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''Hootie & the Blowfish are the most unhip guys you'll ever meet in your life!'' admits Val Azzoli, president of the band's label, Atlantic Records. That doesn't mean they can't move units: The South Carolina college band with the wacky name enters Billboard's top 10 chart for the first time this week at No. 7 (bumping Oakland rapper Too Short down to No. 16). That accomplishment caps a long-haul campaign that began on AAA and AOR radio, continued through heavy ''new VH-1'' airplay for their Top 40 hit, ''Hold My Hand,'' and culminated in last week's appearance on Late Show With David Letterman, which in all likelihood pushed the roots-rockers over the top. Green Day aside, apparently it is hip to be square. Weeks on Week Pop Albums Chart 1 1 Garth Brooks The Hits, Liberty 9 2 3 Boyz II Men II, Motown 24 3 2 Van Halen Balance, Warner Bros. 3 4 4 Green Day Dookie, Reprise/Warner Bros. 53 5 5 Eagles Hell Freezes Over, Geffen 14 6 6 TLC CrazySexyCool, LaFace/Arista 13 7 11 Hootie & The Blowfish Cracked Rear View, Atlantic 31 8 8 Pearl Jam Vitalogy, Epic 12 9 10 The Cranberries No Need to Argue, Island 19 10 12 Offspring Smash, Epitaph 39
R&B albums 1 2 Mary J. Blige My Life, Uptown/MCA 11 2 1 Too Short Cocktales, Jive 3 3 3 TLC CrazySexyCool, LaFace/Arista 13 4 4 Boyz II Men II, Motown 24 5 5 The Notorious b.i.g. Ready to Die, Bad Boy/Arista 22 6 6 Brownstone From the Bottom Up, MJJ/Epic 5 7 7 Brandy Brandy, Atlantic 20 8 10 Kirk Franklin and the Family < Kirk Franklin and the Family, Gospo-Centric 10 9 8 Barry White The Icon Is Love, Perspective/A&M 19 10 11 Method Man Tical, Def Jam/RAL 13
of Ticket Shows Concerts Sales 1 4 The Rolling Stones Mexico City $11,784,755 2 3 The Rolling Stones Sao Paulo, Brazil $4,527,556 3 1 The Eagles Knoxville, Tenn. $1,117,156 4 1 Boyz II Men Anaheim, Calif. $462,825 5 2 Randy Travis Fairfax, Va. $288,970 6 1 Nine Inch Nails Minneapolis, Minn. $258,430 7 1 The Tragically Hip Montreal $227,948 8 1 Alan Jackson Madison, Wis. $200,530 9 1 Amy Grant Charlotte, N.C. $168,520 10 1 The O'Jays Atlantic City $160,450
