• Wale, Ludacris and Kendrick Lamar Keep Hip-Hop in Top Three Spots of Billboard Albums Chart

    Wale, Ludacris and Kendrick Lamar helped ensure that hip-hop took the top three spots on the Album Sales Chart for the second week in a row. Wale, who was also no. 1 on the Billboard 200, sold 90,500 copies of his new record The Album About Nothing. Ludacris got a boost from the strict album sales format of this chart (he placed no. 3 due to stream numbers helping the Furious 7 soundtrack on the 200) and placed no. 2 with Ludaversal, selling 59,000 copies of his new album. Kendrick Lamar was at no. 1 for two weeks with To Pimp A Butterfly but he'll settle for no. 3 this week after selling another 52,500 copies.
  • The Rock Performs Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" on 'Lip Sync Battle' [WATCH]

    Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had something cooking last night, April 2, on SpikeTV's new show Lip Sync Battle. The WWE superstar took on Jimmy Fallon, who first introduced the game during his run on Late Night, in a lip-syncing battle royale. The highlight of the night was Johnson's rendition of Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off," which help propel him to victory.
  • Drake, Taylor Swift and Mark Ronson Propel Music Sales in Positive Nielsen Soundscan Q1 Industry Report

    Nielsen SoundScan has already released its report for Q1 of music sales for 2015 and so far things are looking good during the new year. Digital downloads have rebounded from the previous year by some degree, vinyl sales continue to rebound and...overall album sales aren't plummeting quite as fast as they once were. Taylor Swift, Drake and Mark Ronson are the ones to thank, based on the research provided.
  • Kendrick Lamar, 'Empire,' Action Bronson and Earl Sweatshirt Help Hip-Hop Dominate Album Sales Chart

    The past few weeks have been amazing for hip-hop, as the Empire soundtrack and Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly have led both the Billboard 200 to three straight weeks of rap at no. 1. Although it's only been a two-week streak on the Album Sales chart (Empire was outsold by Madonna's Rebel Heart during its first week), this week is still newsworthy as the Top 3 spots on the chart are all held by hip-hop albums.
  • Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars' 'Uptown Funk' Sets Hot 100 Record as Natalie La Rose 'Somebody' Breaks Into Top 10

    "Uptown Funk" is gonna give it to ya, all you other songs from the 2010s. For the 13th week in a row, the Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson Uptown Special single tops the Billboard Hot 100, setting the record for the longest-reigning No. 1 song of the decade. And while there seems to be no end in sight for the dominance of the funky throwback anthem, a newcomer, pop singer Natalie La Rose emerges in the top 10 with her single "Somebody" featuring Jeremih.
  • Kendrick Lamar First Performer with Two Weeks Atop Billboard 200 Since Taylor Swift; First R&B/Hip-Hop Artist Since Beyonce

    Kendrick Lamar and To Pimp A Butterfly pulled off something that few performers outside of Taylor Swift have managed to wrangle in the last few months: holding the no. 1 position on the Billboard 200 for more than one week. The album spent a second week at the top spot on the chart-the only performer aside from Swift (who spent a total of 11 weeks at no. 1 with 1989) to have done so since November, having sold 123,000 equivalent units during its second full week of sales. The accomplishment is even more relevant for the R&B/Hip-Hop genres, where Butterfly becomes the first album since 2013's Beyoncé to spend multiple weeks at no. 1.
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