Kanye West Blows Up

Kanye West took Number One this week with his second album, Late Registration, selling an impressive 860,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The latest CD from the hip-hop super-producer (and recent Time cover boy) almost doubled the first-week sales of his debut, 2004's Grammy-winning The College Dropout, which opened at Number Two. In second place this week is G Unit rapper (and ex-convict) Tony Yayo's solo debut, Thoughts of a Predicate Felon, which rode the 50 Cent wave to sell 214,000 copies.

The no-frills Hillbilly Deluxe, the latest from country's biggest-selling duo, Brooks and Dunn, debuted at Number Three (111,000). And at Number Four is the major-label debut of indie darlings Death Cab for Cutie, Plans, which moved 90,000 CDs. This marks a watershed for the Seattle band, whose last effort, Transatlanticism, though a critically acclaimed instant indie classic, got nowhere near the Top Twenty.

Non-stop sellers Mariah Carey and Black Eyed Peas continued to hold strong: Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi dropped two spots to Number Five (86,000) in its fifth month out, and the Peas' Monkey Business also fell two places to Six (84,00), after three months in stores. Following these chart regulars are two hits compilations: The nineteenth installment of the blockbuster series, Now That's What I Call Music! 19, slipped five spots to Number Seven (78,000); while teen queen Hilary Duff's best-of release, Most Wanted, last week's Number One, fell seven places to Number Eight (77,000).

Another big debut this week came from Florida Christian pop group Casting Crowns, whose second studio album, Lifesong, sold 71,000 copies to land at Number Nine. And Jay-Z protegee Rihanna R&B/dancehall debut, Music of the Sun, opened at Number Ten (69,000), on the strength of her single, "Pon De Replay."