Graduation moves 957 000 units vs 691 000 for Curtis

After a lot of hype and anticipation, Kanye West wins the Soundscan battle with 50 Cent by pushing nearly 1 million units (957K) of his latest album Graduation in the first week sales while the G-unit General sells 691K copies.

Early projections last week had Kanye West moving around 800,000 copies versus 50 Cent selling 600,000. Those figures are even bigger after the Soundscan closing for the first week.

The total album sales for Kanye West Graduation is the largest by any album since 50 Cent released The Massacre in march 2005 and opened with 1.1 million copies sold. Kanye’s own August 2005 album Late Registration was the last album to surpass 800,000 copies in the first week when it began with 860,000 units.

Billboard reports that Kanye West new album ranks 15th among all sales weeks since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking in 1991. The double punch provided by Graduation and Curtis also marks just the second time in that era that two albums have bowed in the same week with totals surpassing 600,000 copies.

In interviews prior to his September 11 release date, 50 Cent claimed that he would retire from making music if Kanye West outsold him in the first week.

He also added that Def Jam is cheating Soundscan and claimed that the label was purchasing copies of Graduation to boost Kanye’sales and give hime the #1 spot.

Here is what Jay-Z had to say about Kanye being on top of the charts : “It’s pretty much how much he cares about it. It’s not done for any other reason but to be the best music out at that specific time … Every single song he makes, he makes because he thinks it’s the best record at that specific time".

50 Cent, who is planning a world tour for his album, was conciliatory in defeat. In a statement to the AP, which didn’t address whether he planned to make good on his vow to retire, he said : "I am very excited to have participated in one of the biggest album release weeks in the last two years. Collectively, we have sold hundreds of thousands of units in our debut week. This marks a great moment for hip-hop music, one that will go down in history."

That’s right, it was a crazy week for the music industry since no one had sold that much albums in a single week and was constantly blaiming Internet on poor album sales.

In addition, the third member of this race,country music artist Kenny Chesney found himself well behind but still sold big with 387k copies of his Just Who I Am : Poets & Pirates sold in its first week.

Total sales for Kanye West, 50 Cent and Chesney with 2.2 million units tops all sales combined on last week’s entire Billboard 200 !

Stay tunes for next week albums sales.

Kanye West tops 50 Cent in first week sales, by Lia [2007-10-13 20:27:29]

Whoever (4 ALL YO)is they are fucking retarded and should stop posting comments on this page with his illiterate ass writing.I agree that both Kanye West and 50 are great artist but no matter how many more albums Kanye outsold then 50, I think 50 cent is the greater rapper

Kanye West tops 50 Cent in first week sales, by CHIPA [2007-09-25 12:18:45]

Kanye’s album Graduation is cool and 50’s album Curtis is mediocre at best, but I prefer NYOIL’s album. NYOIL is spittin’ the real shit ! Shouts out to the X-Clan, Wise Intelligent, Public Enemy, The Jungle Brothers, Kool G. Rap, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and all the underground emcees worldwide HOOLER BAC

Kanye West tops 50 Cent in first week sales, by [2007-09-21 16:40:36]

I WISH MUTHAFUCKAZ COULD LEARN HOW TO COMMUNICATE AND SPELL WHEN LEAVING COMMENTS ON HERE. "4 ALL YO" YOU SOUND ILLITERATE. GET AN EDUCATION HOMEY. WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT WHO SELLS MORE MUSIC. MUSIC IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT QUALITY NOT QUANTITY. ANYWAYS, BOTH 50 AND KANYE ARE MAKING PEANUTS COMPARED TO WHAT UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP IS MAKING FROM BOTH OF THEM. THAT’S RIGHT. BOTH 50 AND KANYE ARE UNDER UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP. SO THIS BATTLE BETWEEN THEM WAS STAGED IN ORDER FOR THEM TO SELL RECORDS. IT’S DIFFICULT FOR ANY MUSICIANS TO GO PLATINUM RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF DIGITAL DOWNLOADING VIA THE INTERNET AND POOR QUALITY MUSIC. THE RECORDING INDUSTRY IS DYING FOLKS...LET ’EM DIE ! SUPPORT THE REAL MUSIC INDUSTRY WHICH IS RAN BY INDEPENDENT MUSIC LABELS AND INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS. FUCK THE MAJORS ! THEY’RE JUST A BUNCH OF CULTURE VULTURES WHO STEAL OUR MUSIC AND STYLE AND EXPLOIT IT TO MAKE A PROFIT. FUCK THEM ! LET THEM GO BANKRUPT ! SUPPORT INDEPENDENT HIP HOP !

Kanye West tops 50 Cent in first week sales, by 4 ALL YO [2007-09-20 07:20:52]

I KNOW 50 IZ KIN OF SALES BUT HIS STATUS OF SALES DIKLIZ DAY AFTER DAY AN’ THIZ SHOW THAT THIS BLCK PUSSY ITS TIME OF EXPIRE IN THE GAME IS SOON.SO ITS BETTER 4 HIM 2 REMEMBER WHERE HE CAME 4ROM,THAT SHIT CALL HIM SELF THAT HE IS BUSINESS MAN,THE GANG RAP INTRODUCE HIM NOW HE CLAIM HE IZ FUCK BIZZMAN.FUCK HIS BIZ AN ALL FAN OF G UNTS COZ THEY SOPPORT HIS FUCKIN DAMN THINGS.ITS TRU THA HIS 4TH ALBUM ITS MAX SALES IN 1ST WIK WILL B 200,000.KANYE FUCK HIS DAMN ALBUM.AN’ WHEN GYM REALISE HIS 3RD GANG ALBUM IT WILL FUCK 50S 4TH ALBUM,4 SURE MAN.FUCK 50 N’ G FUCKIN UNIT

Kanye West tops 50 Cent in first week sales, by Bazooka Flow [2007-09-19 16:04:02]

Kanye’s album Graduation is cool and 50’s album Curtis is mediocre at best, but I prefer NYOIL’s album. NYOIL is spittin’ the real shit ! Shouts out to the X-Clan, Wise Intelligent, Paris and Guerrilla Funk Records, Public Enemy, The Jungle Brothers, Kool G. Rap, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and all the underground emcees worldwide !

Kanye West tops 50 Cent in first week sales, by [2007-09-19 15:49:31]

Kanye didn’t cheat. 50 is just comin’ up with excuses of why Kanye is outselling him 2 to 1. In other words, 50 is a sore loser, but he still did really good considering selling over 600,000+ especially in this day and age of digital downloading via the internet. It was a great marketing strategy for both 50 and Kanye. Oh, and Kanye is known all over the world. He’s been performing everywhere such as the concert for global warming awareness in 07/07/2007 which was broadcasted all over the world. He’s also been on t.v. a whole lot such as makin’ a special guest appearance on HBO’s "The Entourage". So, he’s already a household name...an icon already. To all disgruntled 50 Cent fans, don’t hate, congratulate and Graduate ! Support dope Hip Hop music. Peace out to all the dope MCs in the world : Common, Percee P, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Busdriver, Project Blowed, Hieroglyphics, Zion I, Living Legends, The Pharcyde, Kirby Dominant, Little Brother, Figures of Speech, Pismo, Josie Stingray, Sam Raw, Third Sight, DJ Q-Bert, Gangstarr, Jeru The Damaja, MURS, Ladybug Mecca, K-OS, Spita, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Blackalicious, Lyrics Born, Saafir, Hobo Junction, KRS-ONE, Kool Keith, The Roots, MF Doom, MF Grimm, etc and all the Hip Hop Pioneers who continue to impart their wisdom, knowledge, and music. One Love !