Mary’s ‘Growing Pains’ Sells 629,000 First Week

Mary J. Blige made a huge impact on the Billboard 200 album chart with her eighth studio album ‘Growing Pains’. The Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul sold through an impressive 629,000 copies of the LP – the follow-up to her 2005 multi platinum effort ‘The Breakthrough’. Despite this, Blige charted at #2 – unable to oust Josh Groban’s ‘Noel’ album from the top spot (which sold 757,000 in it’s third week of release).

In other album news, Alicia Keys’ ‘As I Am’, currently #3 on the chart, enjoys a 62% sales increase with 474,000 copies sold. Chris Brown continues to sell consistently with ‘Exclusive’, selling 176,000. Jaheim’s ‘Making Of A Man’ enters at #11 with 176,000 units shifted, whilst Lupe Fiasco’s ‘The Cool’ occupies the #15 spot with 143,000 copies sold.

Lower down the chart, Bow Wow and Omarion’s ‘Face Off’ takes a tumble – dropping 11-29 with 89,000 sold. In what must be an embarrassment for Disturbing The Peace star Chingy, the rapper’s latest LP ‘Hate It Or Love It’ came in at a dismal #84, having sold just 31, 517 copies. Ouch.