Paul Wall Topples Kanye
Houston MC tops the chart with major-label debut


Paul Wall's major-label debut, The People's Champ, tops the album chart this week by selling 176,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. This is the Houston MC's big moment, riding the wave of his breakthrough spot on Mike Jones' recent hit, "Still Tippin'." Wall knocks superstar hip-hop rapper/producer Kanye West from Number One, as his sophomore effort, Late Registration, falls to Two (165,000) after two weeks on top and more than one million copies sold.

Opening at Number Three is Christian alt-rockers Switchfoot's fifth album, Nothing Is Sound, which moved 131,000 copies. This is a major move for the San Diego band, whose last studio album, 2004's The Beautiful Letdown, peaked at Number Sixteen.

Next up is country singer Trisha Yearwood, whose tenth studio album, Jasper County, sold 118,000 copies to land at Number Four -- her highest debut since her 1997 greatest hits collection. Right behind her is a bevy of gals who are the antithesis of Yearwood: L.A. burlesque dancers, the Pussycat Dolls. Their recording debut, PCD, rides their guest appearances on the big screen (with Cameron Diaz) and the small (with Carmen Electra) to Number Five (99,000).

Among the other big debuts this week is Paul McCartney's thirteenth solo studio album -- and his most stripped-down effort in years -- Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, which landed at Six (92,000). This is a return to form for the former Beatle, whose last studio release, 2001's Driving Rain, peaked at Number Twenty-Six. Bob Marley's son Damian made his debut with the critically acclaimed Welcome to Jamrock, landing at Number Seven (86,000). And Former Gap Band frontman Charlie Wilson's third solo R&B effort, Charlie, Last Name Wilson, came in at Number Ten (71,000).

And, of course, this year's chart constants, Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business and Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi, both in stores for months now, continued to stick to the Top Ten: The Peas dropped four places to Number Eight (83,000), and Carey also fell four spots to Number Nine (75,000).

Two hits compilations stopped terrorizing the chart: the latest installment of the blockbuster series Now That's What I Call Music! dropped ten places to Number Seventeen (56,000), and teenybopper Hilary Duff's best-of, Most Wanted, fell eleven spots to Twenty (45,000). Meanwhile, despite their ongoing mega-tour, the Rolling Stones saw A Bigger Bang, their first studio album in eight years, fall from Number Three to Twelve (63,000) in its second week. And G Unit rapper Tony Yayo's solo debut, Thoughts of a Predicate Felon, dropped seventeen places in its third week to Number Twenty-Three (39,000).

Next week, expect Dirty South rapper David Banner's latest, Certified, and veteran New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi's Have a Nice Day to make their presence known.

This week's Top Ten: Paul Wall's The People's Champ; Kanye West's Late Registration; Switchfoot's Nothing Is Sound; Trisha Yearwood's Jasper County; Pussycat Dolls' PCD; Paul McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard; Damian Marley's Welcome to Jamrock; Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business; Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi; Charlie Wilson's Charlie, Last Name Wilson.