Jay-Z Slips, Snoop Follows Suit, Clipse Steal Third

In this week's Hip-Hop Charts, Jay-Z holds the crown, Snoop Dogg is still in second, and The Clipse are on the come up.

Holding it down at the top of rap competition is Jay-Z, coming in at No. 6. Hova drops hard body since last week's 680K charts debut, but has still put it down with 139,900 copies sold this week. With the single, "Kingdom Come," still spinning the airwaves in New York City and "Lost Ones" warming up nationwide, Hov's comeback CD has pushed 821,700 units in total.

Slipping seven seats to No. 12 this week is Snoop Dogg. Despite the slight drop on the charts, Blue Carpet Treatment is still putting in work, as the total numbers read off at 355,100 after only 2 weeks on the charts. Fourth quarter appears to have gone off with a bang, as "That's That Shit" continues to plague the airwaves, contributing to the 90,300 discs pushed this week.

Debuting on the charts at No. 14 is Clipse. After numerous push-backs and other label conflicts, it seems as if quite a bit of hype for Hell Hath No Fury has gone down substantially, as the numbers for this week only read off at 79,600. Pusha T and Malice, however, scored a hit with last summer's "Mr. Me Too."

Tumbling ten positions is The Game, landing hard at No. 23. It seems as if the clout for Doctor's Advocate is diminishing, as his week-end numbers have rounded off at 61,800, compared to 134,100 last week. After 3 weeks going, Game has hit official gold status with 554,800 copies, still a far cry from the "five million" he has estimated for his second LP.

Taking a nosedive to No. 30 is Tupac. After last week's impressive debut at 159,000, Pac has slipped twenty-one seats on the charts. Pac's Life has finished off at 211,900 in total, with this week's numbers topping off at 52,300.

Debuting on the Hip-Hop Charts this week is the Ying Yang Twins, catching a brick at No. 40. Their new album, Chemically Imbalanced, has whispered its way onto the charts, as the numbers read off at 36,200.

Losing the rap race this week is Ludacris, falling fifteen seats to No. 50. The latest single from Luda, entitled "Runaway Love," features Mary J. Blige and is the third song off of Release Therapy. Unfortunately, the weekly numbers are still slowing down, with 27,600 sold this week, compared to 49,600 last week. After 11 weeks, the ATL rapper has scored at 793,100.

Up next is Baby and Lil' Wayne, falling ten seats to land at No. 54 this week. It's been 5 weeks for the duo, and the total numbers read off at 364,100, with the 7-day cycle ending at 25,500.

Still holding it down is Jim Jones, clinging hard to No. 70. Jim Jones is still pushing units for Hustler's P.O.M.E, getting that independent guap with 202,800 CDs sold thus far. This week, the Harlem rapper has pushed 19,900 copies.

Slowing the tempo, Akon is still riding high, Beyonce is still a big hit, Justin Timberlake is slowing down, Fergie steps down, and John Legend slips once again. Coming in at No. 8 this week is Akon. His disc appears to be a big hit, as 110,300 copies have been sold in this week alone. After 2 weeks, Konvicted has surpassed gold status at 558,500. Stepping only one slot out of the top ten this week is Beyonce, making the grade at No. 11. The star of "Dreamgirls," which is slated for release this month, is still riding off her hit single "Irreplaceable." This week, "B" has finished 94,700 copies, bringing B'Day to 1,492,200 after 13 weeks on the move. Taking No. 26 this week is Timberlake. The total for Futuresex/Lovesounds read off at 1,866,000, with the 7-day cycle rounding off at 57,800. One foot below is Fergie, taking the No. 28 seat. This week, Fergie has pushed 57,200 units, as the total for Dutchess stands tall at 712,300. Last but not least is John Legend, coming in at No. 34. The legend continues after 6 weeks on the move, as Once Again holds it down at official gold status. The total numbers for John's latest effort read off at 577,500, as the week-end total represents at 44,700.

Next week, look out for Eminem, Lil' Scrappy, and Project Pat to make an entrance on the charts.