Jay Z stays stop Billboard 200, Sara Bareilles debuts at No 2

Jay Z

(Billboard) – As expected, Jay Z’s ‘Magna Carta . . . Holy Grail’ holds at No 1 for a second week on the Billboard 200, selling 129,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan (down 76%). The set debuted atop the list last week with 528,000.

Jay Z
Jay Z

As the set retains the No 1 crown, it’s the first rap album in nearly two years to spend two weeks at No 1. The last rap album to rack up two weeks in the penthouse was Lil Wayne’s ‘Tha Carter IV’, which led the Billboard 200 on the charts dated Sept 17 and Sept 24, 2011.

‘Magna Carta . . . Holy Grail’ easily blocks the arriving Sara Bareilles, who bows at No 2 with ‘The Blessed Unrest’, selling 68,000 copies. The singer/songwriter’s last full-length studio album, 2010’s ‘Kaleidoscope Heart’, debuted at No 1 with a start of 90,000.

Following Bareilles is the latest Kidz Bop album, ‘Kidz Bop 24’, entering at No 3 with 62,000. The popular series—which mostly consists of child-friendly covers of hit songs—has now logged 17 top 10 albums. A No 1 title still eludes the franchise, which launched in 2001 with the first ‘Kidz Bop’ album. All of the numbered ‘Kidz Bop’ titles—except for volumes 1-6 and 17—have debuted in the top 10.

Next up, rapper Ace Hood secures his best sales week and highest-charting album, as ‘Trials & Tribulations’ bows at No 4 with 34,000. His previous best week was logged with his last entry, 2011’s ‘Blood Sweat + Tears’, which debuted and peaked at No 8 with 26,000.

Florida Georgia Line’s ‘Here’s to the Good Times’ slips 4-5 with 31,000 (down 5%), Imagine Dragons’ ‘Night Visions’ falls a rung to No 6 with 28,000 (down 15%), and J. Cole’s ‘Born Sinner’ dips 3-7 with 27,000 (down 32%).

The ‘Teen Beach Movie’ soundtrack surfs in with a debut at No 8 with 25,000, following the much-watched premiere of its companion Disney Channel film. According to Disney Channel, the movie’s bow on July 19 earned 8.4 million total viewers, making it the most-watched TV movie this year.

‘Teen Beach Movie’ is the first non-sequel TV movie soundtrack to debut in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 since the chart dated July 5, 2008. That week, Disney Channel’s first ‘Camp Rock’ soundtrack bowed at No 3.

Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles

Rounding out the top 10 are Justin Timberlake’s ‘The 20/20 Experience’, which climbs 13-9 with 24,000 (up 33%) and the arriving Cody Simpson, at No 10. The latter scores his best sales week yet, as ‘Surfers Paradise’ splashes in with slightly more than 24,000. The set—his second full-length album—is also his highest-charting release.

Simpson’s previous high-water mark—both in terms of sales and position—was reached with his first chart entry, 2011’s ‘Coast to Coast’ EP. It debuted and peaked at No 12 with nearly 24,000. The following year, his debut full-length set, ‘Paradise’, reached No 27 in its premiere frame (15,000).

Over on the Hot Digital Songs chart, there is little movement in the top 10. So little movement, that only four songs shift places—barely. No 1 again is Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”, featuring TI & Pharrell. The smash single sells another 340,000 downloads, down by 11% for the week. Its total sales now stand at 3.6 million.

Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” holds at No. 2 (208,000; down 3%) while Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” rises 4-3 with 173,000 (though it’s down by 4%). Jay Z’s “Holy Grail,” featuring Timberlake, falls one spot to No 4 with 166,000 (down 16%).

Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” stays its course at No 5 with 138,000 (down 13%), Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” featuring Pharrell Williams, is also a non-mover at No. 6 with 132,000 (down 16%). Anna Kendrick’s “Cups,” from Pitch Perfect, rises a position to No 7 with 122,000, the only sales gain in the top 10. (The song is up by 1%.)

Bruno Mars’ “Treasure” slips a spot to No 8 with 116,000 (down 11%), followed by two titles from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. First, their “Same Love,” featuring Mary Lambert, holds at No 9 with 111,000 (down 6%). Then, at No 10—for another week—is the duo’s “Can’t Hold Us” (featuring Ray Dalton) with 97,000 (down 15%).

This is the first week since the Feb 16 chart where the No 10 title sold fewer than 100,000 copies.