JAY-Z VS. TUPAC A BATTLE FOR #1

In early retail returns from around the country, Roc-A-Fella/IDJ rap superstar Jay-Z holds a slight lead over Amaru/Interscope rapper Tupac Shakur going into what promises to be a busy weekend at record stores nationwide.

Roc-A-Fella/IDJ rush-released Jay-Z’s The Black Album to retail Friday, though several stores jumped the Nov. 14 street date on Thursday. The disc is expected to go well over 400k, which could be enough to give him the #1 spot over the late Shakur, although, with Tupac: Resurrection opening wide this weekend, it could still propel the soundtrack into the lead.

A turf war for the third slot is taking shape between G-Unit/Shady/Aftermath/Interscope’s G-Unit, which also moved up its release date to Friday (11/18), and Reprise’s Josh Groban. Both records look like they could top 300k units, but we're learning towards the G-men over the G-boy if it comes to a street fight.