JAY-Z READY TO RULE
Thanks to a ubiquitous campaign that included spots for Budweiser, Hewlett-Packard, the NBA and NASCAR, a Clear Channel preview promotion, a 24-hour “Hangar Tour” of seven cities in 24 hours, an appearance on last week’s American Music Awards and a record release party in New York shut down by the cops, Jay-Z’s Def Jam comeback album Kingdom Come will challenge Rascal Flatts’ previous 2006 one-week sales record of 714k earlier this year with a total between 700-730k. Guess he showed us what he got.
American Idol rocker Daughtry’s self-titled RCA debut is turning into a real sleeper, beating back both the lovable moptops and the OG with a total that looks to be between 275-285k and could climb higher.
The Beatles’ LOVE album on Apple/Capitol, the authorized re-imagining of the Fab Four by producer George Martin and son Giles for the Cirque de Soleil show in Las Vegas appears on track for between 270-280k in sales, which has to be a bit of a disappointment considering how their 1 album dominated the charts at the end of 2000, debuting at #1 with a total of 480k.
Following closely behind is Snoop Dogg’s Geffen album, The Blue Carpet Treatment, which appears slated for a one-week total between 265-275k, but may fall short of that. Snoop had his own promo blitz, highlighted by a live
The three are in a four-way race for the runner-up spot behind Jay-Z with Sony Label Group’s Now 23.
Another rapper, albeit a dead one, 2Pac’s posthumous Pac’s Life album on Amaru/Interscope, appears headed for between 160-180k, substantially less than the 430k his last collection did just three years ago.
U2’s U218, a collection of singles on Interscope plus two new tracks, including “The Saints Are Coming,” their collaboration with Green Day, looks to be in the 125-135k area, followed by Syco/Columbia’s Il Divo, with Siempre headed for between 95-105k and Long Island emo band Brand New, making their major label debut on Interscope, with an impressive 75-80k for the colorfully titled The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me.
Hitting the streets tomorrow are Epic’s Incubus, TVT’s Ying Yang Twins, Star Trak/Jive/ZLG’s Clipse and Jive/ZLG’s Too $hort.
