Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 6/16/2013

After last week’s lack of new Hip Hop releases joining the charts, three new Hip Hop releases conquered the Top 200 in the latest rankings.

“SNL” goofballs Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone (as Lonely Island) touched the Top 10 with their third LP, The Wack Album. Kendrick Lamar, Too Short, and T-Pain joined a guest ensemble that also included Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake. The Rap-Comedy album spawned singles such as the Teddy Bend-Her-Ass-assisted “I Fucked My Aunt,” grabbing laughs and approximately 28,000 in sales for the Universal Republic mock-trio.

Action Bronson & Harry Fraud also made their introduction to the Top 200. While both artists are no stranger to appearing on high-selling efforts, this was a first to the underground Hip Hop vets. The VICE/Atlantic/Warner Bros. Records-backed Saab Stories sold nearly 8,000 copies in its exclusively digital presentation.

Action and Fraud’s homies, Prodigy & Alchemist also made the list with Albert Einstein. The pair’s second collaborative album (amidst a 15-year catalog of individual and Mobb Deep songs) was a benchmark for Prodigy’s Infamous Recordings label. The indie effort sold just under 3,000 units in its first week at retail.

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Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, featuring extensive involvement from Pharrell Williams, remained at #2, and achieved gold-certified status.

Action Bronson & Harry May Have Saab Stories, But No Sob Story

After two previous full-length albums released in 2011, Action Bronson’s first major label effort finally earned him a spot on the charts. After signing with VICE magazine’s Atlantic/Warner-distributed imprint, the Queens, New York emcee hopped the BQE to team up with longtime associate and Brooklyn native Harry Fraud on the Saab Stories EP. The seven-song effort featured the single, “Strictly 4 My Jeeps,” with a jarring Jason Goldwatch-directed video in support of the song.

After both retail and free releases with Tommy Mas, Statik Selektah, Party Supplies, Alchemist and now Fraud, Bronson recently stated plans to make his next work with an array of producers, largely those the 2011 DXnext alum has collaborated with to date.

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Prodigy & Alchemist’s Albert Einstein Shares An MC²

Longtime collaborators Prodigy and Alchemist followed up 2007’s Return Of The Mac with their second joint-album, Albert Einstein. The effort is believed to take its name from both artists’ government names, Albert and Alan, respectively. Released on P’s own Infamous Recordings, the album displays Alchemist’s recent psychedelic influence, as heard on Russian Roulette and Gangrene’sVodka & Ayahausca albums—part of his banner 2012 “Producer Of The Year” takings.

The “Keep It Thoro” tandem invited guests ranging from the aforementioned Bronson to longtime Mobb Deep supporter Raekwon, and of course Havoc on “R.I.P.” Alchemist also grabbed the microphone on “Bible Paper.” While Return Of The Mac was a Top 40 debut, selling over 30,000 first-week copies six years ago, this self-released effort accomplished 10% of that, coming in at #175. This is Infamous Recordings’ first charting release since 2011’s Black Cocaine EP, the last project released by Mobb Deep.

Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 6/16/2013

#2. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories – 48,000 (543,000)

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#10. Lonely Island – Wack Album – 28,000 (28,000)

#17. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist– 23,000 (821,000)

#43. Lil Wayne – I Am Not A Human Being II– 10,000 (487,000)

#55. French Montana – Excuse My French – 8,400 (94,000)

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#56. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city – 8,200 (929,000)

#63. Action Bronson & Harry Fraud – Saab Stories – 7,600 (7,600)

#88. The-Dream – IV Play – 5,500 (37,000)

#133. Kid Cudi – Indicud – 3,700 (219,000)

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#175. Prodigy & Alchemist – Albert Einstein – 3,000 (3,000)

^{* data comes from Nielsen Soundscan, rounded to nearest thousandth for units above 10,000, nearest hundredth for units below 10,000. Each week, HipHopDX presents top albums in Hip Hop/related, and five notables.}

Everybody has predictions about the sales rankings and chart positions of Kanye West’s Yeezus, J. Cole’sBorn Sinner, and Mac Miller’sWatching Movies With The Sound Off. What are yours?

Last Week’s Album Sales.

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