Plies Breaks 100K, While Soulja Boy Debuts At Number 43 On The Billboard 200

The latest hip-hop releases by Plies and Soulja Boy failed to make a top 10 impact on the Billboard 200 this week, according to Nielsen’s SoundScan.

Leading the pack instead is Kanye West, whose 808s & Heartbreak album just missed the coveted top 10 spot, landing at number 11. After four weeks on the charts Ye’s experimental disc inches closer to platinum status with over 858,800 album sold - ringing up more than 138,900 copies this week alone.

Debuting 3 slots down at number 14 is Ft. Myers, Florida rapper Plies with his second album to drop this year - and third in just 16 months. Da Realist sold close to 114,400 CDs this holiday season due in part to his hit single “Put It On Ya” featuring Chris J.

Taking an 18 percent climb this week is Grand Hustle general T.I. with his 6th solo album Paper Trail. The Atlanta rap star landed at the number 34 spot, moving an additional 54,700 discs this week. After 12 weeks on the Billboard 200 Tip has sold close to 1,443,880 discs.

Landing all the way down at the number 43 position is teenage phenom Soulja Boy with his sophomore release iSouljaboytellem. Selling over 10,000 more copies then the 35K projections, SB managed to scan about 45,500 discs in his first week. In contrast, the young rapper’s first album Souljaboytellem.com, which included his mega hit single “Crank That [Soulja Boy],” sold 117,000 copies in it’s debut week.

Taking a 58 percent dip on his second week on the charts is Common’s Universal Mind Control which sits at the number 56 spot. Selling 34,270 units this week, the Chi-Town vet has blown a grand total of 116,900 albums off the shelves.

With no new rap releases dropping this week, look for the Kanye to continue to stay ahead of the competition next Wednesday. – Elan Mancini