Atlanta-based rapper B.o.B starts right at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart with his debut full-length album 'The Adventures of Bobby Ray,' which sold 84,000 copies this week, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album was originally due to be released in late May, but was rushed into stores early in order to capitalize on the success of B.o.B's recent Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single 'Nothin' on You.' The album features guest appearances from a diverse group of artists, from rappers including Eminem, Lupe Fiasco, and B.o.B's label boss T.I., to alternative rockers such as Hayley Williams of Paramore and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer.The 21 year-old rapper, whose birth name is Bobby Ray Simmons, has been building anticipation for this, his first full-length album, for over two years with a series of successful mixtapes and pre-release singles like 'Airplanes' and 'Bet I.' He's earned critical acclaim for being unafraid of jumping genre boundaries, fearlessly adding large doses of pop, emo and indie-rock music into his bouncy, uplifting hip-hop music.
British hard rockers Bullet for My Valentine follow with their highest-ever debut on the charts, hitting No. 3 with their third album 'Fever.' The band is currently in the midst of a massive U.S. tour, after which they will return overseas to headline the second stage at this summer's Download Festival.
Melissa Etheridge makes her highest chart debut in nearly 10 years with her newest release, 'Fearless Love,' entering at No. 7 with 46,000 copies sold. Miranda Cosgrove, previously on the charts as part of the soundtrack to Nickelodeon's 'iCarly ' show, rounds out the new entries to the top 10 with her debut studio album 'Sparks Fly' moving 36,000 copies to reach No. 8.
Lady Antebellum's 'Need You Now' stays in the top five for a 14th straight week, standing at No. 2 with sales of 76,000. Justin Bieber's 'My World 2.0' notches 69,000 and falls slightly to No. 4, and AC/DC's 'Iron Man 2' soundtrack fills out the top five with a tally of 52,000.
Usher, whose 'OMG' is perched at the top of the singles chart, dips to No. 6 on the album charts with 'Raymond v Raymond,' with the 'Now 33' compilation (No. 9, 30,000 sales) and last week's No. 1, the 'Glee: The Power of Madonna' soundtrack, falling to No. 10 with 29,000 sales recorded.