The rap-heavy soundtrack to the hit film "Bad Boys II" clung to the top of the Billboard 200 for a second week, holding off challenges from new albums by Mya and Jane's Addiction and the latest volume in the "NOW That's What I Call Music!" series. Executive-produced by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and released on his newly launched Bad Boy label through Universal Records, the album sold 197,000 copies its second week in stores, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
That's down 40 percent from the previous week, but in just two weeks the set has sold more than 521,000 units.
At least three singles from "Bad Boys II" are receiving substantial radio play. On Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, the album is represented by the top-20 hit "Shake Ya Tailfeather" from Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee, while Freeway's "Flipside" and Jay-Z's 'La-La-La (Excuse Me Again)" are making noise further down the tally.
Pulling in at No. 3 was Mya's "Moodring" (Interscope) on sales of 113,000 copies. That total is up significantly over 2000's "Fear of Flying," which opened at No. 15 with 72,000. "Fear of Flying" went on to sell 1.2 million copies, buoyed by Mya's appearance on "Lady Marmalade," the hit single from "Moulin Rouge." The first offering from "Moodring," "My Love Is Like ... Wo," has breached the top-30 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
"Strays," the first new studio album from rock band Jane's Addiction in 13 years, arrives at No. 4 on The Billboard 200. The Capitol Records set sold slightly more than 110,500 copies its first week.
"Just Because" has become a No. 1 single on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, and hype for the album was driven by the band's headlining slot on the revived Lollapalooza festival tour. The group's last studio album, 1990's "Ritual de lo Habitual," entered the big chart at No. 36 in the pre-SoundScan era.
Beyonce's "Dangerously in Love" (Columbia) slips two spaces to No. 5 behind the crop of newcomers as its sales fell 15 percent to 110,400 copies. Chingy's "Jackpot" (Capitol) falls four places to No. 6 in its sophomore week, the victim of a 44 percent sales drop to 87,000 units.
Modern rock act 311's "Evolver" (Volcano/Jive) enters the chart at No. 7 with sales of 87,000 copies. In 2001, the group's "From Chaos" arrived at No. 10 with 83,000 units and has sold 590,000 copies to date. The new set's first single, "Creatures (For a While)," is in the top-10 on the Modern Rock Tracks tally.
"Mud on the Tires" gives country singer Brad Paisley his best debut on the Billboard 200 as the Arista album lands at No. 8. The album sold 85,600 copies, boosted by the smashing success of first single "Celebrity," which last week reached No. 3 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks roundup.

Paisley's 2001 album, "Part II," bowed at No. 31 with sales of 38,000 units, and has so far sold 851,000 copies.

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Ashanti's "Chapter II" (Murder Inc./Def Jam) tumbles four notches to No. 9 on a 24 percent sales dip to 82,000 copies. Evanescence's Wind-Up debut "Fallen" rounds out the top-10 on the strength of 71,000 copies, just a 2 percent dip from the previous week.

Other notable debuts on the chart include the latest concert album from Kiss, "Symphony: Alive IV." The first release on the group's Kiss Records, which is distributed through Sanctuary, "Alive IV" debuted at No. 18 with sales of 41,000. Universal's 2002 "The Very Best of Kiss" compilation entered the tally at No. 52.

Further down, alternative-rock outfit Eve 6 entered at No. 27 with "It's All in Your Head" (RCA), Superjoint Ritual arrived at No. 55 with "A Lethal Dose of American Hatred" and Queensryche landed at No. 56 with "Tribe." The latter two albums are both on Sanctuary.

Bureau Report