Nas News

The ABBA-channeling Meryl Streep apparently doesn't have the same street cred as Nas and Lil Wayne.

Despite a near twofold increase in sales and tons of hype surrounding the film's release, the Mamma Mia! soundtrack failed to dislodge the hip-hop stars from the top of the charts.

Thanks in part to controversy over his album's initial title (it rhymed with Tigger), Nas saw his ninth studio release sell 187,000 to debut at No. 1 for the week ended Sunday, per Nielsen SoundScan, thwarting Lil Wayne's hopes of extending Tha Carter III to a fourth week on top.

Tha Carter III, the year's biggest seller so far, finished 82,000 copies behind at No. 2.

Nas sparked a firestorm after announcing the title for his new album, drawing criticism from the NAACP and Jesse Jackson and support from the likes of Ice Cube and one-time nemesis Jay-Z.

After retailers threatened to boycott the album, Nas simply released it without a title ("People will always know what the real title of the album is and what to call it," said the revered Queensbridge rapper); instead he repurposed the original name on a DJ Green Lantern mixtape released last month.

Meanwhile, the Mamma Mia! soundtrack jumped up to No. 3 on 91,000 copies as the film scored the biggest open ever for a musical (sorry Hairspray). The film also powered ABBA's 1992 best-of collection, Gold, to the top of Billboard's Catalog Chart. The release is one of the biggest sellers of all time, having moved more than 26 million copies worldwide.

In what was an active chart week, John Mellencamp sold 56,000 copies of his Hear Music debut Life, Death, Love & Freedom, to open at No. 7, while Mississippi rap king David Banner followed at No. 8, selling a less-than Hulkish 52,000 copies of The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Taylor Swift scored the fourth and final Top 10 bow at No. 9 with Beautiful Eyes, a CD/DVD combo exclusive to Wal-Mart, selling 45,000 copies. The six-song EP features the new single "Beautiful Eyes," while the DVD features music videos and a live performance from the 2008 ACM Awards.

With her full-legnth sophomore album expected by year's end, Swift's 2006 eponymous debut is the Energizer Bunny of the charts, currently at No. 12 in its 91st week with more than 3.2 million copies sold.

Other notable debuts included O.A.R.'s All Sides at No. 13, Randy Travis' Around the Bend at No. 14 (a new personal best for the country star), The Dark Knight soundtrack at No. 20 and Brooklyn buzz-band Hold Steady at No. 30 with Stay Positive.

Overall, sales were up 2 percent from last week but down 6 percent compared to the same week last year, when Now! 25 topped the charts.

Here's a recap of the Top 10:

  • Untitled, Nas   • Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne   • Mamma Mia! soundtrack, various   • Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay   • Camp Rock soundtrack, various   • Rock N Roll Jesus, Kid Rock   • Life, Death, Love & Freedom, John Mellencamp   • Greatest Story Ever Told, David Banner   • Beautiful Eyes, Taylor Swift   • Good Girl Gone Bad, Rihanna