Jay Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail” is still king of the Billboard 200 chart for the second week in a row.
The rapper’s latest sold 129,000 copies, down a hefty down 76%, but still more than enough for the No. 1 spot. “Magna” sold a huge 528,000 in its first week.
It’s also the first hip hop album to top the charts two weeks in a row since Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter IV” pulled off the same feat in September, 2011.
Meanwhile, singer Sara Bareilles’ “The Blessed Unrest” debuts at No. 2 after selling 68,000 copies. Her 2010 “Kaleidoscope Heart” debuted in the top spot with 90,000 sold.
In third place is the latest Kidz Bop collection, the mysteriously titled “Kidz Bop 24,” which sold 62,000 copies in its first week. Starting in 2001, the series has spawned no less than 17 top 10 albums, but has never reached the top spot.
Rapper Ace Hood saw his best performance yet, with “Trials & Tribulations” hitting No. 4 after moving 34,000 units. His 2011 effort “Blood Sweat + Tears” peaked at No. 8.
Sliding down from No. 5 to No. 4, Georgia Line’s “Here’s to the Good Times” sold 31,000 (down 5%), while Imagine Dragons’ “Night Visions” moved down one to No. 6, after selling 28,000 copies.
Pushed down by all the new titles, J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” tumbled from No. 3 to No. 7, after selling 27,000.
Overall album sales were 4.7 million units, down 6% from last week and down 12% from the same week of last year 2012 . So far in 2013, 156.5 million total albums have been sold, a 6% decrease from this same point in 2012.