Top 10 Rap Albums That Sold The Most In Their First Week

Rap albums are generally listed as some of the best selling albums of all time and it’s amazing to see a genre that has for many years been looked at negatively contribute to the economy that is music and rappers topping charts world over. Below is a list of Top 10 Rap Albums That Sold The Most In Their First Week. These albums came and took the world by storm and whilst this list only look at US sales, these albums also had great commercial success outside the USA.

Top 10 Rap Albums That Sold The Most In Their First Week

1. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP (1,760,000)

The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000 by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, the Bass Brothers, and Mel-Man. The album sold more than 1.78 million copies in the US in its first week alone, becoming the fastest-selling studio album by any solo artist in American music history at that time. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year, losing the latter to Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature. The album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in March 2011 for shipping 10 million copies in the United States. It has sold over 11 million copies in the United States and over 35 million copies worldwide. A sequel to the album titled The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was released on November 5, 2013.

2. Eminem – The Eminem Show (1,322,000)

The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 26, 2002 by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The Eminem Show includes the commercially successful singles “Without Me”, “Cleanin’ Out My Closet”, “Superman”, and “Sing for the Moment”. The Eminem Show reached number one in nineteen countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, and was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with 7,600,000 copies sold. Since its release in 2002, the album has sold 10,600,000 copies in the United States and over 30 million copies worldwide. At the 2003 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem’s third album in four years to win the award for Best Rap Album. On March 7, 2011, the album was certified 10× Platinum (Diamond) by the RIAA, making it Eminem’s second album to go Diamond in the United States.

3. 50 Cent– The Massacre (1,141,000)

The Massacre is the second studio album by 50 Cent. It was released on March 3, 2005, by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The album debuted and peaked at #1 on the US Billboard 200, selling 1.15 million copies in its 1st week

4. Lil Wayne– Tha Carter III (1,006,000)

Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on June 10, 2008, by Cash Money and Universal Motown. It follows a long string of mixtape releases and guest appearances on other hip hop and R&B artists records, helping to increase his exposure in the mainstream.

5. Lil Wayne – Tha Carter IV (964,000)

Tha Carter IV is the ninth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on August 29, 2011, through Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. Following a heavily delayed release, Tha Carter IV was released to digital retailers at midnight on August 28, 2011, following Wayne’s scheduled performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, and physical retailers received the album the following day. Tha Carter IV achieved first week sales of 964,000 copies in the United States and became Lil Wayne’s second album to top the US Billboard 200 in its first week. The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who were divided in their responses towards the album’s production and Wayne’s own performances on the album, finding it to be a disappointment compared to his previous work

6. Kanye West – Graduation (957,000)

Graduation debuted at number-one on the US Billboard 200, selling over 957,000 copies in its first week of sales. It produced five singles, including the international hits “Stronger”, “Good Life” and “Homecoming”, the former of which topped the Billboard Hot 100. The album has sold over 2,700,000 copies in the United States and been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Graduation received critical acclaim from most critics, and earned West several accolades, including his third Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

7. 50 Cent – Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ (872,000)

Get Rich or Die Tryin’ debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 872,000 copies in its first week of sales. The album’s singles also saw commercial success, with both “In da Club” and “21 Questions” reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while “P.I.M.P.” became a number one hit in several countries. The album would eventually sell over 8 million copies in the United States, and has become certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also saw widespread critical success, becoming nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 46th Grammy Awards. It is considered to be 50 Cent’s best album, and is ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the best albums of the 2000s.

8. Kanye West – Late Registration (860,000)

Late Registration debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 860,000 copies. It eventually reached sales of over 3.1 million copies in the United States and has been certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Five singles were released to market the album, including the international hits “Touch the Sky”, “Heard ‘Em Say”, and “Gold Digger”, the latter of which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Music videos for all five singles were also produced, while West supported the album with a promotional concert tour, leading to the live album Late Orchestration.

9.  Drake -Views (852 000)

Views debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, with 1.04 million album-equivalent units, selling 852,000 copies in its first week of release, and achieving over 245 million streams (despite the album, with the exclusion of its singles released at the time, only available to stream on Apple Music for the first two weeks)

10. Snoop Dogg – Doggystyle (802,858)

Doggystyle debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 806,858 copies in its first week alone in the United States, which was the record for a debuting artist and the fastest-selling hip-hop album ever. Doggystyle was included on The Source magazine’s list of the 100 Best Rap Albums; as well as Rolling Stone magazine’s list of Essential Recordings of the ’90s. About.com placed the album in No. 17 of the greatest hip hop/rap albums of all time. The album was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By November 2015, the album had sold 7 million copies in the United States, and over 11 million copies worldwide.