No one can touch Eminem right now. More than a decade into his career, he’s having a hell of a second act. “Recovery” remains on top of the Billboard 200 for the second week with its two-week tally adding up to more than a cool million copies sold.

Additionally, both “Not Afraid” and “Love the Way You Lie” are in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time in his career that Marshall Mathers has registered two songs in the Top 10 at once. Plus, the stadium dates he and Jay-Z are playing in Detroit and New York are selling out left and right. If he’s ever felt compelled to run for office, and we seriously doubt he has, now would be the time.

1.  Eminem (No. 1 last week): “Recovery” sells more than 1 million copies in two weeks. We thought only Susan Boyle could move those many units so quickly in these troubled music industry times. Imagine how much their duet of “I Dreamed a Dream” would sell.

2.  Lady Antebellum (not ranked): The country trio’s second album is the top-selling set of the year so far, with more than 2.3 million copies sold. Hey Lady A: We really do “Need You Now!”

3.  Lady GaGa (not ranked): Her ladyship sells out three dates at Madison Square Garden. Someone didn’t get the memo about what a lousy summer it is for live music.

4.  Katy Perry (No. 7): “California Gurls” spends its fifth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also sets a record for the number of spins in one week at both BDS and Mediabase. Radio stations played the song more than 13,000 times. Talk about melting your popsicle.

5.  Kiss (not ranked): The face-painted rockers launch their own line of mini-refrigerators. This is on top of the Kiss coffins and Kiss Scratcher lottery. Hey, why not. They’ve been in deep freeze for years.

6.  Prince (not ranked): After his own website is a big fail, the Purple One declares the internet is over. His declaration lands him at the top of trending topics and more press than he gotten in years. And his point was…

7.  The Who (not ranked): Roger Daltrey tells Billboard that he and Pete Townshend might roll back out of storage for another Who tour next year. Hey, we saw you at the Super Bowl half-time show. We won’t get fooled again.

8.  Big Boi (not ranked): One-half of Outkast releases his solo album after wrangling to switch from Jive to Def Jam and it looks like the long wait was well worth it. “Sir Luscious Left Foot: the Son of Chico Dusty” is garnering rave reviews. Although it won’t likely sell enough to topple Eminem from the top spot, the title is likely to be the best-selling debut of the week.

9.  “Glee” (not ranked): The show received a staggering 19 Emmy nods on Thursday. Sure, none of them were in the music categories, but that doesn’t matter. Not since the early days of “American Idol” has a television show done more to help move catalog and make it hip to love the corniest songs possible. The nominations will only help sell even more of the five “Glee” releases. We salute you, Mr.Schuester.

10.  Marina & the Diamonds (not ranked): Critically-lauded Welsh act triumphantly plays its first Los Angeles show ever on Tuesday and sparkles before a sold-out, adoring crowd at the Troubadour. One of 2010’s best new acts. 

 

What do you think?

Music Power Rankings appear every Friday in The Beat Goes On on HitFix.

Previous Ratings:

July 1