AllHipHop ChartWatch for November 4, 2009

The

Hip Hop has been sparse on the charts these last few weeks with only Jay-Z and

The Black Eyed Peas moving any numbers in the top ten.  Hopefully things should start to turn around

as the big fourth quarter albums begin to drop. 

Until then at least some rivalry will be able to hold the fans

attention.  I’ll be honest…a rap beef

between Rick Ross and 50 Cent never really interested me.  Even the beef between Fat Joe and 50 seemed

dated and unnecessary.  For awhile there

I thought the Joe Budden/Raekwon incident would produce some decent tracks from

two great lyricists but all we got was youtube videos.  Granted they were entertaining videos but I

would have appreciated a song or two.  I’m

even starting to wonder whether Jay-Z will respond to 50 Cent’s constant poking

in the media.  But Beanie Siegel….That’s

a different story.  I don’t think a true

Hip Hop fan can deny that Beans can hold his own with Jay-Z (lyrically) which

means we might actually get a decent rap battle between two greats.  We may get an actual mainstream battle

between two MC’s.  When’s the last time

that happened?

Well

like I said earlier the charts are lacking on the Hip-Hop side.  It’s like Michael Jackson came and knocked

Hip Hop out of the top 10.  The late

great King of Pop holds the number one spot with the movie soundtrack This Is It.  That leaves Jay-Z and The Black Eyed Peas

holding the eleventh and fifteenth spot on the countdown.  The Black Eyed Peas sell another 29,000

copies of their latest album The E.N.D

while The Blueprint 3 moves a strong 40,000.

Meanwhile,

congratulations need to go out to Tech N9ne. 

The Midwest MC managed to grab the number 14th spot (beating out B.E.P) by

selling 30,000 copies of his latest disc K.O.D.  He was in “Dropping” last week so it’s nice

to see him crack the top fifty and do some decent numbers 

Drake

falls from the 23rd to the 41st spot but still manages to

sell another 12,900 copies of his mixtape-turned-album So Far Gone. Rick Ross and Triple C’s sell about 11,523. Wonder if that will make 50 Cent weep?

Sadly,

there was no Hip-Hop in the top 10 and only what is up above in the top 50.  Maybe a little verbal sparring

between some Hip Hop heavyweights coupled with some late year releases will

boost the upcoming week’s sales.  Let’s

move onto “Dropping”.

Dropping

This Week

First

up in “Dropping this Week” is a producer out of Switzerland.  He has produced for the likes of the French

r&b duo Les Nubians, the Westcoast, underground MC Blu, and Canadian Hip

Hop group Swollen Members.  Underground producer

Chief finally releases his debut album. 

The Swiss beatmaker drops his debut album, Collabo Collection, which is a gathering of tracks created between

2005 and 2009.  The album features some

of the previously mentioned artists as well as Tha Connection, Abstract Rude,

and John Robinson.  This should have a

nice sound.  If you haven’t had a chance

to hear any music from Chief then this album offers you the opportunity to

catch up.

Kentucky

Hip Hop trio return with the second installment of their album released last

March.  Cunninlynguists drop Strange

Journey Volume II a new album featuring E-40, Sean Price, Blue

Sky Black Death, Bronze Nazareth, Poison Pen, Guilty Simpson and J-Zone.  There is also an extended version of the

album being released that contains twelve instrumentals so if Cunninlynguist is

your type of group you probably want to pick this one up.

Next up, Gift of Gab from the

critically acclaimed duo Blackalicious, releases another solo album.  Escape

2 Mars is the rapper’s second solo album and features Del The Funky

Homosapien and Brother Ali.  Gift of Gab

is known for his lyrical ability so those looking to hear a complex rhyme

structure that may be lacking on their local radio should pick this one up.

Keeping up with the “Hell” theme as

shown by his debut album For The Hell Of

It, and subsequent discs Hard As Hell,

and Hell Up In The Bronx comes the

latest album from Hell Rell, Live From

Hell.  The album is Hell Rell

live.  At this point it’s hard to keep up

with who is in/out/feuding with/dropping out of/just an affiliate of Dip

Set.  Fans of Hell Rell shouldn’t be

disappointed.  I don’t know about the

rest of us but the fans should like it.

Underground Houston Rapper K-Rino

releases his latest album Solitary

Houston underground scene for a number of years.  If you’re looking at hearing some wordplay

out of H-Town then this will be the album to pick up.

Next up is Atlanta duo The Yin Yang

Twins who are releasing Legendary Status:

Yin Yangs Twins Greatest Hits.  Actually

I don’t know who is releasing this one because it doesn’t have “Whistle While You Twurk”, “”Say I Yi Yi”, and “Wait

(The Whisper Song)” but it does have “Salt Shaker”.  I guess that’s a greatest hits.

 Next up are Hip

Hop pioneers Masta Ace and Ed O.G who team up to release the album Arts and Entertainment.  The album features Posdanus of De La Soul, Large Professor, DJ Spinna, KRS-One, Mr.

Lif, Akrobatik and Chester French. Production is handeld by Double O of Kidz in

the Hall, M Phases, DJ Supreme One and Frank Dukes. 

It’s not often that a female MC

releases an album these days.  Chicago MC

by way of Atlanta Rita J releases her

debut album, Artist Workshop, on the

underground label, All Natural, Inc.  The

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale graduate has worked with other artists like DJ Spinna, Digable Planets, J-Live, Jungle Brothers, Stacy

Epps, Stahhr the Femcee, and Black S####. 

Fans of Hip Hop should give her a chance and take a look at the debut

album.

That’s it for Dropping this Week so

go pick up an album or two.