Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/23/2012

Nas grabs his fifth #1 album with "Life Is Good." Meanwhile, veteran West Coast rapper/singer and Above The Law affiliate Kokane pulls two projects into the Top 200, one from over a year ago.

Nas achieved the fifth #1 album of his career this week. By a 70,000 unit margin, Nas' Life Is Good assumed the spot at the top of the charts. Beating out last week's winner, Zac Brown Band, the Def Jam Records release followed 2008's Untitled, which sold 40,000 more first week-units.

While The Alchemist's Russian Roulette missed the Top 200, veteran Pomona, California singer/emcee Kokanestrangely got a huge second week boost on his July 1 project, Dr. Kokastein. The Bud E Boy Records retail mixtape also saw a push in Mr. Kane's 2011 album on the same label, The Legend Continues. The '12 effort, hosted by DJ King Assassin, features Young Jeezy, E-40, Tha Alkaholiks and the late KMG.

Life Is Really Good For Nas

With a #1 album, Queens, New York's Nas did it again. The conceptual album, Life Is Good paired the lyricist with mentor Large Professor and late '80s/early '90s peers DJ Hot Day, D.I.T.C.'s Buckwild and the late Heavy D on the critically-acclaimed LP. Nas also worked with No I.D., Salaam Remi, Rick Rossand Noah "40" Shebib on the project. Backed off of the single "Daughters," the highly-personal album is largely based off of Nas' public and messy divorce with R&B singer Kelis.

Kokane Has His Best Week In A Decade

Once a solo artist on Ruthless Records, Kokane seems to be finding his best solo success in since the early '90s courtesy of Bud E Boy Records. The longtime Above The Law affiliate and collaborator with Dr. Dre, Tony Yayo and Snoop Dogg sold over 5,000 units last week, of a mixtape and an album. The spike comes less than a month after the death of A.T.L. member KMG, who suffered a fatal heart attack July 6.

Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/23/2012

#1. Nas - Life Is Good - 149,000 (149,000)

#4. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange - 54,000 (185,000)

#11. Chris Brown - Fortune - 27,000 (206,000)

#18. Maybach Music Group Presents... - Self Made, Volume 2 - 18,000 (172,000)

#20. Matisyahu - Spark Seeker - 16,000 (17,000)

#42. Flo Rida - Wild Ones - 8,400 (53,000)

#99. Aesop Rock - Skelethon - 3,800 (18,000)

#109. Waka Flocka Flame - Triple F Life: Fans, Friends & Family - 3,600 (70,000)

#137. Kokane - Dr. Kokastein (Hosted By DJ Assassin) - 2,900 (4,000)

#183. Kokane - The Legend Continues - 2,200 (3,900)

_{* data comes from Nielsen Soundscan, rounded to nearest thousandth for units above 10,000, nearest hundredth for units below 10,000. Each week, HipHopDX presents top albums in Hip Hop/related, and five notables.}