50 Cent Is a Loser, Kanye West Wins

Kanye West's "Graduation" album trounced 50 Cent's "Curtis" in the much-hyped rap sales showdown with nearly 1 million copies sold the first week, the best debut of the year.West has sold about 957,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures posted by the industry Web site Billboard.com on Tuesday night. It was his best first-week sales ever. In comparison, 50 sold 691,000 copies of "Curtis."

Despite his victory, West was hardly rubbing it in 50's face. In fact, he said he was humbled by the win.

"It feels overwhelming," West told The Associated Press, as he walked to Def Jam's offices on Tuesday afternoon. "Everyone is coming up to me and telling me how proud they are of me."

"We're not gloating," Def Jam President Jay-Z told AP. "He's celebrating his win. ... in his mind, he believed he could win the whole time."

Though selling almost 700,000 copies in the first week was a sterling achievement, it was still a considerable letdown for 50 Cent. His last album, 2005's "The Massacre," sold 1.1 million in its first week. In fact, West's "Graduation" the only other album to come close to those sales since.

Look who's a wanksta now?! 50 released this weak statement:

"I am very excited to have participated in one of the biggest album release weeks in the last two years. Collectively, we have sold hundreds of thousands of units in our debut week. This marks a great moment for hip hop music, one that will go down in history."

But while West is enjoying a No. 2 position on the charts with his hit "Stronger," 50 has struggled to connect with radio. None of his songs has matched past smashes like "In Da Club"; even his single "Ayo Technology," featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, is languishing at No. 19.

Kanye added,

"I was the underdog because I sold less records in the past, so it was a win-win for me," he said. "If I lost, everyone would be happy that I even went up against him. People have this perception of me being arrogant, but would an arrogant person risk the chance of coming in the second spot just to be a part of history? To me, it's more about fans and the entertainment value and good music."

"This is a really pivotal moment for me emotionally."

source: yahoo, associated press, jn

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