With Justin Bieber’s Believe album adopting a heavy hip-hop sound, many are questioning whether or not he belongs in the genre. (more…)

Maybe it’s because I’m stuck in my own little bubble of obscure hip-hop, but I had no idea that Boyz II Men had a new album out. They topped the charts this week for urban releases, although Coldplay owned the Billboard 200 this week by selling 447,000 units of their latest album Mylo Xyloto. In my eyes, the real story this week is the success of Jedi Mind Tricks’ seventh studio album, Violence Begets Violence, as it marks the group’s first release without their producer, Stoupe. Despite mixed reviews and reluctance from longtime fans, the album moved nearly 4,500 units in its opening week. Statik Selektah and Freestyle Fellowship also fared well during their albums’ opening week, while Korean rapper/producer/songwriter Tablo had a moderately successful opening week for the international release of his debut EP, Fever’s End Pt 1, which was quickly followed by Pt. 2. Boyz II Men “Twenty 18,385 (46% digital) Jedi Mind Tricks “Violence Begets Violence” – 4,351 (60% digital) [read review] Statik Selektah “Population Control” – 1,520 (45% digital) [read review] Freestyle Fellowship “Promise” – 713 (32% digital) Tablo “Fever’s End, Pt 1″ - 389 (100% digital) Terrace Martin“Locke High 2″ - 369 (100% digital)

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