Rappers lead U.S. album charts
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Two popular rap acts occupied the  top two spots on the U.S. album charts Wednesday, with the  Game's "Doctor's Advocate" coming in at No. 1.
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Despite having been released on Friday, Eminem's new album "Encore" went straight to the top of the U.K. charts Sunday.
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T. I. is one of the last rap stars standing, a dominant figure at a time when record sales are falling fast and hip-hop sales are falling faster.
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NEW YORK (Billboard) - Rapper Soulja Boy's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" began a sixth non-consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart Thursday, while Kanye West's "Stronger" held at No. 2.
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Rapper Nelly takes both the number one and two spot in the US album charts.
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LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Because of the way the calendar  breaks, album sales are trailing 2004 in the early weeks of the  new year, but a rapper named the Game could help even the  score.
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Mary J. Blige ended Josh Groban's  five-week reign on the U.S. pop album chart Thursday, as the  R&B singer's latest release took the crown a week after it  debuted at No. 2.
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Country veteran George Strait's "50 Number Ones" hits package ruled the U.S. pop albums chart for a second consecutive week, as new releases from Celine Dion, rapper Mos Def and pop-punk band Sum 41 debuted in the top 10, according to sales data issued Wednesday.
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High-profile albums from rappers Eminem and Snoop Dogg will be released ahead of schedule because of piracy concerns, their distributor Interscope Geffen A&M Records said Thursday.
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NEW YORK (Billboard) - High-profile albums from rappers  Eminem and Snoop Dogg will be released ahead of schedule  because of piracy concerns, their distributor Interscope Geffen  A&M Records said Thursday.
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Rapper Ludacris scored his third No. 1 on the U.S. pop album charts Wednesday, while Janet Jackson's new release opened with her lowest numbers in almost a decade, Billboard reported.
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Eminem was the top-seller among last-minute holiday shoppers as "Encore" returned to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts last week after a month-long absence.
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Eminem fans have turned out en masse to snap up their rap idol's newest album, propelling it to No. 1 on the U.S. pop charts after just three days in release.
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Rapper Kanye West's new album is winning the chart battle with 50 Cent, early sales figures indicate.
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Teen rapper Soulja Boy&#39;s breakout  single &quot;Crank That (Soulja Boy)&quot; began a second week atop the  U.S. pop singles chart Thursday, and the three subsequent  tracks held their same positions from last week.
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Rapper Jay-Z came out on top of the post-Thanksgiving U.S. pop album charts Wednesday, tying the Rolling Stones for the third-most No. 1 hits.
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From clothes to kicks to the liquor they sip, rappers are label connoisseurs. With their attention to trends in both play and work, it's no surprise that they are record label conscious too.