Shaggy Holds Off 112’s Latest to Top the Charts

The R&B; quartet 112 and three other acts debuted in the Top 10 of the U.S. album chart this week, but the top spot on the tally still belongs to Brooklyn reggae hero Shaggy and his “Hotshot” disc.

“Hotshot,” which sold 189,000 copies during the week that ended Sunday, has surpassed 4.5 million copies in total sales since its debut in August. The red-hot radio single “Angel” is building on the momentum of the disc’s first hit, the sly infidelity tale “It Wasn’t Me.”

112’s third album, “Part III,” sold 182,000 copies to debut at No. 2 on the chart, which is compiled by the retail tracking service SoundScan. The Atlanta group is on Sean “Puffy” Combs’ label, Bad Boy Entertainment, and the strong first-week showing is more good news for the rap impresario--he was acquitted earlier this month on felony weapons charges in New York.

Miami rapper Trick Daddy (he’s shortened his moniker from Trick Daddy Dollars) sold 116,000 copies of “Thugs Are Us,” his fourth album, to debut at No. 4. Not far behind, at No. 6, is “Pleasures Like U,” the new disc from R&B; singer Jon B. The Pasadena-based Babyface protege’s disc sold 99,000 copies during its first week in stores.

The fourth debut in the Top 10 is the soundtrack to “Exit Wounds,” the action film that teams martial arts hero Steven Seagal with rapper DMX. The latter is featured on the soundtrack, along with Nas, Mack 10, Three 6 Mafia and others. The collection sold 92,000 copies.

New projects from two members of Cleveland rap outfit Bone Thugs-N-Harmony debuted this week: “Thug by Nature,” the first solo album from L-Burna (a.k.a. Layzie Bone) sits at No. 43, while Bizzy Bone’s “Gift” opens right behind it at No. 44. How comparable are the two rappers’ fan bases? Layzie’s disc sold 36,406 copies nationwide while Bizzy’s totaled 36,394--a difference of 12 copies.