Chris Brown Lands First Billboard 200 #1 Debut With F.A.M.E.

Written by:  Gil Kaufman

As predicted, Chris Brown will land his first #1 Billboard 200 album-chart debut when his latest release, F.A.M.E., tops the tally next week. The new LP from the embattled Brown sold 270,000 copies, which was enough to put him ahead of the #2 premiere of Jennifer Hudson's I Remember Me, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

Brown's previous efforts, 2005's Chris Brown, 2007's Exclusive and 2009's Graffiti, debuted at #2, #4 and #7, respectively.

The second album from Oscar-winner Hudson moved 165,000 copies and was one of seven new faces in a revamped top 10. Also crashing the upper part of the chart were the Strokes, whose first new effort in five years, Angles, landed at #4 (89,000 copies sold), followed by gospel great Kirk Franklin's Hello Fear at #5 (87,000), the all-star benefit compilation Songs for Japan (#6, 68,000), Panic! at the Disco's Vices & Virtues (#7, 56,000) and Bobby V's Fly on the Wall (#9, 38,000).

The only holdovers from the previous week were British crooner Adele, whose 21 slipped two spots to #3 (96,000); Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More, which dropped from #5 to #8 (39,000); and Lupe Fiasco's Lasers, which tumbled seven places to #10 (29,000).

Just outside the top 10, Green Day's latest live album, Awesome as F---, dropped in at #14 (27,000), rapper was close behind at #18 with Return of Mr. Zone 6 (25,000) and pop-punk vets Yellowcard slid in at #19 with When You're Through Thinking Say Yes (24,000).

After an impressive #2 debut last week, Chicago punkers Rise Against's Endgame fell 20 spots to #22 as sales tanked 75 percent to 21,000, while the soundtrack to the critically flamed "Sucker Punch" limped in at #31 (16,000). Ke$ha's I Am the Dance Commander + I Command You to Dance: The Remix Album popped up at #36 (14,000) and reunited grunge gods Soundgarden's live album, Live on I-5, debuted at #47 (11,000).

One of the week's steepest descents belonged to Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker's debut solo effort, Give the Drummer Some, which lost 66 percent of its business in week two and dropped 47 places to #56 (10,000).

The Songs for Japan digital album was #1 on iTunes, pushing Brown down to the #2 slot, followed by Adele, the Strokes, Panic!, Hudson, Mumford & Sons, Franklin, "Sucker Punch" and Yellowcard. On the iTunes singles chart, heavy-lidded rapper Wiz Khalifa was tops with "No Sleep," which came in ahead of songs from the Black Eyed Peas ("Just Can't Get Enough"), Katy Perry ("E.T."), Rihanna ("S&M") and Cee Lo Green ("Forget You"). Brown also held the #6 position with "Look at Me Now," with Lady Gaga ("Born This Way"), Jennifer Lopez ("On the Floor"), Ke$ha ("Blow") and, once again, Brown ("Next 2 You") rounding out the list's top 10. 

Things should heat up considerably on the Billboard 200 next week when Britney Spears' Femme Fatale squares off against Wiz Khalifa's Rolling Papers, along with chart debuts from Radiohead, Snoop Dogg and Sum 41.

 Resources: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660950/chris-brown-billboard-fame.jhtml