WEEK IN PREVIEW:
DMX IS CHAMPEEN

As we crank up another week of number crunching, DMX’s Grand Champ (Def Jam/IDJ) is comfortably in the lead for the top slot on the upcoming album chart. X appears headed for a first-week total in the neighborhood of 325k-350k.

Meanwhile, Tool-related rockers A Perfect Circle should see their Thirteenth Step (Virgin) come in at 225k-250k, as much as 100k behind DMX.

Also debuting on this week’s chart are Erykah Badu, whose Worldwide Underground E.P. (Motown) should log about 150k for the week; Bubba Sparxxx, whose Deliverance (Beat Club/Interscope) should come in somewhat under 100k; Sheek Louch, whose Walk Wit Me (Universal) should likewise finish the week shy of 100k; and Thursday, whose War All the Time (Island) appears likely to do about 80k.

Tomorrow marks the first “Super Tuesday” of the year’s home stretch, with albums from Dave Matthews, Limp Bizkit, Outkast, Nickelback, Obie Trice, R. Kelly, Fuel and Murphy Lee all hitting the streets.