Pretty much everything 50 Cent touches turns to money, because the cash-loving rapper has managed to puncture the hard, fast rule that posses don't pay. Lloyd Banks, a member of 50's G-Unit troupe, sold 434,000 copies of Hunger for More, according to Nielsen SoundScan, to debut at Number One. Banks' debut album's first-week sales were slight compared to those of 50 Cent's solo release, but he still managed to establish himself in a bigger way than hangers-on to Nelly and Jay-Z.

Banks also benefited from a big sales week, as the Top 200 spiked to 4.8 million copies sold from 3.8 million last week. Usher's Confessions remains locked in at Number Two, selling another 148,000 copies, a slip of only 1,000 from last week. Brandy's Afrodesiac was the week's second biggest bow, selling 131,000. Top Ten debuts were also registered by Lil' Wayne's Carter (Number Five, 116,000 copies sold), the Cure's The Cure (Number Seven, 91,000) and the Dave Matthews Band's live set The Gorge (Number Ten, 83,000).

The Top Fifty was peppered with even more debuts. Rush's Feedback jumped in at Number Nineteen, with sales of 48,000. Breaking Benjamin's We Are Not Alone (Number Twenty, 47,700), Atreyu's Curse (Number Thirty-two, 34,000) and Slum Village's Detroit Deli (Number Thirty-seven, 31,000) also put up strong first-week figures.

Next week shouldn't offer much excitement. Sales are likely to cool without the benefit of the holiday weekend. Should Banks' album take the typical week-two plunge, it still should have enough momentum to hang onto Number One.

This week's Top Ten: Lloyd Banks' Hunger for More; Usher's Confessions; Brandy's Afrodesiac; Jadakiss' Kiss of Death; Lil' Wayne's Carter; Beastie Boys' To the 5 Boroughs; the Cure's The Cure; Gretchen Wilson's Here for the Party; the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack; and the Dave Matthews Band's The Gorge.

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