50 Cent’s ‘Animal Ambition’ Falls Out Of Top 10 In This Week Album’s Sales (6/18/2014)

Eric DiepPublished: June 18, 2014

50 Cent is always thinking about how he can impact hip-hop and its structure. At the beginning of 2014, the 38-year-old MC announced he was officially going independent, leaving Interscope after more than a decade and securing greater creative control over G-Unit Records and his music. To keep things in motion, 50 signed a new worldwide distribution agreement with Caroline/Capitol/UMG for his fifth album Animal Ambition, which means he’s no longer held back by the major label system.

After a strategic marketing plan where he released a song per week in the months leading up to the project's release, Animal Ambition is officially in stores today. The 14-track LP marks 50 Cent’s return to solo form since his last album, 2009’s Before I Self Destruct, and he’s hitting all the right pockets that made him a household name in the first place in the early 2000s. On Animal Ambition, 50’s tapped his loyal circle of producers to create a smooth and gritty body of work that’s similar to his come up days. Names like Jake One ("Hustler," "The Funeral,"), Ty Fyffe ("Chase The Paper"), and Nascent ("Flip On You") are veterans in 50’s producer pool that know exactly what he's looking for. Others are fairly new, but show out on impressive radio-friendly singles and street bangers that have the potential to be summer favorites.

When someone of the caliber of 50 Cent is making the push for a comeback, it’s no question that XXL goes deeper into the project's creative process. Speaking with all 14 producers involved on the LP, we get a sense of his work ethic and, honestly, his untamed desire to win. So dust off your G-Unit sneakers and get ready for the stories behind how every track on Animal Ambition came together. This is 50’s finest hour. —Eric Diep, Christopher Harris, Christina Kelly, Chris Mench, Emmanuel C.M. and Dan Rys

After a strong week from 50 Cent’s Animal Ambition, this week the rapper’s fifth studio album didn’t fare so well. While it remains the top rap album on the charts, 50’s LP has fallen to No. 21, selling 13, 862 copies. Iggy Azalea’s The New Classic, too, has also been removed from the top ten with only 14,593 copies sold.

Last week, ¡Mayday! and Murs’ collaboration album ¡MursDay! was released through Strange Music. The album lands on No. 34 on the charts, moving a modest 9,333 copies. Another album to note is Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2, which managed to stay in the top 50 with 6,836 copies sold.

Here is a breakdown of this week’s hip-hop album sales and other relevant albums.

1. Jack White, Lazaretto, 128,728
9. Michael Jackson, Xscape, 24,079
16. Iggy Azalea, The New Classic, 14,593
21. 50 Cent, Animal Ambition: An Untamed Desire To Win, 13,862
30. Pharrell, G I R L, 10,396
34. ¡Mayday! and Murs, ¡MursDay!, 9,333
40. Jason Derulo, Talk Dirty, 8,270
41. Mariah Carey, Me. I Am Mariah ... The Elusive Chantenuse, 7,951
45. Eminem, Marshall Mathers LP 2, 6,836
48. Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox, 6,261