American Songwriter Reads The Charts: Eminem Pushes Product

it’s official: America is addicted to Eminem.

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It’s official: America is addicted to Eminem. The rebounding Detroit rapper scored his fifth no. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 this week with The Relapse. As Billboard reports, it’s the biggest sales debut of the year, with 608,000 copies sold. Last year, only AC/DC’s Black Ice debut came close to those numbers. Eminem’s six albums (which include one Greatest Hits package) have sold 34 million copies in the US, making him the highest-selling hip hop act since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.

Kenny Chesney is another artist who’s no stranger to big sales: this week, he earned his eighth top ten debut in a row with Greatest Hits II (#3). The album’s bonus track, “Out Last Night,” is currently No. 4 on the Hot Country Songs chart. If only he’d gotten Method Man and Redman to guest on a track; the hip hop pair are always good for a sales boost — their latest album, Blackout 2! debuted at #4.

Alleged funnyman Dane Cook and his broken caps lock also made it to the chart’s upper echelon — Cook’s new album, ISolated INcident, bowed at #5. Have mercy.

Tori Amos’s first album for Universal Republic, Abnormally Atrracted to Sin, earned the singer-songwriter her seventh top 10 debut, reaching #9. And singer/actress Kate Voegele (One Tree Hill) takes #10 with her sophomore album, A Fine Mess.

The skinny:

Overall album sales hit 6.57 million units this week, up 12.9% compared to last week (5.82 million) and down 8.8% compared to the same week in 2008 (7.21 million). Year to date album sales reached 142.9 million, down 13% compared to the same total at this point last year (164.5 million).

The top 10 albums in the country this week:

1. Eminem – The Relapse
2. Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
3.Kenny Chesney – Greatest Hits II
4. Method Man and Redman – Blackout! 2
5. Dane Cook – ISolated INcident
6. Busta Rhymes – Back On My B.S.
7. Hannah Montana: the Movie
8. Lady GaGa – The Fame
9. Tori Amos – Abnormally Attracted to Sin
10. Kate Voegele – A Fine Mess