Fabolous earns his first Billboard 200 chart-topper

Boring week for top ten action on the album sales chart

By Katie Hasty Wednesday, Aug 5, 2009 1:58 PM

Fabolous

Like we said, it doesn't take much to become No. 1 on The Billboard 200 anymore, but that doesn't mean Fabolous didn't work for it. The New York rapper's "Loso's Way" bows at the top slot with 99,000 copies. It's his first chart-topper there, though he was trumped by Michael Jackson's "Number Ones" as far as sales go this week: that set sold 114,000.

There are no other new albums in the top 10, though Ashley Tisdale's "High School Musical" debuts at No. 12 with 25,000.

Daughtry's "Leave This Town" (62,000), Maxwell's "BLACKsummers'night" (55,000) and the "Now 31" hits compilation (53,000) all hold tight at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." climbs 6-5 with 49,000 as Kings Of Leon's "Only By The Night" ascends 8-6 with 47,000 and a 21% increase, after an appearance on the "Today" show.

"Hannah Montana 3" slips 5-7 (41,000) as Demi Lovato's "Here We Go Again" gets bumped from No. 1 to No. 8 with 39,000, a 64% sales decline. Taylor Swift's "Fearless," which is the only album to currently beat MJ's "Number Ones" in terms of sales this year, keeps the No. 9 spot warm with 38,000 as Lady GaGa follows suit, staying put at No. 10 with 27,000.

Sales are down 4.6% compared to the previous week's sales and down a whopping 19.4% compared to the same week last year. Sales overall for the year are down 14.2% compared to last year's sum.

Katie Hasty
Managing Editor

After five years as a columnist and editor at Billboard, Katie Hasty joined HitFix in 2009 for music and film reporting out of New York. The Midwest native has worked as a writer, music promoter and in A&R since 1999 and performs with her band Numbers And Letters.