Busta Rhymes’ ‘The Big Bang’ lives up to its name

IDIOSYNCRATIC rapper Busta Rhymes has the bestselling album in the country this week with “The Big Bang,” which sold 209,000 copies its first week in stores.

It was a big drop to second place where the Dixie Chicks album “Taking the Long Way” finished by selling 130,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks music retail sales.

After Rhymes, the best debut performance on the week belonged to the rock quartet Three Days Grace and their new release, “One-X,” which sold 78,000 copies to put it No. 5 overall.

Another newcomer this week is veteran piano man Billy Joel, whose two-CD live album, “12 Gardens Live,” sold 44,000 copies, enough to put it at No. 14 on the tally.

It was a relatively sparse week for new releases. The next highest total was the 21,000 copies sold of “Earth to America,” the new CD by jam band Widespread Panic. It finished at No. 48 on the chart.