Kanye West, Nicki Minaj Score Big Debuts on Billboard 200



As expected, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj arrive in the Nos. 1 and 2 slots, respectively, on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Mr. West sold 496,000 of his "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," while Minaj moved 375,000 of her "Pink Friday" debut according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Both sales starts are a bit lower than initially projected, as some industry insiders had predicted in the early part of last week that the pair were on track to start with perhaps 550,000 and 400,000, respectively.

Nevertheless, West's 496,000 gives him his fourth straight No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and the fourth-best sales week of 2010. It's also a better launch than the 450,000 that greeted his last set, 2008's "808s & Heartbreak." As for Minaj, she racks up the second-best sales week for a female hip-hop act. Only Lauryn Hill has done better, when "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" started at No. 1 with 423,000 in 1998.

Also, this week marks the first time in two years that the Billboard 200 has seen two albums bow with more than 300,000 units. It last happened on the list dated Dec. 6, 2008, when Beyonce's "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" started at No. 1 with 482,000 while Nickelback's "Dark Horse" galloped in a No. 2 with 326,000.

Source: Billboard.com

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