Eminem sold over 229,000 copies of 'Recovery' to notch his third straight week atop the Billboard 200 album chart, according to Nielsen SoundScan. He also leads a three-man, all-star hip-hop takeover of this week's top three chart spots -- much like the recent signing of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh by NBA's Miami Heat has dominated recent sports news. Eminem -- who we're calling the LeBron of this trio -- also becomes the first artist to sell more than 200,000 in each of his first three weeks since Lady Antebellum accomplished the feat back in February, with their RIAA-certified, double platinum 'Need You Now.'
Drake spent considerable time in Canada building a name for himself earlier in his career (much like Chris Bosh), and spends his third week at No. 2 with sales of 74,000 for his debut album, 'Thank Me Later.'
That leaves us with our Dwayne Wade, a veteran who proves he can still make the big plays. Filling the role perfectly is Big Boi from Outkast, whose much anticipated solo album 'Sir Lucious Left Foot ... The Son of Chico' becomes this week's highest chart debut at No. 3 with 62,0000 records sold. The only other new debut of the week in the Top 10 is the new album from Latin crooner Enrique Iglesias, who racks up 27,000 sales of 'Euphoria' to reach No. 10.
The rest of the chart is composed of the recent usual suspects: the 'Twilight Saga: Eclipse' soundtrack slips one spot to No. 4 with 45,000 units, Justin Bieber rises one spot for the second week in a row, to No. 5 with a tally of 43,000 for his 'My World 2.0,' and 33,000 fans bought the 'Now 34' pop compilation to put it at No. 6.
Finally, soft-rock superstar Jack Johnson rides the rising tide up one spot, to No. 7, by selling 30,000 copies of 'To the Sea,' Lady Gaga's 'The Fame' re-enters the chart at No. 8 with 29,000, and the aforementioned Lady A's 'Need You Now' hangs on at No. 9 with sales of 28,000 to round out the top of this week's chart.
