Another meteoric entry from R&B;’s Omarion
FROM humble Inglewood to the top of the national pop chart -- that’s the path R&B; singer Omarion has taken with his second album, “21,” which claims the No. 1 spot with first-week sales of 119,000 copies. That makes two in a row for the former B2K lead singer, erstwhile rapper and sometime actor, whose 2005 debut album, “O,” also started out as the nation’s bestselling album, according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.
The “21” album, which includes the single “Ice Box,” produced by the ubiquitous Timbaland, led a flood of R&B; and hip-hop releases in the chart’s upper reaches, a common occurrence in the week following Christmas, when young music fans rush out to spend their holiday gift certificates.
Right behind Omarion (real name: Omari Ishmael Grandberry) is hip-hopper Akon’s “Konvicted,” which vaulted eight positions and finished at No. 2 after selling 112,000 more copies, pushing its total to 1.2 million. It’s followed by the “Dreamgirls” soundtrack (104,000 copies, rocketing it from No. 31 to No. 3) and the latest releases from rappers Nas (101,000) and Young Jeezy (92,000) rounding out the five top slots. Another Southern California act charted the only other new entry in the top 50: San Diego band Switchfoot’s sixth album, “Oh! Gravity,” sold 63,000 copies and debuts on the chart at No. 18.
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