Devilish D12 Debut At No. 1

As expected, "Devil's Night," by Eminem's side-project D12, easily debuts atop The Billboard 200, selling 372,000 units in the U.S., according to SoundScan. The numbers are not quite on par with the stats Eminem puts up when he goes it alone, as the Shady/Interscope sold about 1.4 million less than "The Marshall Mathers LP" (Web/Aftermath/Interscope) did in its debut week a year ago.

"Devil's Night" also lands at No. 1 atop Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, while its single, "Purple Hills," an edited version of the album cut "Purple Pills," is No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles tally. The track, the video for which has been relegated to the post-midnight hours on MTV, blasts 91-45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 67-28 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

"Devil's Night" is one of three R&B/hip-hop albums to debut in the top-10 of The Billboard 200 this week. Luther Vandross, in his best chart showing since Billboard began using SoundScan to track sales in 1991, powers his way to No. 6 with his self-titled bow on J Records. The album moved 136,000 units, while the set's first single, "Take You Out," rests at No. 21 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

Right behind the veteran R&B singer is "Thong Song" sensation Sisqo, whose sophomore set, "Return of Dragon" (Dragon/Def Soul/DJMG), sells 124,000 units to arrive at No. 7. Sisqo's first-week sales nearly match those of his last, "Unleash the Dragon," which moved 125,000 to debut at No. 18 in December 1999. On the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, Vandross and Sisqo are No. 2 and 3, respectively.

Rock act Stone Temple Pilots has a strong first-week showing on The Billboard 200 with "Shangri-La Dee Da" (Atlantic), which comes in at No. 9 on the strength of 98,000 albums sold. Anchoring the top-10 is 311's "From Chaos" (Volcano/Zomba), which sold 83,000 units to debut at No. 10, down from the 91,000 first-week sales of the group's last Capricorn set, "Soundsystem."

Other noteworthy debuts include Ray J's "This Ain't a Game" (Atlantic) at No. 21, Mandy Moore's self-titled Epic release at No. 35, and the Gorillaz self-titled Virgin/Parlophone album at No. 39.

Blink-182's "Take off Your Pants and Jacket" (MCA) drops from No. 1-3, the victim of a 53% sales decline at 166,000 copies sold. Staind's "Break the Cycle" (Flip/Elektra) moves back up to No. 2 with a minor sales decrease of 14% at 190,000. The group's "It's Been Awhile" is No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream and Modern Rock Tracks charts for an incredible 11th straight week.

Elsewhere on the album chart, R&B singer India.Arie's "Acoustic Soul" Motown) flies 65-42, thanks in part to an appearance on "Oprah," while the Hollywood soundtrack to "Save the Last Dance" skyrockets 144-65, reaping the benefits of the film's release on video.

The five-week run atop The Billboard Hot 100 by "Lady Marmalade" ends this week at the hands of Usher, whose "U Remind Me" glides 21-1. The surge was fueled by its release to retail, where it this week's fastest-growing track. Usher's forthcoming Arista album, "8701," is due in early August.

"U Remind Me" also ousts R. Kelly's "Fiesta" featuring Jay-Z from the top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, where Babyface shoots 33-10 with "There She Goes." The track also storms 96-31 on the Hot 100. Lil' Romeo's "My Baby" is No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart for a sixth straight week.

Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" rises 20-12 on the Hot 100, this week's greatest-gainer at radio. Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real" is this week's top debut at No. 86. The Hot 100's other two debuts are Chris Cagle's "Laredo" at No. 83 and Jill Scott's "The Way" at No. 84.