Shakur’s ‘Loyal’ tops chart

Eminem can take two bows with the release of this week’s album sales chart. The Detroit rapper produced the Tupac Shakur album that debuts at No. 1, and his own album, “Encore,” holds steady at No. 3, Nielsen SoundScan reported Wednesday.

Shakur’s “Loyal to the Game,” which sold 330,000 copies during its first week in the stores, continues a remarkable posthumous hit streak for Shakur, who was killed in a shooting in Las Vegas in 1996.

One of the most acclaimed figures ever in hip-hop, Shakur reportedly left more than 200 recordings when he died, and that music has resulted in a series of hit albums whose sales total around 15 million.

For “Loyal to the Game,” Eminem, who also produced some tracks for the “Tupac: Resurrection” soundtrack last year, worked on 13 tracks.

Other guest artists on the album include 50 Cent and Nate Dogg.

“Encore” finished No. 3 on the chart after selling 315,000 more copies last week. The CD has sold 2.9 million copies since its release Nov. 12.

Besides the Shakur album, the only new release to enter the top 10 this week was Ashanti’s “Concrete Rose,” which ranked No. 7 after selling 254,000 copies in its first week.

Making room in the top 10 for the newcomers, Ludacris’ “Red Light District” and Lindsay Lohan’s “Speak” dropped sharply in their second weeks on the chart.

The Ludacris album fell from No. 1 to No. 12, while Lohan’s CD dropped from No. 4 to No. 14.