Popular Alternative

Maybe we should find a new name for alternative rock. How alternative can it be if it’s dominating the mainstream charts? The top three albums on The Times’ Southern California pop chart--and parts of No. 4, the “Reality Bites” soundtrack--fall into this category. Shaquille O’Neal is crashing the pop chart the way he crashes the boards in the NBA: His rap single “I’m Outstanding” debuted at No. 17, and his album, “Shaq Diesel,” has sold more than 500,000 copies. Though Hammer’s new “Funky Headhunter” isn’t doing as well as expected on the pop chart, it’s still No. 3 on the Southern California rap chart.

TOP 10 ALBUMS

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Superunknown, Soundgarden (2) 1 2 August and ... After, Counting Crows (4) 8 3 Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails (12) 2 4 Reality Bites, soundtrack (16) 5 5 Toni Braxton, Toni Braxton (6) 3 6 The Colour of My Love, Celine Dion (8) 4 7 12 Play, R. Kelly (3) 6 8 The Sign, Ace of Base (1) 9 9 The Cross of Changes, Enigma (13) 7 10 Music Box, Mariah Carey (5) 11

TOP 10 SINGLES

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Bump ‘n’ Grind, R. Kelly (1) 1 2 The Power of Love, Celine Dion (6) 2 3 The Sign, Ace of Base (2) 4 4 Something..., Conscious Daughters (35) 7 5 Born to Roll, Masta Ace Incorporated (30) 9 6 Most Beautiful Girl..., Prince (12) 14 7 So Much in Love, All-4-One (7) 3 8 Mmm Mmm..., Crash Test Dummies (9) 6 9 Whatta Man, Salt-N-Pepa (3) 5 10 Without You..., Mariah Carey (5) 11

TOP 10 RAP ALBUMS

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Doggystyle, Snoop Doggy Dogg (1) 1 2 Very Necessary, Salt-N-Pepa (2) 2 3 Funky Headhunter, Hammer (3) 3 4 Straight From Da Streets, various (31) 4 5 Lethal Injection, Ice Cube (5) 5 6 Old School, Old School (20) 6 7 Hard to Learn, Gangstarr (4) 7 8 Ear to...Street, Conscious Daughters (21) 8 9 Enter the Wu-Tang, Wu-Tang Clan (6) 10 10 Black Reign, Queen Latifah (10) 9

Source: SoundScan Inc., for week ending March 20