Chart Watch: Ja Rule Rules

ByABC News
October 19, 2000, 2:24 PM

October 18 -- Top 10: For the sixth week in a row, the charts have a new No. 1. Last week it was Radiohead, the week before it was Mystikal, and the week before that, Madonna. This time around, Ja Rule rules the charts, preaching the gospel to the 276,000 who picked up Rule 3:36 in its first week on the shelves.

Coming in second is Nelly, who sells another 150,000 copies of Country Grammar. The surprise hit has sold more than 3.2 million copies in the United States alone since its release four months ago. Mystikal's Let's Get Ready sells 134,000 at No. 3, followed by Creed's Human Clay, which jumps from No. 8 to No. 4, selling more than 120,000 copies. 98 Degrees' Revelation comes in at No. 5, selling 115,000 copies.

Madonna's Music drifts in at No. 6, with sales of more than 110,000 copies, followed by the Baha Men, who Let the Dogs Out at No. 7 this week and sell almost 101,000 copies. 3 Doors Down's Better Life, recently certified triple-platinum, move up to No. 8, with sales of more than 94,000, while Eminem sells another 89,000 copies of The Marshall Mathers LP, pushing the album past the 7 million sales mark. And wrapping up the Top 10 is last week's No. 1, Radiohead's Kid A, which sells more than 86,000 copies. That's quite a contrast to last week's figures, which saw the band move more than 207,000 copies.

Notable Debuts: Next week will be telling for the Wallflowers' Breach, and for alt-pop in general. Will the fans return? They didn't come back for Third Eye Blind's Blue Orgy's Vapor Transmission beams into No. 16, with sales of almost 70,000, while E-40's Loyalty and Betrayal bows at No. 18, selling 58,000. Collective Soul's Blender mixes it up at No. 22, selling 50,000, while M.O.P.'s Warriorz sells 48,000 at No. 25, and Changing Faces' Visit Me sells more than 31,000 at No. 46. Further down, Bette Midler sells 20,000 copies of Bette at No. 69, while Flesh-N-Bone fans pick up more than 14,000 copies of Fifth Dog Lets Loose, putting it at No. 98.

Punch Out: There's been no shortage of movie stars trying to make it in the rock world. There's been plenty of athletes, as well. But Oscar de la Hoya is the first boxer to crack the Top 200 in a long while; his self-titled album of ballads and love songs KOs more than 11,500 fans, bowing at No. 121.