B.I.G. STILL BIG, ARCADE FIRE
ALLAN, RELIENT K FOLLOW

The legendary hip-hop wordsmith, who was gunned down in L.A. in March, 1997, in a case that remains unresolved, climbs to the top of the album charts again with his Greatest Hits album on Bad Boy/Atlantic, which earns #1 on the strength of nearly 100k in first-week sales.

Merge’s indie darlings Arcade Fire rides some incredible reviews and Internet appeal to a second-place finish, selling an impressive 83k, followed by RCA/RMG’s Daughtry, last week’s #1, now a solid #3, with 81k, and SRC/Universal Motown’s Akon, holding strong at #4.

MCA Nashville country star Gary Allan’s Greatest Hits bows at #5, while Capitol rockers Relient K (#6) and Korn’s MTV Unplugged album on Virgin (#10) are the other two Top 10 newcomers.

Blue Note’s Norah Jones, now platinum-plus, is now at #7, with Island/IDJ’s Fall Out Boy (#8) and Star Trak/Interscope’s Robin Thicke (#9) the other holdovers.

Other chart debuts are registered by 7 Brothers/Asylum’s Sevendust (#13), Wind-up’s Finger Eleven (#35), with Virgin’s Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (#46) and A&M/Interscope’s Pussycat Dolls (#48) both re-entering.

Thanks to her American Idol appearance last week, show alum Carrie Underwood’s Arista Nashville album was up 30% to #12. Other double-digit gainers include Def Jam’s Young Jeezy (#26, +13%), Sub Pop’s The Shins (#29, +10%), Mercury Nashville’s Sugarland (#40, +16%) and Wind-up’s Evanescence (#41, +13%).

Next week, look for Universal Motown R&B phenom Lloyd and Zone 4/Interscope Mobile, AL, rapper Rich Boy to vie for the top spot with totals that could climb beyond 125k, with expected chart bows from Atlantic’s Musiq Soulchild, Bad Boy’s 8 Ball & MJG, Interscope’s James Morrison, Universal Republic’s Amy Winehouse and Columbia’s Aqualung.