Pop Album Chart : Jackson Takes Control in 2nd Week

Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” had a strong second week, firmly establishing itself as the No. 1 album on the Billboard pop chart, again outdueling a strong contender, Garth Brooks’ second-ranked “Ropin’ the Wind.” But, in the race for the top, Hammer refuses to quit. His “Too Legit to Quit” muscled past U2’s “Achtung Baby” into third place. What’s boosting Hammer’s album is two Top 20 pop singles: “2 Legit 2 Quit” (No. 9) and his hot new “Addams Groove,” (No. 20) from the smash hit movie “The Addams Family.” Richard Marx’s “Rush Street” certainly hasn’t lived up to Top 10 expectations. It peaked at No. 39, then drifted down to No. 49.

* Marky Mark has quietly surpassed Vanilla Ice as the top white rapper. Mark’s album, “Music for the People,” a steady seller the last four months, moved up five notches, to No. 27.

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1.”Dangerous” 1 ... 2 Michael Jackson (Epic) 2.”Ropin’ the Wind” 2 2 13 Garth Brooks (Capitol) 3.”Too Legit to Quit” 4 3 6 Hammer (Capitol) 4.”Achtung Baby” 3 1 3 U2 (Island) 5.”Time, Love and Tenderness” 5 5 33 Michael Bolton (Columbia) * “Music for the People” 32 30 20 Marky Mark (Interscope)