Diddy "Presses Play," Ludacris "Shakes" and "Screws," Lloyd Banks Drops
Thursday - October 26, 2006 by Rebecca "Tracie J." Murphy
In this week's Hip-Hop Charts, Diddy "presses play," Ludacris "screws up" and Lloyd Banks comes up short.

Debuting on the Hip-Hop Charts this week at No. 1 is Diddy. "Come to Me," the lead single which features Nicole of the Pussycat Dolls has been busy on the airplay, and has maintained a heavy buzz for the past two months. Press Play, Diddy's last LP since 2001's The Saga Continues, has debuted with 170,900 copies sold in the first week.

Holding it down at No. 12 this week is Ludacris. The ATLien has done it again, surpassing official gold stat at 552,200. The second single for Release Therapy, "Grew Up a Screw Up," features Young Jeezy and is heavy on the street tip. In week 4, Luda has made off with 55,400 units.

Next up is Lloyd Banks, tumbling twelve seats to land at No. 15. This week, Banks has taken in 46,900 copies, bringing is total for Rotten Apple to 190,000 in week 2.

Debuting on the charts this week is DJ Hi-Tek, holding it down at No. 38. The producer responsible for a lot of the earlier Blackstar (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) stuff, as well as his critically acclaimed 2001 release Hi-Teknology, is back again. This LP, Hi-Teknology 2, is led by the single "Where it Started at (NY)," which features Papoose, Jadakiss, Raekwon, and Talib Kweli. The latest effort also cameos The Game, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, and J Dilla. This week, Teknology 2 has sold 22,000 copies.

Falling ten seats to No. 46 is Rick Ross. To date, the gold selling debut from the MIA rap star has bagged 563,400 CDs, and is still pushing it to the limit with 17,700 units sold this week.

Debuting at No. 50 this week is Xzibit. The new LP, Full Circle, has debuted rather quietly this week, bringing in only 17,400 discs thus far.

Not moving an inch on the charts this week is Gnarls Barkley, sitting tight at No. 55. This week, the sales for St. Elsewhere appear similar to that of last week's 16,200, with 15,500 reading off as the week-in total. The total units sold to date read off at 1,016,400.

Slipping fifteen positions on the charts is Chingy, coming in at No. 56 this week. The latest single for Hoodstar, "Dem Jeans," hasn't brought in as much hype as the very successful "Pulling Me Back," which can probably explain the weakening sales. This week, Chingy has pushed 14,700 units, bringing the total to 172,600 after 5 weeks on the charts.

Toppling over on the charts this week is Lupe Fiasco, taking the No. 63 seat. After 5 weeks, Fiasco has managed 164,000 units, pushing this week's numbers to 13,700.

Moving up a notch this week is Young Dro, stepping it up to No. 70 this week. After holding down the No. 71 seat last week, Dro has decided to move the album up a spot in the rap competition. The 7-day cycle has ended this week at 12,700, rounding off the total digits for Best Thang Smokin' to 260,100.

Slowing it down, Ruben Studdard debuts on the slow end, Justin Timberlake's flow is still on it, Beyonce keeps the units moving, and Fergie slips. This week, Ruben Studdard, the former "American Idol" star, has taken his second album to the No. 8 slot on the charts. The numbers for Studdard appear to have stunted, with 70,700 copies sold. Holding it down at No. 4 is a very relentless Justin. This week, the numbers just keep booming, with 99,000 representing the week-in total. Timberlake has moved 1,368,000 discs after 6 weeks. Holding it down at No. 20 is Beyonce. In week 7, "B" has banged it out with 996,600 tipping towards official platinum stat, as the week's numbers have finished at 36,600. Pushing Dutchess to No. 21 this week is Fergie, sitting at 368,600. After 5 weeks, Fergie has made off with 36,000 copies sold.

Next week, look out for John Legend, Gucci Mane, and Jibbs to debut on the charts.