'CHOCOLATE' CAKEWALK Sex scandal, schmex scandal. Some folks thought R. Kelly's career was kaput after he was brought up on child porn charges. (His previous album's belly flop didn't suggest a huge reserve of goodwill.) But never underestimate the forgive-and-forgetfulness of Americans who just want to be entertained. Kelly's unrepentantly horny Chocolate Factory entered at No. 1 with sales of 532,000 units. It was a good week all around for provocation, with bullet-riddled rapper 50 Cent still strong at No. 2 (selling 520,000 copies), the Cradle 2 the Grave soundtrack debuting at No. 6 (with 98,000), and the shock-pop lesbianism of t.A.T.u. leaping from No. 36 to No. 13.
POP ALBUMS
LAST WEEKS ON WEEK CHART
1 -- R. KELLY Chocolate Factory, Jive 1 2 1 50 CENT Get Rich or Die Tryin', Shady/Aftermath/Interscope 3 3 3 NORAH JONES Come Away With Me, Blue Note 52 4 2 DIXIE CHICKS Home, Open Wide/Monument/Columbia 26 5 4 KID ROCK Cocky, Lava/Atlantic 66 6 -- VARIOUS ARTISTS Cradle 2 the Grave soundtrack, Def Jam 1 7 6 AVRIL LAVIGNE Let Go, Arista 38 8 5 VARIOUS ARTISTS Chicago soundtrack, Epic 6 9 15 VARIOUS ARTISTS Daredevil soundtrack, Wind-Up 3 10 16 VARIOUS ARTISTS Grammy Nominees 2003, Grammy/Warner 2 11 8 JENNIFER LOPEZ This Is Me...Then, Epic 13 12 12 MISSY ELLIOTT Under Construction, The Gold Mind/Elektra 15 13 36 T.A.T.U. 200 KM/H in the Wrong Lane, Interscope 8 14 39 SEAN PAUL Dutty Rock, 2 Hard/VP/Atlantic 15 15 18 GOOD CHARLOTTE The Young and the Hopeless, Daylight/Epic 21
(C)2003 VNU BUSINESS MEDIA, INC./NIELSEN SOUNDSCAN. USED WITH PERMISSION FROM BILLBOARD, MARCH 8, 2003.
