Rap star T.I. has taken his hit making streak to the next level with a historic showing on this week’s Billboard albums and singles charts.
The rapper’s latest release, Paper Trail, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 with 568,000 copies sold in its first week. The ranking, which was echoed on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Rap Albums and Top Digital Albums charts, marks T.I.’s third consecutive number one album behind his last two platinum-certified albums, 2006's King and 2007's T.I. VS. T.I.P.
The move top’s the previous record holder, also held by T.I. for the single "Whatever You Like," which made the jump to No. 1 from No. 71 the week of Sept. 6. "Whatever You Like" remained at No. 1 until it was knocked off by "Live Your Life." As a result, T.I. became the first artist to replace himself at No. 1 since the feat was accomplished by Usher in 2004.
In addition to topping the Billboard singles chart, "Live Your Life" had the biggest-ever first-week digital singles sales in history with downloads of nearly 335,000. A video for the platinum-certified track, currently in post-production, is slated to premiere on music video outlets in the coming weeks.
T.I.’s chart success comes just days after he received a special plaque to celebrate passing the 2 million friend mark on his official MySpace page, according to AllHipHip.com.
In related news, the entertainer is currently preparing to take the stage for this year’s BET Hip-Hop Awards.
T.I. is nominated for three awards, including Best Live Performer, Lyricist of the Year and MVP of the Year. The third annual BET Hip-Hop Awards will air at 8 p.m. Oct. 23 on BET.
