From Akon to Jay-Z, R&B/hip-hop a solid performer

By Gail Mitchell

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - There was no major-league comeback to rival Mary J. Blige's 2006 breakthrough or Mariah Carey's 2005 emancipation. And hip-hop sales overall weren't anything to write home about. But R&B/hip-hop in 2007 still managed to chime in with several headline-making notes.

Building on the momentum sparked by the fourth-quarter 2006 release of his sophomore album, "Konvicted" (Konvict/Upfront/SRC/Universal Motown/UMRG), music man of the hour Akon parlays his lead atop Billboard's Hot Rhythmic Artists charts into four additional chart-topping slots: Top Artists and Top Artists-Male (which combines the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Hot 100), Top Billboard 200 Artists-Male, Hot 100 Artists and Hot 100 Artists-Male.

Beyonce continues to be the female artist to beat in R&B and pop. Kick-him-to-the-curb anthem "Irreplaceable" netted the former Destiny's Child frontwoman honors atop the Hot 100 Songs and the Hot 100 Airplay recaps as well as the queen-bee post on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists-Female and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Artists.

Also of note: Akon and Justin Timberlake were the only top R&B/hip-hop acts to finish in the top 10 of the Top Billboard 200 Albums recap for 2007. Beyonce is at No. 11, while Kanye West comes in at No. 12. The only other R&B/hip-hop entry in the Top Billboard 200 Albums top 20 is Jay-Z with "Kingdom Come" (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam/IDJMG) at No. 20.

STRONG SONG SHOWING

It's a different story on the recap of the Hot 100 Songs. R&B/hip-hop acts log six of the top 10 songs: Beyonce, Rihanna featuring Jay-Z ("Umbrella"), Gwen Stefani featuring Akon ("The Sweet Escape"), T-Pain featuring Yung Joc ("Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')"), Akon featuring Snoop Dogg ("I Wanna Love You") and Fergie featuring Ludacris ("Glamorous").

Championing blue-eyed R&B/soul alongside Timberlake were two new ambassadors: Amy Winehouse and Robin Thicke. Thicke by far leaves the deepest impression among R&B/hip-hop fans, netting nods as Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists-Male, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Airplay for "Lost Without You." Thicke also left his soulful imprint on adult R&B listeners, topping the Hot Adult R&B Artists rankings and Hot Adult R&B Songs.

This time last year, rap icon Jay-Z claimed a No. 1 debut with "Kingdom Come," which clocked in with an opening-week total of 680,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That momentum maintained year-end locks on several categories: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artists, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Rap Album Artists and Top Rap Albums.