(Billboard) – Rapper Wale claims his first number one album on the Billboard 200 chart this week, as his new release ‘The Gifted’ debuts in the top position. The set sold 158,000 copies in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
It’s Wale’s second top 10 album, following his last release, 2011’s ‘Ambition’. It debuted and peaked at No 2 with 164,000 sold, but was blocked by another debuting album that week: Justin Bieber’s ‘Under the Mistletoe’ (with a 210,000 bow).
Kanye West’s ‘Yeezus’, which bowed at No 1 last week with 327,000 copies sold, falls by 80% to No 3, selling 65,000 in its sophomore frame.
Last week’s other big debut, J Cole’s ‘Born Sinner’, holds its position at No 2, selling 84,000 with a more moderate 72% decline.
Rock band Skillet arrives at No 4 with its eighth studio album, ‘Rise’, selling 60,000. It also launches at No 1 on the Rock Albums and Christian Albums charts. It’s the group’s first No 1 on the Rock tally, and second leader on the Christian chart.
‘Rise’ follows the lengthy chart success of the act’s last studio effort, 2009’s ‘Awake’. It debuted and peaked at a career-high No 2 on the Billboard 200 (68,000 debut) and ruled for 12 weeks at No 1 on the Christian Albums chart. Further, it spent 136 weeks on the Billboard 200 and has sold 1.1 million copies in the US.
Two more new albums arrive in the top 10 this week: R&B singer/songwriter India.Arie enters at No 7 with ‘SongVersation’ (31,000) and another rock act, August Burns Red, bows at No 9 with ‘Rescue & Restore’ (26,000).
This marks India.Arie’s fifth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 in as many tries. Her last release, 2009’s ‘Testimony: Vol 2, Love & Politics’, bowed at No 3 with 75,000. She’s topped the tally once previously, with 2006’s ‘Testimony: Vol 1, Life & Relationship’.
On Top R&B Albums this week, ‘SongVersation’ bows at No 1.
For August Burns Red, the band achieves its first top 10 album on the Billboard 200 with its latest release. Their previous high came when its last studio set, 2011’s ‘Leveler’, debuted and peaked at No 11 off a 29,000 start.
Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’ rises 6-5 with 31,000 (down 23%) and Florida Georgia Line’s ‘Here’s to the Good Times’ climbs 8-6 with almost 31,000 (down 7%). (The sales figures for Nos 5-7 are rounded to the nearest 1,000, which is 31,000 for each. The titles are separated by only a few hundred copies, and all sold between 30,500 and 31,000.)
Imagine Dragons’ ‘Night Visions’ ascends 10-8 with 29,000 (up 13%) and Black Sabbath’s ‘13’ dips 5-10 with 25,000 (down 44%).
Over on the Digital Songs chart, Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” featuring TI and Pharrell, is steady at No 1, moving 423,000 downloads (down less than 1%).
Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” doesn’t seem to be stopping, as the song grows by 30% in sales, jumping from No 6 to No 2 with 209,000.
