four-week tour Friday (Nov. 23) in Detroit -- has one of the songs,
"Come Back Home," posted on its MySpace page, and is playing others, including "Rescue Me" and "The End of the Underground,"
at its shows.
The group is still battling its label, Victory Records, and its president, Tony Brummel, in Chicago federal court, claiming damage to the group's reputation and its relationship with
its fans. Brummel countersued the band and Virgin Records, who he claimed was trying to steal Hawthorne Heights away. There are also outstanding
copyright ownership and trademark infringement issues. Judge James Moran has ruled that Hawthorne Heights' contract with Victory
does not prohibit the band from recording for another company but that the group still owes Victory two more albums.
Meanwhile, the group's previous management firm, Wild Justice, has sued Hawthorne Heights for breaching a verbal contract.
But Bucciarelli says the suit stems from "a misunderstanding" that will be rectified soon. "We haven't paid him the severance
yet that we agreed on," Bucciarelli explains, "so he felt like he had to come after us legally. It's being resolved. It's
not even on the forefront of our minds; we're just concerned with making a new record, getting it out there to our fans and
getting back in the swing of things, basically."
Baby, A.K.A. Birdman, Arrested For Marijuana
Possession
Cash Money label founder among 16 busted in Tennessee.
Nov 28 2007 11:43 AM EST
An improper lane change landed Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan
"Baby" Williams, also known as Birdman, in jail Tuesday night.
According to a copy of the report from the police department of Kingsport, Tennessee, Williams was among
16 people charged with possession of marijuana after the RV they were riding in was pulled over at 4:17 p.m. on Tuesday by
police officers who observed it weaving on Interstate 81. "The patrol officer observed the same RV make a lane change and
while doing so, it almost struck a semi-truck that was also traveling northbound and was beside the RV," the report reads.
"The semi-truck had to abruptly brake and swerve into the emergency lane to avoid a collision with the RV."
An officer pulled the RV over and while talking to the unnamed driver on the side of the road, "he could
smell an odor consistent with both burnt and raw marijuana emitting from the driver's person (clothing) and from within the
passenger compartment of the RV." Everyone onboard was asked to exit the RV while it was searched, and officers said they
found a plastic bag of "plant material" believed to be about 1 pound of marijuana.
In addition, as one of the unnamed occupants of the RV stepped off, they were found to be in possession
of a handgun. The search also turned up a second gun.
Along with Williams, 38, his brother, Ronald "Slim" Williams, 43, was charged with possession of more than
a half-ounce of marijuana, as were 14 others, including road manager Shahid Muhammad, 40; Cash Money Records promoter Casey
Collins, 42; music promoter Ovide Antoine, 32; and an 18-year-old female.
At press time, it was unclear if all 16 remained in jail, as a spokesperson for the Sullivan County jail had not returned calls
for comment. According to Kingsport Police Department Officer Thomas Wayt, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is
assisting in the investigation into the legal status of the assault rifle, handgun and magazine for a .45-caliber handgun
that were found on the RV; at press time, no weapons charges had been filed. A spokesperson for Williams' label could not
be reached for comment at press time.
Baby is the founder, CEO and a recording artist on the Cash Money label. He is frequently referred to as
Lil Wayne's father, but he is more of a surrogate father, having taken the young rapper under his wing (and signing him to
his label) when Wayne was 12.
CD News
Plain White T's Writing For Next Album
November 13, 2007, 10:40 AM ET
Global domination and making a new album are on the docket for Plain White T's in 2008.
Currently on Fall Out Boy's The Young Wild Things Tour, the Chicago quintet plans to head overseas in January, where
its latest album, 2006's "Every Second Counts," has just been released. The group plans to play shows in the U.K., Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan,
according to frontman Tom Higgenson.
"We're possibly bigger in the U.K.
than we are in American now," Higgenson tells Billboard.com. "It's still fresh over there. We're going over to headline 2,000-seaters,
which will be great."
But Higgenson and company are even more excited to start work on their next album, which they'll begin
once they get back on home shores. He says the group has "about 17 ideas; eight or nine of them are pretty much full songs
so far. As soon as we get a few days off I'll try to finish the rest of them."
Higgenson also plans to keep writing and hopes to have "a good 25, 30 songs for the album" by the time
Plain White T's hit the studio.
As for the new material's direction, he says the success of the hit "Hey There Delilah" -- originally on
the group's 2005 album "All That We Needed" and included as a bonus track on "Every Second Counts" -- has certainly had an
impact.
"We've always had acoustic songs on our albums," Higgenson notes. "Those are some of my favorite songs
to write and some of the band's best songs. Now that 'Delilah' was so successful, we won't be as afraid to include a few more
of those on the next album. I definitely think there will be some more acoustic stuff... and the rockin' stuff will be more
rockin' than it's ever been."
But, Higgenson adds, he's not worried about typecasting Plain White T's as a ballad band.
"Not all our songs are like that," he says. "Before 'Delilah' we had 'Hate' on the radio. It didn't do
as well but was still out there. People heard the song and heard 'Delilah;' hopefully they'll connect the two -- 'Oh, that's
the band that did that other song.' But we're just making good songs. You have to make music you like and hope it gets out
there -- that's all."
Oasis Working Quickly On New Album
November 13, 2007, 7:10 PM ET
Oasis is making quick, early progress on recording their first studio release in three years, singer Liam
Gallagher said today (Nov. 13).
He said studio work began last week on the band's seventh album since forming in 1991 and everything should
be done by mid-December. After Christmas, the band will come to Los Angeles
to mix the album, aiming for a release around August.
As with Radiohead, Oasis are free of major-label shackles -- but don't expect them to follow Radiohead's
example, and allow fans to download the album from the Web for whatever price they feel like paying.
Gallagher, peppering his speech with expletives, told Reuters it would be over his "dead body" before he
went into a studio and worked hard to release his work for nothing.
As was the case with 2005's "Don't Believe the Truth," the band is collaborating with producer Dave Sardy,
and all the members have contributed compositions, not just primary songwriter and guitarist Noel, Liam's older brother.
Liam declined to reveal the titles of his songs, but said they are pugnacious in spirit. Gallagher said
"without a doubt" the untitled released would compare to the seventh U.K.
albums of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, "Revolver" and "Beggars Banquet" respectively. "There's lots of cool parts,
man," he said. "Really, we're throwing everything at it."
The last album, he said, suffered from Noel's incessant tinkering in the studio. "Hopefully our kid's learned
his lesson," he said. "It shouldn't be hard making music. We've been doing it long enough."
Uncle Kracker Still Tweaking 'Happy Hour'
November 13, 2007, 10:25 AM ET
A "more than frustrated" Uncle Kracker has been doing some more recording for his long-delayed fourth album,
"Happy Hour," which he turned in a full year ago but likely won't come out before the middle of 2008.
"While I have time and I'm sitting around, I've been in the studio doing stuff," Kracker tells Billboard.com.
"I'm not gonna touch the good (songs). But there's some on there I can beat. I figure if I've got time, why not go in and
beat 'em. In the end, it's better."
Kracker has been working on "Happy Hour" in Nashville
with his longtime producer and co-writer Michael Bradford. He says the album hearkens back to the sound of his solo debut,
2000's "Double Wide," and even "sounds like the record that would have come out before that one. There's some disco-y sounding
stuff, more soul-sounding stuff, not so much rap but more of a pop-soul thing." The album's uptempo title track is a duet
with Leo Sayer.
Kracker (real name: Matt Shafer) says executives at Atlantic Records have cited "marketplace" considerations
-- including a desire to properly set up the release -- as a reason for holding up "Happy Hour." He knew that this year's
fourth quarter would be unlikely, with priority releases by James Blunt, matchbox twenty and especially Kracker's good pal
and former employer Kid Rock.
"Between those three records alone," Kracker says, "I had nothing to do but wait in line." The label has
mentioned an early June release for "Happy Hour" but hasn't set an exact date yet.
Kracker, meanwhile, has been laying low since agreeing to a plea bargain for misdemeanor assault stemming
from an August incident at a nightclub in Cary, N.C.
After initially facing criminal sexual assault charges, he was fined $1,500, given a year's probation and ordered to undergo
alcohol counseling.
Publicity from the incident cost him two high-profile concerts in his hometown of Detroit, but Kracker doesn't think there will be long-term consequences. "I've seen the dust
settling already," he says. "I think the immediate attention, the bell was rung there. But long term ... no, not really. I'm
not completely happy that I didn't go to trial, but I'm glad it's over and behind me."
Fiasco Goes High Concept On Sophomore Album
November 14, 2007, 2:05 PM ET
Rapper Lupe Fiasco embodies multiple characters and concepts on his sophomore album, "Lupe Fiasco's The
Cool," due Dec. 18 via 1st and 15th/Atlantic.
Among the characters are Michael Young History, the Game (described as "a male personification of a hustler's
damaging influences") and the Streets ("a female embodiment of an urban area's corrupt allure").
Throughout, dark production by Soundtrakk, UNKLE and Chris and Drop enhances the weighty themes, particularly
on "Street on Fire" (about a burgeoning epidemic) and "Put You on Game." Among the few guests are Snoop Dogg, who turns up
on "High Definition," while Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump serves as the producer of "Little Weapons."
A number of tracks diverge from the conceptual theme, including "Gold Watch" and "Paris Tokyo," on which
Fiasco longs for a simpler life atop a jazzy backing track with shades of A Tribe Called Quest. Perhaps the oddest song is
"Gotta East," which is apparently written from the perspective of a cheeseburger and is rife with food/life metaphors.
Fiasco makes at least two allusions to quitting the music business after one more album, "LUP End," but
he ends "The Cool" on an up-tempo note with "Go Baby Go." "Congratulations ladies, this one's for you," he says.
"The Cool" is the follow-up to last year's "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor," which spawned the Grammy-nominated
single "Kick, Push."
Here is the track list for "Lupe Fiasco's The Cool":
Iesha Poem
"Free Chilly"
"Go Go Gadget Flow"
"The Coolest"
"Superstar" featuring Mathew Santos
"Paris Tokyo"
"High Definition" featuring Snoop Dogg and Pooh Bear
"Little Weapon"
"Hip-Hop Saved My Life" featuring Nikki Jean
"Gold Watch"
"Street on Fire" featuring Mathew Santos
"Hello Goodbye"
"Gotta Eat"
"Dumb It Down" featuring Gemini and Graham Burris
"The Die" featuring Gemini
"Put You on Game"
"Fighters" featuring Mathew Santos
"Go Baby Go"
Legend Tapping Kanye, Pharrell For New Album
November 16, 2007, 10:45 AM ET
John Legend's third album is officially in motion. The multi-platinum Grammy winner tells Billboard.com
that he has "three songs I love already" and is just about to start working on the follow-up to last year's "Once Again,"
which has sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide.
"We're really just starting," Legend reports. "I'm usually pretty prolific and pretty quick with my output,
so I'm guessing I'll be done with it by the end of the spring and put it out either late summer or early fall. That's what
I'm headed towards."
Legend -- who will be releasing one more single, "Show Me," from "Once Again" -- says it's too early to
predict a musical direction or theme; "The songs I've done so far are different from each other," he says. He's already worked
with will.i.am and Rick Knowles and plans to hook up with the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams,
longtime friend and mentor Kanye West "and we'll see who else."
The album isn't Legend's only musical endeavor, however. He's also busy launching his Homeschool Records
label with "Shine," the second album by British vocalist Estelle, which is due out in February. Legend duets on one of the
tracks and, as executive producer, was "very involved with the whole thing. I wrote with her on just about every track and
... made a lot of key decisions when it came to track selection, producers, getting the right people involved. I treated it
almost like it was my own."
Legend plans future Homeschool releases for his younger brother, singer Vaughn Anthony, and the rapper
Diggy. "I just want to hear good music," Legend says. "I feel like if nobody else is making it or not enough people are making
it, I want to be part of the crew of people who are -- not just me but other artists I can work with, too."
The Homeschool artists will be showcased with Legend and Jill Scott on a TV One special taped at a Nov.
9 Bailey's Get Together concert in New York, which debuts
Dec. 16.
Legend's thoughts these days are also with West following the sudden death of his mother, Dr. Donda West.
Legend dedicated a performance of his hit "So High" to her at a Get Together show Wednesday in Detroit and said afterwards the he plans to attend her funeral next week.
"She loved him and supported him unconditionally," Legend notes. "She was really there for him a lot and
was ... really a great example for him. You could tell how close they were, and I just can't imagine how devastated he is
right now."
Extreme Reuniting For 2008 Album, Tour
November 26, 2007, 12:00 AM ET
Boston-based rock outfit Extreme is reuniting for its first studio album in 13 years and world tour in
2008, Billboard has learned. The group, best known for the 1991 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "More Than Words," disbanded in
1996 but reformed briefly in 2004 and 2006.
Details are pending on the album, which is being produced by guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, and the tour dates.
Extreme now includes original members Bettencourt, frontman Gary Cherone and bassist Pat Badger, along with new drummer Kevin
Figueiredo.
Of late, the band has reached a new audience thanks to the inclusion of its song "Play With Me" in the
video game "Guitar Hero." "We realized, not only are the people starved for rock'and'roll, so are we," Bettencourt says. "Let's
eat."
Extreme will perform Saturday
(Dec. 1) at the Boston Music Awards.
Nas Exclusive: MC Reveals Details, Song Titles
From Controversial Upcoming LP
Rapper unleashes even more strong words, but emphasizes that album is 'not an
attack on any race.'
Nov 29 2007 8:00 AM EST
If you thought Nas was being controversial with an album titled Nigger, wait until you hear some of the song titles
he has for the project. The MC reached out to MTV News earlier this week to reveal a bit more about the work-in-progress.
"I have a song called 'The Fear,' " he said. "The full title of the record is 'The Fear of the Black Man's D---.' That's
some sh-- you can get comedy [from], or you can get some seriousness from it when you talk about the barbaric castrations
that happened in our past — which is very serious, nothing to laugh at."
Nas also said that despite the serious name of his project — which has already set off a firestorm of controversy
— the LP will be balanced, and he emphasized that he is not singling out any one race.
"It's not an attack on white people at all," he promised, regarding the record's content. "It's knowledge; it's understanding
for all people. It's not an attack on any race."
Nas clarified that he will be combating a myriad of racial slurs, not just the one after which he named his album.
"It's about the attacks that have happened to blacks, whites, all ethnicities," he continued. " 'Mick' niggers, 'guinea'
niggers, 'kike' niggers. I have a song called 'You a Nigger Too.' "
"It's all over the place," he added. "Balance is so important because there's a fun level to the [album] too. There's
an attractive, sexy, aspect to it; a stylish aspect, a flashy aspect. It takes negatives and makes them good."
While Nas had originally hoped to release the album next month, rather than rush the project, he decided to take his
time and rescheduled the album's drop date for February: Black History Month.
"Just to get the sh-- all the way right," Nas said of what caused the delay. "I was still working and it was a few weeks
away from a release date. It was impossible, the timing was off. I was running into the holidays. I'm always coming out in
December so I guess I was used to it, but I had to force myself out of that. I couldn't force the album out if it wasn't done."
The album's production is almost over, however, and Nas said Jermaine Dupri and Diddy will be helping him to close out.
"It's in the developmental stages," he said of the tracks Diddy is bringing to the table. "The potential could go anywhere.
I'm writing a lot of sh-- down, and it just sounds crazy. The direction is totally right. Sometimes when you sit down and
write, you don't know how it will go. But this is totally right."
Thus far, Salaam Remi, Stargate and DJ Toomp are the most notable names who have delivered beats to Nas.
"DJ Toomp is a humble cat," he said of the Atlanta producer
who has earned his biggest credits working with T.I. and more recently Jay-Z. "He has talent way beyond his years. He's got
every style you need: rock joints, R&B joints. I don't wanna give it all away, but he's the type of dude that can go anywhere.
Toomp is my man, he's got knowledge and that's important when you're working on your umpteenth album. It means something.
"Working with this music, if you don't have no knowledge of self, I can't work with you," he continued. "You have to
have some knowledge of who we are. You can't just go in there and throw on a beat like, 'Here's a hot beat.' That don't mean
anything. I need a producer. All the tracks were made for this record — you can feel the passion in the beat-making.
It's time to build, '08, this the movement we on."
Nas said that no one he reached out to was reluctant to work with him on this project, and said he has not been surprised
by the support he's gotten from his peers, despite the controversy surrounding his choice of album names.
"They get it," he said of supporters such as Alicia Keys, Method Man, Russell Simmons, as well as Island Def Jam Music
Group Chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid. "We know what time it is. This [album] is a small thing. [Making music] is what I do,
so this is part of the way I fight. But people all know what we been going up against this year and the year before and the
year before. I ain't saying nothing that's foreign to them."
Kanye, Akon Help Jackson Revisit 'Thriller'
November 30, 2007, 10:45 AM ET
As expected, Michael Jackson will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his iconic "Thriller" album with a new edition of
the set, due Feb. 12 via Epic/Legacy Recordings. It will include remixes by Kanye West, Akon and will.i.am, plus rare and
unreleased material from the time period.
West remixes "Billie Jean," while will.i.am has revamped "The Girl Is Mine" and "P.Y.T." The album also features a new
version of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" with both Akon and will.i.am.
Among the unreleased tracks is "For All Time," which was recording during "Thriller" but left on the cutting room floor.
Jackson has personally mixed and mastered the song. Also featured
is Jackson's original "Billie Jean" demo and the rarities
"Someone in the Dark" and "Carousel."
"Thriller" will include a bonus DVD with the "Thriller," "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" videos, plus Jackson's performance of the latter cut during the 1983 NBC special "Motown 25: Yesterday,
Today, Forever."
Jackson has been working on and off on his first studio
album since 2001, but the status of the project is unknown. There have also been whispers of a tour with his brothers in 2008.
Here is the track list for "Thriller -- 25th Anniversary Edition":
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
"Baby Be Mine"
"The Girl Is Mine"
"Thriller"
"Beat It"
"Billie Jean"
"Human Nature"
"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
"The Lady in My Life"
"Carousel"
"Someone in the Dark"
"Billie Jean" (demo)
"The Girl Is Mine 2008" with will.i.am
"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008" with Michael Jackson and will.i.am
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" with Michael Jackson, Akon and will.i.am
"Billie Jean 2008" with Kanye West
"For All Time"
Quick News
50 Cent v. Kanye West
Think 50 Cent is taking his upcoming face-off with Kanye West
lightly? In an interview posted on SOHH.com on Friday (August 10), Fiddy threatened to end his rap career if he gets upstaged
by 'Ye when their albums go head to head on September 11. "If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11,
I'll no longer write music," he said. "I'll write music and work with my other artists, but I won't put out anymore solo albums."
50's Curtis will square off against West's Graduation.
Billboard News
Billboard 200
Eagles Fly Past Britney To Debut At
No. 1
November 07, 2007, 11:00 AM ET
With their first studio title in nearly 30 years, the Eagles land
atop The Billboard 200 with "Long Road Out of Eden," which sold 711,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The Eagles Recording Co. album,
available exclusively in the U.S. through
Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and the band's Web site, scores the year's second-best first-week total, behind Kanye West's "Graduation"
(960,000).
As reported last night, this marks the first time Billboard has
allowed exclusive album titles that are only available through one retailer to appear on its charts.
Previously, titles that were not generally available at retail
were not eligible to appear on The Billboard 200, but were entitled to chart on Billboard's Top Comprehensive Albums, which
includes catalog titles and proprietary albums from retailers willing to report those sales.
Selling 290,000 copies, Britney Spears' "Blackout" (Jive) enters
at No. 2. Her first album in four years is also her first studio effort to not top the chart: 2003's "In The Zone," 2001's
"Britney," 2000's "Oops!... I Did It Again" and 1999's "... Baby One More Time" all started at No. 1. However, Spears becomes
the only woman whose first five studio albums have debuted in the top two slots on the chart.
After starting at No. 1 last week, Carrie Underwood's 19 Recordings/Arista
Nashville set "Carnival Ride" falls to No. 3 with 170,000, a sales decrease of 68%. Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled Warner
Bros. set debuts at No. 4, moving 94,000. It marks the hard rock troupe's best sales and charting week, as 2005's "City of
Evil," only reached No. 30 with 33,000.
Josh Turner earns his second top 10 album as "Everything Is Fine"
(MCA Nashville) starts with 84,000 at No. 5. The album's lead single, "Firecracker," holds at No. 8 with a bullet on the Hot
Country Songs chart this week. The country singer's last album, 2006's "Your Man," debuted at No. 2 on the big chart.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' "Raising Sand" (Rounder) falls
2-6 in its second week, taking a 28% sales hit to 81,000. The Backstreet Boys' "Unbreakable" (Jive) starts at No. 7, with
only a few dozen sales short of Plant and Krauss' total at 81,000. The pop group's last album, "Never Gone," bowed at No.
3 with 291,000 in 2005.
Josh Groban's holiday album, "Noel" (143/Reprise), descends 5-8
with 76,000, a 16% sales boost. Andrea Bocelli's first greatest hits collection, "The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere" (Decca),
begins at No. 9 with 68,000.
Rascal Flatts' Lyric
Street album, "Still Feels Good," rounds out the top tier, slipping 8-10 with 53,000 (-7%).
Other big debuts this week include Puscifer's "V Is for Vagina"
(Puscifer Entertainment) at No. 25 with 27,000, hip-hop duo Playaz Circle's
"Supply & Demand" (Disturbing Tha Peace/Jive) at No. 27 with 26,000, Baby Bash's "Cyclone" (Arista) at No. 30 with 26,000
and R&B singer Will Downing's "After Tonight" (Peak/Concord) at No. 37 with 21,000.
Album sales are up 10.9% from last week at 9.25 million units
and down 13.3% from the same week in 2006 (10.67 million).
Jay-Z Leapfrogs Eagles, Britney For
No. 1 Debut
November 14, 2007, 11:10 AM ET
Jay-Z scores his 10th No. 1 album on The Billboard 200, as "American
Gangster" (Def Jam) debuts on top this week after selling 425,000 copies in the United
States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The rapper thus ties Elvis Presley in second place
for the most No. 1 albums on the chart; only the Beatles have had more, with 19.
Since 1998, all eight of Jay-Z's solo studio albums have hit No.
1, in addition to his "Collision Course" project with Linkin
Park and his "Unfinished Business" collaboration with R. Kelly.
After bowing at No. 1 last week, the Eagles' "Long Road Out of
Eden" (Eagles Recording Co.) slips to No. 2 with 359,000, a 49% sales decrease. Garth Brooks' "The Ultimate Hits" (Pearl) debuts at No. 3 after shifting 352,000 units. Brooks' last studio
set, 2001's "Scarecrow," debuted at No. 1 with 466,000. His only releases since then have been Wal-Mart exclusives and were
thus not eligible to appear on The Billboard 200.
Teenaged R&B heartthrob Chris Brown starts at No. 4 with his
sophomore Jive album, "Exclusive," which sold 294,000. His self-titled 2005 debut opened at No. 2 with 154,000. "Exclusive"
features Brown's recent Hot 100 chart-topper, "Kiss Kiss," featuring T-Pain.
Carrie Underwood's 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville set "Carnival
Ride" falls 3-5 with 121,000 (-29%), while Josh Groban's holiday album, "Noel" (143/Reprise), ascends 8-6 with a 52% sales
increase to 116,000.
Selling 87,000 copies, Britney Spears' "Blackout" (Jive) slips
2-7 with a 70% sales hit in its second week. At No. 8, Taylor Swift's self-titled Big Machine debut flies from No. 26 with
a 156% sales increase (68,000) in its 55th week. The boost came with the album's DVD-enhanced reissue and her Horizon award
win at the recent CMA Awards.
Angels & Airwaves' second Geffen album, "I-Empire," begins
at No. 9 with 66,000. The band's first set, "We Don't Need to Whisper," bowed higher, at No. 4, with 127,000 in May 2006.
His first album since completing jail time and surviving a near-fatal
car accident in 2006, Cassidy's Full Surface/J set "B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story" begins at No. 10 after shifting
63,000. His sophomore release, 2005's "I'm a Hustla," started at No. 5 with 93,000.
Other big debuts this week include Latin reggaeton duo Wisin &
Yandel's "Wisin Vs. Yandel: Los Extraterrestres" (Machete) at No. 14 with 53,000, country quartet Little Big Town's "Place
to Land" (Equity Music Group) at No. 24 with 35,000, the Def Jam score/soundtrack to "American Gangster" at No. 36 with 21,000
and the Starbucks Entertainment holiday compilation "Stockings by the Fire" at No. 43 with 18,000.
Album sales are up 7.5% from last week at 9.95 million units and
down 16.8% from the same week in 2006 (11.95 million).
Keys Storms Chart With Mega-Selling
'As I Am'
November 21, 2007, 10:30 AM ET
Alicia Keys storms The Billboard 200 this week with "As I Am"
(J), which debuts at No. 1 after selling 742,000 copies in the United States,
according to Nielsen SoundScan. That's the best sales week for a solo female artist since Norah Jones' "Feels Like Home" shifted
1 million copies in 2004.
In a week where every top 10 album shifted more than 100,000 units,
Josh Groban's "Noel" (143/Reprise) zooms 6-2 with a 93% increase to 223,000. Celine Dion's "Taking Chances" (Columbia), her first new pop album in four years, opens at No. 3 with 214,000. The multi-label,
multi-artist "Now 26" collection is new at No. 4 with 208,000, the third lowest opening tally for the "Now" line.
Garth Brooks' "The Ultimate Hits" (Pearl) slips 3-5 (-42%, 204,000), while the Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" (Eagles Recording
Co.) drops 2-6 (-45%, 197,000). Led Zeppelin's two-disc retrospective "Mothership" (Swan Song/Atlantic) debuts at No. 7 after
selling 136,000, 25% of which came digitally.
Last week's chart-topper, Jay-Z's "American Gangster" (Roc-A-Fella/Def
Jam) plummets 1-8 with a 70% decrease to 131,000, while Carrie Underwood's "Carnival Ride" (Arista Nashville) drops 5-9 despite
a small 6% decrease to 113,000. Chris Brown's "Exclusive" (Jive) falls 4-10 in its second week, thanks to a 63% decline to
110,000.
Comedian Dane Cook's "Rough Around the Edges: Live From Madison
Square Garden" (Comedy Central) debuts at No. 11 with 90,000. His last set, 2005's "Retaliation," made history as the highest
debuting comedy album in the history of The Billboard 200 when it bowed at No. 4. That effort started with 86,000.
At No. 12, the Killers enter the chart with the rarities collection
"Sawdust" (Island), which sold 82,000. George Strait's "22 More Hits" (MCA Nashville) is
new at No. 13 with 80,000, while James Taylor's debut for Starbucks' Hear Music imprint, "One Man Band," arrives at No. 16
with 63,000.
Five other albums open inside the top 40 this week, led by Boyz
II Men's "Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA"
(Decca) at No. 27 with 42,000. Right behind are Trisha Yearwood's "Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love" (Big Machine,
No. 30, 33,000), Goo Goo Dolls' "Greatest Hits, Volume 1, The Singles" (Warner Bros., No. 33, 33,000), Seal's "System" (Warner
Bros., No. 35, 30,000) and Duran Duran's "Red Carpet Massacre" (Epic, No. 36, 29,000).
Album sales are up 17.9% from last week's to 11.72 million, but
down 6.2% from the same week last year.
'Oprah' Visit Helps Groban Soar To
No. 1
November 28, 2007, 10:55 AM ET
After seven weeks on the chart, Josh Groban's holiday set "Noel"
finally overtakes The Billboard 200 at No. 1. The 143/Reprise album ascends 2-1, selling 405,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. The 81% increase was
fueled in part by his surprise appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" last week.
"Noel" is the first Christmas-themed set to top the chart since
Kenny G's 1994 album "Miracles," and the 405,000 units marks Groban's best sales week ever.
Alicia Keys' "As I Am" (J) flip-flops with "Noel," slipping 1-2
with a 53% sales decrease to 349,000. The hits compilation "Now 26" climbs a notch 4-3 with 234,000. Garth Brooks' "The Ultimate
Hits" (Pearl) moves up 5-4 with 192,000 (-6%) and the Eagles'
"Long Road Out of Eden" (Eagles Recording Co.) follows suit, ascending 6-5 with 184,000 (-7%).
The soundtrack to Disney's "High School Musical 2" rockets up
14-6 with a 130% sales increase to 183,000; with that, the set surpasses Daughtry's self-titled set as the top selling album
in 2007.
Carrie Underwood's "Carnival Ride" (Arista Nashville) climbs 9-7
with 141,000 and a 25% sales bump, while Celine Dion's Columbia
album "Taking Chances" falls 3-8 following a 40% sales decrease to 128,000. Inching up 10-9, Chris Brown's "Exclusive" (Jive)
sells 121,000 (+10%).
Jordin Sparks, who was crowned the winner on "American Idol" earlier
this year, starts at No. 10 with her self-titled 19 Recordings/Jive set, moving 119,000. It is the lowest start and smallest
sales debut for any of the show's winners on the tally.
Keith Urban's first best-of collection, Capitol's "Greatest Hits,"
debuts at No. 11 with 117,000. It's the Aussie country singer's fourth straight album to start in the top 11, dating back
to 2002's "Golden Road," which also entered at No.
11. MercyMe's "All That Is Within Me" (Columbia) lands at
No. 15 with 84,000 and is also the act's fourth No. 1 on Top Christian Albums.
Only two other albums bow inside of the top 50 on The Billboard
200: Philly rapper Freeway's "Free at Last" (G-Unit/Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) starts at No. 42 with 36,000 and the soundtrack to
"Enchanted" (Disney) debuts at No. 48 with 31,000.
This week, the top 11 albums all sold more than 100,000 copies,
helped by the first week of the post-Thanksgiving shopping season. However, sales this week (13.94 million units) are down
18.1% from the same week last year (17.02 million). This week's sum is up 19% from last week's.
Hot 100
Brown Overtakes Soulja Boy Atop Hot
100
November 01, 2007
Chris Brown's "Kiss Kiss" (featuring T-Pain) finally overtakes
Soulja Boy's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" with a 2-1 move on the Billboard Hot 100, after the latter track reigned high for seven
weeks. "Kiss Kiss" is Brown's second No. 1 on the tally, following his November 2005 hit "Run It!" It is also this week's
biggest airplay and digital sales gainer. The track is from Brown's forthcoming album, "Exclusive," due Nov. 6 via Jive.
"Crank That," meanwhile, falls to No. 3 in its 16th week on the
chart. Timbaland's "Apologize" featuring OneRepublic climbs 3-2, while Alicia Keys' "No One" remains at No. 4. Colbie Caillat's
"Bubbly" and Kanye West's "Stronger" hold tight at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
Another West track, "Good Life" featuring T-Pain, ascends 8-7,
flip-flopping with Baby Bash's "Cyclone," also featuring T-Pain. Rihanna's "Hate That I Love You" featuring Ne-Yo, her sixth
top 10 title since 2005, holds at No. 9 for a second week. Timbaland's "The Way I Are" featuring Keri Hilson keeps the No.
10 spot warm, also for a second week.
With his new album "Living Hard" entering The Billboard 200 at
No. 3 yesterday (Oct. 31), Gary Allan's "Watching Airplanes" is this week's highest debut on the Hot 100. The track enters
at No. 89, followed closely by Flo Rida's "Low" featuring -- you guessed it -- T-Pain at No. 91.
Other debuts this week include Rascal Flatts' "Winner at a Losing
Game" at No. 94, Fall Out Boy's "I'm Like a Lawyer ... (Me & You)" at No. 96, Serj Tankian's "Empty Walls" at No. 97,
John Mayer's "Dreaming With a Broken Heart" at No. 99 and Joe Nichols' "Another Side of You" at No. 100.
On Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Keys' "No One"
is No. 1 for a third week. Kenny Chesney's "Don't Blink" leads Hot Country Songs, also for a third week.
Foo Fighters' "The Pretende," maintains pole position on Modern
Rock for an 11th week and on Mainstream Rock for a sixth. Juanes' "Me Enamora" crowns Hot Latin Songs for a seventh week.
The track also moves 87-69 on the Hot 100, making it the singer's career-best chart position on that tally.
Brown's 'Kiss' Still Sweet Atop Hot
100
November 08, 2007, 10:15 AM ET
Chris Brown's "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain is No. 1 on the Billboard
Hot 100 for a second week and is also the chart's greatest airplay gainer. Timbaland's "Apologize" featuring OneRepublic remains
at No. 2, while Alicia Keys' "No One" inches up 4-3 while starting a fourth week atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
On the Hot 100, Soulja Boy's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" is down
3-4, while Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" holds at No. 5 and Kanye West's "Stronger" stays put at No. 6. Baby Bash's "Cyclone"
featuring T-Pain trades places with West's "Good Life" (also featuring T-Pain) with a 7-8 climb.
Rihanna's "Hate That I Love You" featuring Ne-Yo remains at No.
9 and Timbaland's "The Way I Are" featuring Keri Hilson sticks at No. 10. The chart's greatest digital gainer is Finger Eleven's
"Paralyzer," which jumps 18-14. The track sold 56,000 downloads, an improvement of 17,000 units.
In a week when her new Jive album, "Blackout," debuts at No. 2
on The Billboard 200, Britney Spears has the week's top debut with "Piece of Me" at No. 65. The set's first single, "Gimme
More," rebounds 16-13 as well.
On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Keyshia Cole's "Shoulda Let You
Go" featuring Amina increases 12-10 to become her sixth top 10 hit. Cole also has that chart's top debut at No. 53 with "I
Remember."
Kenny Chesney's "Don't Blink" is No. 1 on Hot Country Songs for
a fourth week, and Martina McBride has the chart's top debut at No. 48 with "For These Times." On the Modern Rock tally, the
Foo Fighters begin a 12th week at No. 1 with "The Pretender" but are dethroned after six weeks atop Mainstream Rock by Seether's
"Fake It."
Keys Well Ahead Of Dion In Race For
No. 1
November 14, 2007, 6:50 PM ET
Alicia Keys is poised to earn her fourth consecutive No. 1 on
The Billboard 200 as her new J album, "As I Am," is tops on Nielsen SoundScan's Building Chart, released today (Nov. 14).
If "As I Am" does bow at No. 1, Keys will become only the third
act to see their first four albums debut atop The Billboard 200. Britney Spears did it with her first four releases between
1999 and 2003, while DMX's first five albums all started at No. 1 between 1998 and 2003.
Unweighted sales for "As I Am" through the close of business Tuesday
(Nov. 13) from the Building Chart's panel of reporters stood at 160,000.
Billboard estimates that the merchants who report to Nielsen SoundScan's
Building Chart -- Trans World Entertainment, Best Buy, Circuit City,
iTunes, Border's, Target, Anderson Merchandisers, and Handleman Co. -- represent 79% of the U.S. retail market.
Keys' last release, 2005's "Unplugged," bowed at No. 1 with 196,000.
Her first two studio albums, 2001's "Songs in A Minor" and 2003's "The Diary of Alicia Keys," also started at No. 1 with 236,000
and 618,000 units, respectively.
On the Wednesday Building Chart, Celine Dion's new "Taking Chances"
(Epic) was in third place with 58,000, while Josh Groban's Christmas set, "Noel" (143/Reprise/Warner Bros.), showed continued
strength at No. 2 (67,000). Two other new albums were among the top 10 sellers: the "Now 26" compilation and Led Zeppelin's
hits set "Mothership" (Atlantic).
Keys is also outpacing Dion in terms of blog buzz, according to
Nielsen BuzzMetrics.
Keys Caps Banner Week By Topping Hot
100
November 22, 2007, 9:20 AM ET
A day after debuting at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with "As I
Am" (J), Alicia Keys assumes control of the Billboard Hot 100 with "No One," which inches up from No. 2. The track sold 210,000
downloads, an 88% increase from last week, and remains No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a sixth week.
On the Hot 100, "No One" trades places with Chris Brown's "Kiss
Kiss" featuring T-Pain, which has been No. 1 for three weeks. Timbaland's "Apologize" featuring OneRepublic holds at No. 3,
while newcomer Flo Rida's "Low" featuring T-Pain continues to climb 6-4, a week after rocketing from No. 64.
Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" remains No. 5, Soulja Boy's "Crank That
(Soulja Boy)" is down 4-6 and Kanye West's "Good Life" featuring T-Pain sticks at No. 7. Fergie's "Clumsy" jumps 12-8, making
her the first female artist since Paul Abdul in 1989 and 1990 to take five songs from a debut album into the top 10.
Baby Bash's "Cyclone" featuring T-Pain is down 8-9, and West's
"Stronger" rounds out the top 10 with a 9-10 slide. The Hot 100's top debut comes from Celine Dion's "Taking Chances" at No.
54. It's her first appearance here since 2003's "I Drove All Night" and nine years to the week that her last No. 1, "I'm Your
Angel" with R. Kelly, hit the top.
On Hot Country Songs, Carrie Underwood's "So Small" leaps 3-1
to become her fourth chart-topper there. Brad Paisley's "Letter to Me," the third single from his smash album "5th Gear,"
is the fastest-growing track at radio and jumps 22-18.
The Foo Fighters' "The Pretender" begins a 14th week at No. 1
on Modern Rock, and is closing in on tying the record for the longest running chart-topper there. Green Day's "Boulevard of
Broken Dreams," Staind's "It's Been Awhile" and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Scar Tissue" hold the record with 16 weeks.
Seether's "Fake It" is No. 1 on Mainstream Rock for a third week.
Keys Keeps Cruising Atop Hot 100
November 29, 2007, 11:00 AM ET
Alicia Keys continues to cruise on the Billboard Hot 100 with
"No One," which begins its second week atop the chart. The song is also No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a seventh straight
frame.
Back on the Hot 100, Timbaland's "Apologize" featuring OneRepublic
jumps 3-2, trading places with Chris Brown's "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain. Flo Rida's "Low" featuring T-Pain holds at No.
4 but is the fastest growing track at radio.
Soulja Boy's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" climbs 6-5, trading places
with Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly." Fergie's "Clumsy" moves up 8-7, as does Rihanna's "Hate That I Love You" featuring Ne-Yo,
which increases 12-9. The top 10 is rounded out by Baby Bash's "Cyclone" featuring T-Pain, which drops 9-10.
Jordin Sparks' "Tattoo" is the top digital gainer on this week's
chart, and enjoys a 16-12 jump. The "American Idol" winner's self-titled debut opened yesterday at No. 11 on The Billboard
200.
Kanye West has the Hot Shot Debut this week with "Flashing Lights"
featuring Dwele at No. 75; the song also shoots 36-24 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Also new on the Hot 100 are holiday-themed
tracks from Caillat ("Mistletoe" at No. 86) and Brown ("This Christmas" at No. 89).
For the first time in nearly four years, Erykah Badu returns to
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with "Honey," which is the top debut at No. 62. The track stems from Badu's next album, "The Kabah,"
due in February via Universal Motown.
Carrie Underwood's "So Small" starts a second week at No. 1 on
Hot Country Songs, where Taylor Swift's "Last Christmas" is the top debut at No. 48.
On Billboard's rock charts, the Foo Fighters are a week away from
entering the history books with "The Pretender," which has been No. 1 on Modern Rock for 15 weeks. Should it remain there
next week, it will tie the all-time record held by Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," Staind's "It's Been Awhile" and
the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Scar Tissue."
Seether's "Fake It" is No. 1 on Mainstream Rock for a fourth week.
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