‘HSM2’ holds center stage at No. 1

DISNEY’S “High School Musical 2” soundtrack easily fended off a slew of challengers, holding onto the No. 1 spot on the national album chart for a second week by selling 367,000 copies, bringing its two-week sales total to just under 1 million.

It was the only album to crack the 100,000 sales mark on an otherwise slow pop week. Still, veteran rapper Talib Kweli posted the highest-charting album of his career with his third solo effort, “Ear Drum,” which entered at No. 2 even though it sold only 60,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Kweli’s album features an earful of high-profile hip-hop collaborators, including superstar producers such as Will.i.am and Kanye West, as well as underground heroes such as Madlib and collaborator Hi-Tek.

The solo debut from hot New York-based producer Swizz Beatz, “One Man Band,” entered at No. 7 after selling 45,000 copies. The hip-hop artist has manned the production boards on tunes from a host of artists including Beyoncé and T.I.

San Diego’s fast-rising Christian metal act As I Lay Dying landed at No. 8 with “An Ocean Between Us,” its fourth full-length. The CD sold 39,000 copies, and the band has a Nov. 28 date at the Wiltern.

The sophomore effort from globe-trotting electronic-rap artist M.I.A., “Kala,” sold 29,000 copies to debut at No. 18, the highest chart showing for the Sri Lanka-born rapper.

Georgia-based emo-punk rock group Cartel entered at No. 20 with its self-titled second effort, an album recorded as part of a 20-day stint inside of a bubble for MTV’s unscripted series “Band in a Bubble.” The album, recorded inside the bubble, sold 28,000 copies its first week.

L.A.’s Rilo Kiley turned its attention to the seedier aspects of its home city on “Under the Blacklight,” but the band’s darker lyrics didn’t turn off fans. “Under the Blacklight” arrived at No. 22 after selling 27,000 copies. Rilo Kiley plays Oct. 15 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

todd.martens@latimes.com