DRAKE HIP-HOPS TO THE TOP

YM/CM/Universal Republic hip-hop star Drake’s Take Care takes care of business on this week’s HITS Top 50 sales chart, nailing the #1 position with nearly 660k in sales, the third highest total of the year behind the Amazon-fueled Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne.

That tops the first-week total of his previous album, Thank Me Later, which debuted in June, 2010, with 463k. It’s also the second week in a row at #1 for a Jewish rapper, following last week’s Mac Miller chart-topper.

Decca’s Andrea Bocelli (#4) and Columbia’s Glee Christmas Vol. 2 (#6) are the other Top 10 newcomers, with Glassnote comic-turned-rapper Childish Gambino’s Camp just missing at #11.

Reprise’s Michael Buble Christmas album appears to be the seasonal winner, remaining at #2, up 38%, with another 170k in sales, and a shot to repeat on next week’s post-Black Friday tally. The year’s top album, XL/Columbia British songbird Adele’s 21, remains steady at #3, adding another 115k to its total, now over 4.5 million, with multiple Grammy nominations to come.

Island/IDJ teen throb Justin Bieber’s Under the Mistletoe rounds out the Top 5 with another 84k in sales, followed by Capitol’s Now 40 (#7), Chop Shop/Atlantic’s Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (#8), Capitol/EMI’s Coldplay (#9) and Syco/Columbia’s Susan Boyle (#10), giving the label’s Team Stringer/Barnett three in the Top 10.

Other chart newcomers include KTCZ’s Cities 97 Sampler, Vol. 23 (#14), Capitol/EMI’s Frank Sinatra Best of the Best compilation (#19), Trill’s Webbie (#22), American Gramaphone’s Mannheim Streamroller (#43), Fueled by Ramen’s Gym Class Heroes (#45), WB’s R.E.M. retrospective (#46) and MCA Nashville’s David Nail.

Among the re-entries are Decca tenor Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas (#37), Reprise’s Josh Groban Noel album (#38) and Capitol/EMI’s Now Christmas 4 (#42).

After Buble, Adele’s 19 leads the field of double-digit gainers (#37-34, +35%), followed by Susan Boyle’s The Gift (#33, +29%), Columbia’s Tony Bennett (#25, +22%), Interscope’s LMFAO (#36, +14%), Roc Nation/Columbia’s J. Cole (#35, +13%) and Merge’s She & Him (#40, +12%).

Hitting stores on Mega Monday this week are Roadrunner’s Nickelback, Def Jam/IDJ’s Rihanna, 19/RCA’s Daughtry, Geffen’s Mary J. Blige, Nickelodeon/Columbia’s Big Time Rush, Big Machine’s Taylor Swift, Epic’s Michael Jackson, Capitol’s Bob Seger, Get-O-Vision/Shady/Interscope’s Yelawolf, Universal Republic’s The Voice winner Javier Colon, Cash Money/Universal Republic’s Birdman and Wind-up Idol contestant James Durbin.

When Black Friday comes, you better have your credit card at the ready.