Jay-Z Keeps No Doubters at Bay

12/03/2003 8:15 PM, E! Online
David Jenison

No doubt about it, Jay-Z rules.

The rap kingpin's supposedly final CD, The Black Album, climbed back to number one on the album charts, holding off a hard-charging No Doubt.

The SoCal band, which has sold more than 25 million copies of its five albums, just missed scoring its first number one debut. No Doubt's first-ever retrospective, The Singles: 1992-2003, finished a mere 7,000 copies behind the surging Jay-Z. Per SoundScan data, The Black Album moved 260,000 copies last week to 253,000 for No Doubt's Singles.

Previously, No Doubt debuted at number two with 2000's Return of Saturn and at nine with 2001's Rock Steady. The group's breakthrough, 1995's Tragic Kingdom, didn't open on the charts at all, but it did inch its way to number one during a remarkable 14-month run and stayed there for nine weeks. Their new retrospective features songs from all those albums, including "Just A Girl," "Hey Baby," "Simple Kind of Life," "Don't Speak," and "Ex-Girlfriend," plus a cover of Talk Talk's 1984 hit "It's My Life."

In connection with Singles, No Doubt also released Boom Box, a double-disc/double-DVD box set, and the live concert DVD Rock Steady Live taken from a 2002 Long Beach show.

With Jay-Z and No Doubt's discs dueling for the top slot, last week's chart champ, Britney Spears' In the Zone, dropped to number three, selling 251,000 in its second week, down from a debut-week 609,000.

Hilary Duff and Korn also cracked the Top 10 this week. Duff, who benefited from a new Lizzie McGuire DVD and repeated airings of MTV's Making of the Tour, saw her Metamorphosis catapult 14 spots to number four. Korn's Take a Look in the Mirror, which opened at 19 last week after only three days on sale, jumped to nine with its first full week in stores.

OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below passed the 4 million mark in sales to hold down the 10th spot in its 10th week of release. With "Hey Ya" topping the Hot 100 and "The Way You Love" the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles charts, OutKast becomes the first group in Billboard history to have two different songs simultaneously at the top of the two separate formats.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Top 10 was stocked with plenty of leftovers, including Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 14 at five, Toby Keith 's Shock'n Y'All at six, Josh Groban 's Closer at seven and G-Unit's Beg for Mercy at eight.

In the battle for Nellydom, rapper Nelly beat out singer Nelly Furtado by 26 spots. The St. Louis emcee debuted at 12 with his remix disc, Da Derrty Versions--Reinvention, while Furtado's Folklore opened at 38.

In something of surprise, Missy Elliott's This Is Not a Test! missed the Top 10, debuting at 13. Puddle of Mudd's Life on Display splashed in at 20. Other strong debuts included Enrique Iglesias' Seven at 31, the Counting Crows' hits collection Films About Ghosts at 32 and Lil Jon & The East Side Boyzs remix disc Part II at 37.

Though the film doesn't hit theaters until December 17, The Lord of the Ring: The Return of the King score cracked the charts early at 80. Rage Against the Machine 's Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium checked in at 94, while Default's Elocation entered at 105, Bachelor Bob Guiney's 3 Sides opened at 114, Madonna 's Remixed & Revisited EP landed 115, and the Honey soundtrack came in at 171.

In its first full week, the Dixie Chicks ' Top of the World Tour Live led all gainers at 27, up 109 spots. Following last week's Fox special, American Idol's Great Holiday Classics rode the holiday wave up 17 spots to 28. Likewise, Now That's What I Call Christmas! ho-ho-ho'd up nine spots to 22.

Though Michael Jackson 's Number Ones dropped 16 spots to number 29, his new track "One More Chance" jumped 29 spots to number two on the singles chart. Despite the bump, the Cuffed One still couldn't dethrone Christian popsters Mercy Me, whose single "I Can Only Imagine" finished its ninth straight week at number one.

Here's a recap of the Top 10 albums for the week ended Sunday:

1. The Black Album, Jay-Z
2. The Singles: 1992-2003, No Doubt
3. In the Zone, Britney Spears
4. Metamorphosis, Hilary Duff
5. Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 14, various
6. Shock'n Y'All, Toby Keith
7. Closer, Josh Groban
8. Beg for Mercy, G-Unit
9. Take a Look in the Mirror, Korn
10. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, OutKast