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Sales Wrap: Sales Wrap-Up 2008: Lil' Wayne Is The "Milli" Dollar Man, Chart Winners & Losers Exposed
Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:34:10 ZLil' Wayne, T.I. and a few others made big impacts on the charts in 2008. But what of Nelly, Fat Joe and G-Unit? As 2008 nears its completion, SOHH has examined this year's top selling albums along with a few that fell back and missed the big sales payday.
TOP SELLERSMaking his long-delayed return to store shelves on June 10, Lil' Wayne has continued to break records and create a buzz throughout the year, this time with the release of The Carter III. His hit records "Lollipop," "A Milli," "Got Money," and "Mrs. Officer" helped him land at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 and sell over 1 million copies his first week. The record now currently stands at No. 47 with 2,778,800 albums sold. Another big winner of the year was T.I. Facing an upcoming one year jail sentence beginning next March, T.I.'s Paper Trail landed in consumers' hands September 30. Despite rap beefs and house arrest, Tip held his own as his sixth solo project debuted at No. 1 selling over 500,000 in its first week and currently rests at No. 30 with 1,389,100 sold copies. R&B was introduced to a new split personality this year as Beyonce showcased I Am...Sasha Fierce on November 18 offering both a somber side with "If I Were a Boy" and her high-energy side via "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." She made headlines with her secret wedding to Jay-Z, and the Grammy winning singer's name gained more attention by debuting at No. 1 with over 482,000 copies sold and stands at No. 3 with 1,052,500 albums sold. Mariah Carey's E=MC2 made history on April 15 as it went on to become one of her biggest career releases. Gaining additional publicity from her marriage with Nick Cannon, Mariah's first week numbers were 463,000 helping her debut at No. 1 and allowing the album to rest at over 1.2 million copies sold. Another R&B mega star Usher gave fans a year to remember on May 27 as Here I Stand marked his long-awaited return as "Love in This Club" and "Love in This Club, Part II" began to takeover national radio air waves. Usher landed atop the charts with 443,000 copies sold and later became a platinum-certified as Here I Stand rests at No. 151 with 1,099,300 scanned units. British crooner Leona Lewis shocked United States fans as her debut Spirit has remained on the charts ever since it's debut in April. Lowis' first solo project landed atop the charts on her opening week with 205,000 scanned copies and currently sits at No. 59 with 1,330,025 sold copies.MISSED THE MARK Despite mega selling albums from Weezy and Mariah, 2008 saw a lot of noteworthy projects that failed to generate heavy sales. Nearly a decade since releasing his last album, hip-hop legend Q-Tip returned on November 4 with The Renaissance led by the tracks "Gettin' Up" and "Move." Despite a solid hip-hop following, the A Tribe Called Quest frontman debuted at No. 11 selling 34,200 copies. His second solo release currently stands at 79,700 scanned units.With group member confrontations and pushed back release dates, G-Unit's Terminate On Site (TOS) hit stores on July 1 and was met with mixed reactions. Buzzing from tracks like "Rider Pt. 2" and "I Like the Way She Do It," the group debuted at #4 with 102,000 and currently rests at just under 200,000 scanned copies. Engaging himself in a brief rap battle with 50 Cent, Fat Joe's Elephant in the Room landed March 11 and was prepped to be the Terror Squad leader's re-start into the mainstream. Appearing to do fairly well with the success of his J. Holiday assisted "I Won't Tell," the album failed to generate major numbers but did land at No. 6. It opened with 46,000 sold copies but has yet to break 100K sold. Once known for competing with Eminem's sales numbers, Nelly returned after a four-year hiatus with Brass Knuckles on September 16. The mega-platinum artist's fifth solo project secured #3 with 84,000 first week scanned currently stands at roughly 161,200 sold. Battling retailers and corporate America, Nas faced major setbacks with Untitled before it hit stores on July 15. He debuted at No.1 as songs like "Hero" helped him push 187,000 copies. Despite the ultra hyped release, Untitled currently rests at a respectable but less than astounding for Nas 407,100 moved. R&B superstar Janet Jackson made her Island Def Jam debut February 22 with the release of Discipline led by the tracks "Feedback," "Rock with U," and "Luv." Despite her established popularity and landing at No. 1 with 181,000 albums sold, Janet's latest album was unable to outdo former projects, leading to label disputes as Discipline currently remains at just over 415,000.