IT’S AOK FOR B2K

No, not them. Uh-uh, not them, either. We’re talking about new Epic sensations B2K who are locked in a battle for #1 on the HITS Top 50 Albums chart with Lost Highway’s still-amazing O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and Def Jam South/IDJ’s hard-charging Ludacris. Like last week, when O Brother battled newcomer Brandy for #1, this one could go right down to the wire.

That said, folks are already talking about NEXT week’s chart, which will feature such debuts at Def Jam/IDJ’s Jay-Z and R. Kelly, UTV’s Now Vol. 9, Columbia’s Darren Hayes and Virgin’s Blade II soundtrack.

But let’s try to keep our brains focused on this week and the brain surgeons at Top 40 who are anointing Arista’s Usher the Most Added single of the week. Also feeling Top 40’s warm, fuzzy add love is Atlantic’s Jewel. Experiencing the biggest Top 40 close-out week is TVT’s Default who are getting some major market love. Other solid close-out action belongs to Elektra’s Tweet, DreamWorks’s Jimmy Eats World and Motown’s India.Arie.

At Post Modern, it’s all about first-week action for Epic’s Korn as "Here To Stay" proves oh-so-tasty to the nation’s oh-so-cool tastemakers.

Meanwhile, folks returning from this year’s South By Southwest conference in Austin are reporting that a lot of substantive and revenue-generating activity took place—and that any reports of expense report partying and frivolity are "shameless lies."