1. Bon Jovi - Lost Highway - 291k 2. White Stripes - Icky Thump - 223k 3. Brad Paisly - 5th Gear - 197k 4. Toby Keith - Big Dog Daddy - 73k 5. Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full - 64k
Top 3 are debuts. Bon Jovi still got it, shit. Everyone is gonna start doing country albums now. No hip hop or pop in the top 5 this week. Can't say that I have any one of these CD's either.
Kelly Clarkson - My December All this hoopla about her album being trash, Clive shittin on her in public, her first single making me go deaf in my left ear and what's the result? A piece of shit album. They bumped the album up because why pour more $$ into a project that has no potential? Let's throw it out there and keep it moving. No tour, no manager....looks like Clive is teaching a lesson. Album sounds like a bunch of throw away joints. Not one hot song on this fuckin thing except for maybe "Irvine." I wasted too much time just writing this review. Grade: D
Pharoahe Monch - Desire He'll never get that commercial love, but it's good to hear this dude still make music. At the risk of him sounding bitter, he really serves as the voice of a lot of artists out there who make that raw shit who don't get that shine. Solid listen for the underground head, but he can do better with some better production. Grade: B -
Marc Broussard - S.O.S. - Save Our Soul Banger from a soul and r&b white boy who returns with this indy release. Definite listen to check out front to back. Grade: B
1. Toby Keith - Big Dog Daddy - 204k 2. Fabolous - From Nothin' To Somethin - 159k 3. Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full - 106k 4. Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long - 87k 5. T-Pain - Epiphany - 81k
The game is fucked up man, country debuts only brings in 200k. Fab has a respectable debut, Paul is a Beatle, Maroon 5 sticks (album grows on you, just like the last joint) and T-Pain hangs around.
Notable mentions: Khaled in at 8 with almost 80k scanned. Paramore with a top 20 debut. And believe it or not, Timbo isn't even gold yet.
1. T-Pain - Epiphany - 171k 2. Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad - 162k 3. Paul McCartney - 160k 4. R. Kelly - Double Up - 120k 5. Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long - 112k
You know the game done changed when Paul McCartney ain't good for a number one anymore. T-Pain suprises everyone taking the #1 spot from stiff competition from McCartney and Rihanna (Jay must be tight). Kells and Maroon still holding strong good numbers. That Maroon album is growing on me.
So the final episode of the Sopranos has everyone pissed off. Shit was weird, but it ended right. If you've been disappointed over the years behind the other weird shows, this falls in that category, BUT, it did answer THE question. Was it Phil or Tony that was gonna take the hit? Phil caught it, and caught it in a bad way. Shit was good enough for me. The whole episode was symbolically done, well done. So everyone that ain't like it, watch it a few more times to get the gist and get back to work. You've wasted enough time bullshitting with everyone at work about it like I have.
Fabolous - From Nothin To Somethin - Fab's notorious for being that BK rapper with the most potential that never really got there. One of the illest lyricists in the game period, his Def Jam debut started out a little nervous, like every release that has come before it. He always comes with the weird left field first single that no one really catches, then goes for the sure fire crossover joint. Thank god for Ne-Yo and Jay who both passed this record and eventually got to Fab. Can't say that there is anything on this album thats worth keeping as its all just slick punchlines over decent production. No growth, no insight and no real big cuts other than "Brooklyn" and slightly better production overall. Not that I'm surprised, but I hear the mixtape is nasty, which they've always been and what seperates the mixtape mc from a career artist that puts out albums. Grade: C-
DJ Khaled - We The Best - Feels like we just had a Khaled album, right? Mixtape albums are tough to get a look outside core hip hop, but Khaled takes a step further by getting anyone who's anyone to drop verses for this. Dope first single to open up the project, though the timing was off, but its almost worth getting the album just for this track, but who does that anymore? First half of the album starts off strong, second half is ehh. I guess I didn't see the Bone Thugs thing ever happening again, but they get a look here too. Stand out tracks are "I'm So Hood" and "Before The Solution." Grade: B-
DMX - The Definition of X - They say once a greatest hits compilation comes out, your career's a wrap. Feels that way now for X. But lets live with this for a second and remember the jewels he's dropped us over the years and recognize that he was one of the most important voices for hip-hop from the late 90's to the early 2000's. Dope compilation, no grade cause it's a bunch of hits.
Timberlake makes a statement with his new label by snatching up YouTube princess Esmee Denters. She's from the Netherlands and posted songs from her sisters webcam of her doing crazy dope covers and getting over 20 million views in the process (similar to how Cassie got picked up as the princess of MySpace). She's already been on the cover of Billboard. Get to know her. esmeedenters.organd myspace.com/esmeedenters
1. R. Kelly - Double Up - 385k 2. Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long - 171k 3. Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight - 126k 4. Jason Aldean - Relentless - 98k 5. Daughtry - Daughtry - 69k
Kells helps keep the lights on at Jive with another #1 album, Maroon take the normal industry dip on week 2, LP still strong and already Platinum. Jason Aldean is some country guy I know nothing about and Daughtry rounds out the top 5 as he inches towards 3 million. Notable increases from Winehouse as the country gets used to her and Thicke as Oprah brings him back on the show just because.
Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad - First let me say, Rihanna got a record. Suprised as all hell, but when you got the right songwriters (Ne-Yo and Justin Timberlake), producers (Timbaland), a&r's, Jay Z, LA Reid and a Michael Jackson sample, you can make anyone sound good. Rihanna continues her move into pop superstardom with what's probably going to be the album of the summer. That said, she ain't the best singer, or dancer, we know this, but when you're in your video wearing nothing but silver paint, you can't hate too much. Stand out tracks are "Don't Stop The Music," "Breakin' Dishes," "Question Existing," and "Good Girl Gone Bad."
T-Pain - Epiphany - No longer a contender for the 1-hit-wonder category, T-Pain is all over the fuckin radio. The album is pretty much how you think it would sound, crunk-n-b, synths, sex, all that shit. I personally can't listen to a whole album of synth vocals, but it aint trash. Stand out track is "Suicide" (very opposite from say "69" or "Backseat Action"). Not iPod material.
I'm just starting to dry off from the show now. Got in a little late and missed a few openers, but was greeted with the beautiful Ciara upon entry. And the rundown goes...
Ciara - felt like a weak set even though the stadium was pretty packed at this point
Swizz Beats - dont remember where in the program he was, but this was one of the highlights of the night with him bringing out Kanye to do a battle of the beats thang. Ne-yo - decent set, the crowd was feeling it, everyone got open when Fab came out to perform "Make Me Better." They did a nice job of seg-waying in the acts, Fab did "Diamonds" with Jeezy, then Jeezy went right into his set.
Jeezy - not bad, crowd pleaser was "I Luv It." I believe Jada came out on this one to drop a jewel.
Luda - probably had the Busta-like performance where he just ripped every song and the crowd was in it the whole way. Bobby V came out to do his joint.
Reggae Set - Bobby and Jaba killed the crowd spinning all the reggae joints. Very heavy aroma clouding the stadium at this point.
Chris Brown - This dude is the real deal. Best r&b performance of the night. He's the next Usher. Brought out Juelz and Weezy, shit was fire.
Lil Wayne - After being brought out twice before in the night, and the crowd loving every minute of it, Weezy gets into his own set. He brings out Fat Joe, who smashed it with "Make It Rain." Solid set to him walking off to "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. Pretty funny.
Diddy - Everyone thought he was closing the show, as did I, so I started to make my way out because I don't think it was possible to get any more wet than I was and you know how traffic is. In typical Diddy fashion, he breaks out the fireworks, brings out The Lox, Kim, Joc, TI, Ele and the kitchen sink.
Akon - I was out by this time but heard the rest of the stadium bounced as well, so Akon had to kick it into high gear with Khaled, TI, Baby, Weezy and the rest of the crew on the "Takin' Over" remix. I believe Rich Boy came out as well.
Overall: Solid line up, decent show. The rain fucked it up though. I know they want to go for the gusto and perform in front of 50,000, but mad people weren't even checking for it after a while as more people were by concession stands than in the seats just to get dry. Bring it back to the Garden. B -
