2007 was a great year for hip hop. We had Jay-Z shake off his retirement with American Gangster , a great but slept-on album, UGK scoring their first number one album.
We had Timbaland running the hip hop and R&B charts, T.I. continuing his run since he was crowned King of the South, and Lupe dropping one of the best sophomore albums in rap history. But the big event of the year was the sales battle between Kanye and 50 Cent, a microcosm of what was to come over the next decade.
From Curtis to Graduation , American Gangster to The Cool , Finding Forever to Underground Kingz , we take a look at the biggest hip hop album first week sales of 2007.
10. Timbaland – Shock Value
Released: April 2, 2007
Label: Blackground, Mosley, Interscope
First week album sales: 138,000
Billboard 200: 5
Singles: “Give It to Me”, “The Way I Are”, “Throw It on Me”, “Apologize”, “Scream”
9. Young Buck – Buck the World
Released: March 27, 2007
Label: Ca$hville, G-Unit, Interscope
First week album sales: 140,000
Billboard 200: 3
Singles: “I Know You Want Me”, “Get Buck”, “U Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”
8. Lupe Fiasco – The Cool
Released: December 18, 2007
Label: 1st & 15th, Atlantic
First week album sales: 143,407
Billboard 200: 15
Singles: “Superstar”, “Hip Hop Saved My Life”, “Paris, Tokyo”, “Dumb It Down”
7. UGK – Underground Kingz
Released: August 7, 2007
Label: Jive
First week album sales: 160,000
Billboard 200: 1
Singles: “The Game Belongs to Me”, “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)”
6. Common – Finding Forever
Released: July 31, 2007
Label: GOOD, Geffen
First week album sales: 155,000
Billboard 200: 1
Singles: “The Game”, “The People”, “Drivin’ Me Wild”, “I Want You”
5. Fabolous – From Nothin’ to Somethin’
Released: June 12, 2007
Label: Desert Storm, Street Family, Def Jam
First week album sales: 159,000
Billboard 200: 2
Singles: “Diamonds”, “Return of the Hustle”, “Make Me Better”, “Baby Don’t Go”
4. Jay-Z – American Gangster
Released: November 6, 2007
Label: Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
First week album sales: 425,000
Billboard 200: 1
Singles: “Blue Magic”, “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)…”, “I Know”
3. T.I. – T.I. vs. T.I.P.
Released: July 3, 2007
Label: Grand Hustle, Asylum, Atlantic
First week album sales: 470,000
Billboard 200: 1
Singles: “Big Things Poppin’ (Do It)”, “You Know What It Is”, “Hurt”
2. 50 Cent – Curtis
Released: September 11, 2007
Label: Shady, Aftermath, Interscope, Universal
First week album sales: 691,000
Billboard 200: 2
Singles: “Amusement Park”, “Straight To The Bank”, “I Get Money”, “Ayo Technology”, “I’ll Still Kill”
1. Kanye West – Graduation
Released: September 11, 2007
Label: Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella
First week album sales: 957,000
Billboard 200: 1
Singles: “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”, “Stronger”, “Good Life”, “Flashing Lights”, “Homecoming”
