If it's Wednesday, it must mean it's time for our weekly album-sales recap, in which we find out just how quickly the music industry is sliding into complete and utter chaos. As expected, Rick Ross'
Port of Miami was No. 1, scanning 187,000 copies, while Breaking Benjamin—a band we've never heard, but who are no doubt as terrible as we expect—came in at No. 2 with
Phobia, which sold 125,000 copies. And despite not being sold at Wal-Mart, Slayer's
Christ Illusion debuted at No. 5, thanks to 62,000 heathens.
More »
Idolator
While he's not going to be the label's new CEO (boss L.A. Reid reclaimed the title after Jay-Z's departure), Shakir Stewart has been named Executive Vice President of Def Jam, which basically makes him Jay-Z's replacement. While he can take credit for signing Ciara to LaFace (where he and Reid began their professional relationship) and signing Beyonce to a publishing contract in 1999, it's believed that the real reason he's being given the promotion is that he's responsible for signing Young Jeezy and Rick Ross to the label. Admittedly, these acts are younger and arguably more successful than the fogies like Nas and the Roots that Jay-Z was responsible for, but I'm pretty damn scared what's going to come from a label run by a guy who takes pride in turning charmless, one-dimensional self-aggrandizement into music-business gold.
More »
