Music

This week's Billboard Hot 200 is flooded with new releases but they pull in not enough sale number to knock off the Slim Shady from the top spot.

• Aug 26, 2010

AceShowbiz - Eminem still stays strong atop Billboard Hot 200. With additional 116,000 copies (down 12|percent|), his latest studio album "Recovery" which has gone double platinum last week secures the first position on the U.S. albums chart for seven non-consecutive weeks out of the nine weeks since its release.

Thus, the June 21 release scores most weeks atop the list since Taylor Swift's "Fearless" spent 11 non-consecutive weeks in the hot spot in late 2008 and early 2009. Moreover, it notches up the most weeks at No. 1 for an album by any male artist since Usher's "Confession" secured the first place for nine weeks in 2004 and for a Hip-Hop effort since OutKast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" did seven in late 2003 and early 2004.

Blocked by Eminem from taking this week's Hot 200 crown is Kem. His third studio installment "Intimacy" debuts at the runner-up position with 74,000 units. The next slot also belongs to another new release, Ray LaMontagne's "God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise" which starts with 64,000.

Iron Maiden and Trace Adkins also successfully land their efforts on the Top 5 in the opening week. The heavy metal band arrive at No. 4 with "The Final Frontier" and the country music crooner debuts at the fifth place with "Cowboy's Back in Town".

The other new entries this week are David Gray who makes a notable debut at No. 9 with his latest record "Foundling" and John Mellencamp who rounds up the Top 10 with "No Better Than This". Sitting at No. 6, 7 and 8 respectively, meanwhile, are such holdovers as Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now", Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" and Justin Bieber's "My World 2.0".

Next week, Billboard Hot 200 is likely to crown a new champion. Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" and Fantasia Barrino's "Back to Me" are going head to head for the title. Perry's album is predicted to sell 170,000 to 200,000 and Barrino's effort is estimated to rake in 150,000 to 175,000.

Top 10 of Billboard Hot 200:

1. "Recovery" - Eminem (116,000)
2. "Intimacy" - Kem (74,000)
3. "God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise" - Ray LaMontagne (64,000)
4. "The Final Frontier" - Iron Maiden (63,000 )
5. "Cowboy's Back in Town" - Trace Adkins (50,000)
6. "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum (32,000)
7. "The Suburbs" - Arcade Fire (31,000)
8. "My World 2.0" - Justin Bieber (30,000)
9. "Foundling" - David Gray (25,000)
10. "No Better Than This" - John Mellencamp (24,000)