Rick Ross Scores Fourth No. 1 Album With ‘God Forgives, I Don’t’
As projected last week, rapper Rick Ross claims his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as "God Forgives, I Don't" bows atop the list with 218,000 sold according to Nielsen SoundScan.
As projected last week, rapper Rick Ross claims his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as “God Forgives, I Don’t” bows atop the list with 218,000 sold according to Nielsen SoundScan.
That gives the Maybach mogul his best sales week yet, topping the 198,000 that “Trilla” opened with at No. 1 in 2008. Ross has previously led the chart with with 2006’s “Port of Miami,” “Trilla” and 2009’s “Deeper Than Rap.”
‘God Forgives, I Don’t’: Track-By-Track Review
Ross has now collected more No. 1 albums than some rappers with longer histories on the Billboard 200: like Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg, who both have three No. 1s. (Though, Ross is still far behind the man with the most No. 1s among all rap acts: Jay-Z, who has 12 toppers.)
The first-week sales of “God Forgives, I Don’t” were also buoyed by Amazon MP3, which has priced the title for $5 for the entire month of August. The set sold 90,000 downloads last week and easily arrives at No. 1 on the Digital Albums chart.
At No. 2 this week in the Billboard 200, Zac Brown Band‘s “Uncaged” slips a slot with 39,000 (down 18%). With a fourth week in the top two, it’s only the second album this year to spend a month or longer in the region. The other is Adele‘s “21,” which has claimed 22 frames in the top two this year.
Justin Bieber‘s “Believe” rises 6-3 (35,000; up less than 1%) while pop group One Direction sees its “Up All Night” climb 7-4 (34,000; up 1%).
Another pop act, but of a slightly different vintage, makes a stunning reentry at No. 5, as Bee Gees‘ “Number Ones” returns with 32,000 (up 3,049%). Credit the wild gain in sales to Amazon MP3, which priced the 20-song set for 99 cents from Aug. 3-5, thus sparking its increase. (97% of the set’s sales last week were downloads, and likely nearly all from Amazon.)
The reentry gives the iconic pop trio its highest charting album since January of 1980, when “Greatest” hit No. 1. It’s also the group’s first top 10 since the “Staying Alive” soundtrack reached No. 6 in 1983, and its ninth top 10 overall.
Nas‘ “Life Is Good” falls 2-6 (just under 32,000; down 29%), the “Kidz Bop 22” album slides 5-7 (31,000; down 11%), Adele’s “21” rises 9-8 (29,000; down 5%) and Maroon 5‘s “Overexposed” is up one to No. 9 with 25,000 (up 7%).
Closing out the top 10 is Joss Stone‘s “The Soul Sessions, Vol. 2,” debuting at No. 10 with 24,000. It’s the singer’s fourth top 10 album and follows 2011’s “LP1,” which launched at No. 9 with 30,000. Stone’s first “Soul Sessions” album — the EP that was her breakthrough chart debut — reached No. 39 on the Billboard 200.
Right outside the top 10 is country trio Gloriana, which debuts its second album, “A Thousand Miles Left Behind” at No. 11 with 23,000. Had Amazon MP3 not opted to sale price the Bee Gees’ “Number Ones” last week, Gloriana could have nabbed its second top 10 set. The group’s first top 10 came with its self-titled debut album, which bowed and peaked at No. 3 in 2009 off a 44,000 start.
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Over on the Digital Songs chart, “American Idol” winner Phillip Phillips zooms from No. 47 to No. 1 with “Home,” selling 228,000 (up 472%) — all thanks to the Olympics. The song was repeatedly used during NBC’s broadcast of the women’s gymnastics competitions throughout the week. This is “Home’s” second-best sales week — only its debut frame of 278,000 was larger.
Further, it’s the first time “Home” has been the top selling song of the week, as it debuted at No. 2 the week after he won “Idol” in May. He was blocked that week from the top — on the chart dated June 9 — by Carly Rae Jepsen‘s “Call Me Maybe.” It was in its second week at No. 1, with 301,000.
Flo Rida‘s “Whistle” is thus pushed out of the No. 1 slot by Phillips, down to No. 2, with 222,000 (down 6%). Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” slips 2-3 with 166,000 (down 8%) and fun.‘s “Some Nights” holds at No. 4 with 139,000 (up 7%).
Katy Perry‘s “Wide Awake” falls 3-5 (130,000; down 13%), Cher Lloyd‘s “Want U Back” moves 5-6 (122,000; down 5%) and Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me” (featuring Big Sean) jumps 14-7 (just over 122,000; up 56%).
Ellie Goulding‘s “Lights” descends 7-8 (120,000; down 2%), Owl City & Jepsen’s “Good Time” drops 8-9 (118,000; down 3%) and Pink‘s “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” retreats 6-10 (just under 118,000; down 4%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Aug. 5) totaled 5.24 million units, up 7% compared with the sum last week (4.89 million) and down 8% compared with the comparable sales week of 2011 (5.67 million). Year-to-date album sales stand at 177.30 million, down 3% compared with the same total at this point last year (183.47 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 24.09 million downloads, up 1% compared with last week (23.82 million) and up 4% stacked next to the comparable week of 2011 (23.18 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 821.40 million, up 6% compared with the same total at this point last year (777.53 million).
Next week’s Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2011 when: Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s “Watch the Throne” bowed at No. 1 with 436,000 and Luke Bryan‘s “Tailgates & Tanlines” started at No. 2 with 145,000.
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