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NEWS : STORIES
Street-wise rapper DMX topped the Billboard 200 albums chart with Flesh of My Flesh -- Blood of My Blood for the third week in a row. The second album from the rapper to hold the top spot on the chart in less than seven months already
This time, however, DMX faced stiff competition from Fugees rapper/singer Lauryn Hill's highly acclaimed solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which leaped from #10 to #2. That album apparently reaped the benefits of its recent 10 Grammy nominations and its high ranking on many critics' best-of-1998 lists. Still, Flesh of My Flesh -- Blood of My Blood remained at #1 after moving 134,672 copies in the week ending Jan 10, according to sales-tracking company SoundScan. That brings the album's total sales to 1,053,233; that's enough for DMX to earn another platinum award from the Recording Industry Association of America. Meanwhile, DMX's first album, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, which features such songs as "F---in' Wit' D" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Ruff Ryder's Anthem," is still high on the chart -- sitting comfortably at #20 after moving 55,546 copies during the past week. By comparison, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill -- which features the hits "Lost Ones" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (RealAudio excerpt) -- sold 110,953 copies last week, keeping it ahead of such competition as slain gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur's Greatest Hits (#3) and Jay-Z's Vol. II ... Hard Knock Life (#5). In a statement released after she learned of her 10 Grammy nominations, Hill said she was thankful but struck that an album she considers so personal has resonated with so many other people. "I'd like to thank everyone who supported this album," she said. "I think it is a strong statement, in these days, that I can make an album completely from my soul and without compromise and be acknowledged for it. Praise God." Overall album sales continued their post-holiday depression. Of the albums already on the chart, only three demonstrated a sales increase: Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas Angel (#64), R&B singer Tyrese's self-titled debut (#81) and R&B singer Brian McKnight's Bethlehem (#95). Last week's low overall sales boosted some older releases onto the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time, and this week's even slower general sales helped move the resurgent albums even further up the rankings. Orgy -- the techno-rock group that toured this fall with metal-rockers Korn on the Family Values tour, and was the first band signed to Korn's label, Elementree -- made their first chart appearance at #130 last week after selling 15,178 copies of their debut, Candyass. This week, they moved 13,387 copies of Candyass, but still moved up to #102 thanks to weakened competition. The story was the same for Detroit-based rap-rocker Kid Rock's Devil Without a Cause. The album, which features the single "I Am The Bullgod" (RealAudio excerpt), reached #181 last week after moving 10,113 copies. This week, the album moved 8,351 copies but leapt to #151. By way of comparison, three weeks ago in the heat of the holiday rush, Devil Without A Cause sold 12,058 copies and didn't make the top 200. A few veteran acts also saw their chart positions improve despite the slower overall sales. Former House of Pain frontman Everlast broke the top 20 for the first time this week when his second solo album -- the rap-and-blues-drenched Whitey Ford Sings The Blues -- landed in the #15 slot. Spurred on by the success of the single, "What It's Like" (RealAudio excerpt), Whitey Ford Sings The Blues shifted 72,247 copies -- a slight drop from last week's total of 75,401. Former House of Pain member DJ Lethal and his bandmates in the rap-rock hybrid Limp Bizkit also saw a chart leap this week. The continuing success of their cover of George Michael's "Faith" has kept the group's Three Dollar Bill Y'all steadily moving up the chart. This week, the album jumped from #39 to #25 after selling 48,067 copies. The rest of the top 10: Offspring, Americana (#4); N' Sync, N' Sync (#6); Jewel, Spirit (#7); Mariah Carey, #1's (#8); Garth Brooks, Double Live (#9) and Various Artists, Now That's What I Call Music (#10).
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