Rick Ross Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200 For Third Time

4/29/2009 by Keith Caulfield

Rick Ross easily debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with "Deeper Than Rap" (Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam), shifting 158,000 in its first week. It's the third topper for the artist. His last set, 2008's "Trilla," bowed at No. 1 with 198,000 while 2006's "Port of Miami" also did the same, but with 187,000.

Ross bumps the "Hannah Montana: the Movie" soundtrack (Walt Disney) out of the top slot, as the Miley Cyrus-enhanced set slips to No. 2 with 104,000 (down 22%).

Depeche Mode notches its highest charting album since 1993 as "Sounds of the Universe" (Mute/Virgin/Capitol) bows at No. 3 with 80,000. The new set gives the veteran band its second-best rank ever on the chart. Its highest came when "Songs of Faith and Devotion" debuted at No. 1 in 1993. However, "Sounds of the Universe's" opening frame is actually the group's smallest debut sales week for a studio set since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. The act's last four studio offerings have all had opening weeks north of 92,000.

New rapper Asher Roth sees his "Asleep in the Bread Aisle" debut (SchoolBoy/Loud/SRC/Universal Motown) enter the list at No. 5 with 65,000. The set's lead single, "I Love College," peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 a little over a month ago.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Rascal Flatts' "Unstoppable" (Lyric Street) slides one spot to No. 4 with 68,000 (down 37%), the "Twilight" soundtrack (Summit/Chop Shop/Atlantic) falls two slots to No. 6 with 40,000 (down 19%), Lady GaGa's "The Fame" (Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope) moves up one position to No. 7 with 40,000 (up 9%), Day26's "Forever in a Day" (Bad Boy) slides six spots to No. 8 with 37,000 (down 67%) in its second week, the "Now 30" compilation (UMe) falls four places to No. 9 with 36,000 (down 19%) and Jadakiss' "The Last Kiss" (Ruff Ryders/D-Block/Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam) slips four rungs to No. 10 with 30,000 (down 32%).

Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending April 26) totaled 6.17 million units, down 3% compared to the sum last week (6.36 million) and down 10% compared to the same sales week of 2008 (6.86 million). Year to date album sales stand at 117.9 million, down 12% compared to the same total at this point last year (134.2 million).