Interesting sales figures...

[MIAMI4LIFE]

got this from another site...

Found this interesting with respect to hip-hop, commercialization, downloads, and money to be made in the game.  I think some of these numbers are askew though.  Soundscan didn't offically begin until 1991, and the RIAA had to call each individual store and ask about sales before that period, so it has to play a part.  I wonder if any other musical genre is as fickle as hip-hop fans seem to be.

A Tribe Called Quest:
"People's Instinctive..." - 410,129
"Low End Theory" - 1,085,064
"Midnight Marauders" - 1,083,527
"Beats, Rhymes & Life" - 812,482
"Love Movement" - 688,968
Total = 4.080.170

Gang Starr:
"No More Mr. Nice Guy" - 53,357
"Step in the Arena" - 287,411
"Daily Operation" - 297,188
"Hard to Earn" - 389,050
"Moment of Truth" - 485,262
"The Ownerz" - 191,770
Total = 1.704.038

Pete Rock & CL Smooth:
"All Souled Out EP" - 43,601
"Mecca & The Soul Brother" - 387,117
"The Main Ingredient" - 180,984
Total = 611.702

Ice-T:
"Rhyme Pays" - 150,629
"Power" - 218,141
"Iceberg" - 197,303
"O.G. Original Gangster" - 923,864
"Home Invasion" - 310,016
"VI: Return of the Real" - 93,123
"7th Deadly Sin" - 20,216
Total = 1.913.292

N.W.A:
"N.W.A & The Posse" - 364,544
"Straight Outta Compton" - 1,295,039
"100 Miles & Runnin EP" - 314,766
"EFIL4ZAGGIN" - 2,084,941
Total = 4.059.290

Ice Cube:
"AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" - 749,540
"Kill At Will EP" - 704,296
"Death Certificate" - 1,631,341
"Predator" - 2,237,124
"Lethal Injection" - 1,851,835
"Bootlegs & B-Sides" - 818,409
"War & Peace: Disc 1 (War)" - 1,043,268
"War & Peace: Disc 2 (Peace)" - 986,424
Total = 10.022.237

The D.O.C:
"No One Can Do It Better" - 399,857
"Helter Skelter" - 152,145
"Deuce" - 30,806
Total = 582.808

Above the Law:
"Livin' Like Hustlers" - 115,468
"Vocally Pimpin' EP" - 75,892
"Black Mafia Life" - 184,533
"Uncle Sam's Curse" - 247,413
"Time Will Reveal" - 74,031
"Legends" - 71,355
"Forever: Rich Thugs" - 19,040
Total = 787.732

Eazy-E:
"Eazy Duz It" - 1,174,104
"5150 Home 4 Tha Sick EP" - 417,291
"It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa" - 1,964,461
"Str8 Off Tha Streetz of Muthaphuckin' Compton" - 637,704
Total = 4.193.560

Kurupt:
"Kuruption" - 319,519
"Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha" - 507,893
"Space Boogie: Smoke Oddysey" - 348,272
Total = 1.175.684

Mack 10:
"Mack 10" - 524,587
"Based On A True Story" - 549,558
"Recipe" - 320,714
"Paper Route" - 271,706
"Bang Or Ball" - 384,331
"Ghetto, Gutter & Gangsta" - 43,095
Total = 2.093.991

WC & The Maad Circle:
"Ain't A Damn Thing Changed" - 111,752
"Curb Servin" - 122,900
Total = 234.652

Rodney O. & Joe Cooley:
"Me & Joe" - 36,764
"Three the Hard Way" - 44,434
"Days of Way Back" - 27,644
"Fuck New York" - 157,273
"Humps for the Boulevard" - 45,470
"Funk In Yo' Face" - 6,714
"The Final Chapter" - 5,560
"Veteran's Day" 883
Total = 324.742

Redman:
"Whut? Thee Album" - 632,764
"Dare Iz A Darkside" - 562,593
"Muddy Waters" - 742,255
"Doc's Da Name" - 1,045,186
"Malpractice" - 681,073
Total = 3.663.871

Scarface:
"Mr. Scarface is Back" - 657,315
"World is Yours" - 774,956
"Diary" - 1,465,157
"Untouchable" - 1,180,095
"My Homies" - 740,688
"Last of a Dying Breed" - 663,872
"The Fix" - 599,355
"Balls & My Word" - 226,914
Total = 6.308.352

Beatnuts:
"Intoxicated Demons EP" - 82,013
"Beatnuts (Street Level)" - 104,495
"Stone Crazy" - 126,852
"The Spot EP" - 52,007
"Musical Massacre" - 226,154
"Take It Or Squeeze It" - 172,517
"The Originators" - 23,643
"Milk Me" - 15,996
Total = 803.677

Jeru the Damaja:
"The Sun Rises in the East" - 271,734
"Wrath of the Math" - 199,798
"Heroz 4 Hire" - 31,911
"Divine Design" - 10,294
Total = 519.737

Group Home:
"Livin' Proof" - 127,018
"Tear for the Ghetto" - 26,009
Total = 153.027

Freddie Foxxx / Bumpy Knuckles:
"Freddie Foxxx Is Here" - 1,118
"Industry Shakedown" - 100,831
"Konexion" - 13,617
Total = 115.566

Afu-Ra:
"Body of the Life Force" - 79,244
"Life Force Radio" - 53,601
"Perverted Monks Vol. 1" - 1,945
Total = 134.790

Chino XL:
"Here To Save You All" - 52,639
"I Told You So" - 17,289
Total = 69.928

Lootpack:
"Soundpieces: Da Antidote" - 33,734
"Lost Tapes" - 4,527
Total = 38.261

Capone-N-Noreaga:
"War Report" - 408,802
"The Reunion" - 458,975
Total = 867.777

Public Enemy:
"Yo! Bumrush the Show" - 261,381
"It Takes A Nation of Millions" - 621,361
"Fear of a Black Planet" - 519,685
"Apocalypse '91" - 1,490,977
"Greatest Misses" - 371,566
"Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess-Age" - 265,120
"He Got Game" - 278,161
"There's A Poison Goin' On" - 41,367
"Revolverlution" - 69,538
Total = 3.919.156

Run DMC:
"Run DMC" - 112,670
"King of Rock" - 70,112
"Raising Hell" - 282,656
"Tougher Than Leather" - 37,136
"Back From Hell" - 72,621
"Down With the King" - 373,157
"Crown Royal" - 150,305
Total = 1.098.657

De La Soul:
"3 Feet High & Rising" - 280,969
"De La Soul is Dead" - 411,489
"Buhloone Mind State" - 258,940
"Stakes is High" - 323,800
"Art Official Intelligence" - 437,392
"AOI: Bionix" - 132,834
"Grind Date" - 223
Total = 1.845.647

Special Ed:
"Youngest In Charge" - 69,634
"Legal" - 66,405
"Revelations" - 65,339
Total = 201.378

Big Daddy Kane:
"Long Live the Kane" - 101,730
"It's A BIg Daddy Thing" - 86,535
"Taste of Chocolate" - 105,023
"Prince of Darkness" - 186,169
"Looks Like A Job For..." - 157,582
"Daddy's Home" - 43,386
"Veteranz Day" - 18,335
Total = 698.760

Main Source:
"Breaking Atoms" - 70,875
"Fuck What You Think" - 1,966
Total = 72.841

Kool G. Rap:
"Road to the Riches" - 37,440
"Wanted: Dead Or Alive" - 38,474
"Live & Let Die" - 137,974
"4, 5, 6" - 206,316
"Roots of Evil" - 56,961
"Giancana Story" - 31,638
"Click of Respect" - 9,209
Total = 518.012

Das EFX:
"Dead Serious" - 999,171
"Straight Up Sewaside" - 358,310
"Hold It Down" - 208,370
"Generation EFX" - 89,508
"How We Do" - 7,285
Total = 1.662.644

Cormega:
"The Realness" - 130,321
"True Meaning" - 58,071
"Hustler/Rapper" - 36,967
"Legal Hustle" - 28,315
Total = 253.674

AZ:
"Doe Or Die" - 338,303
"Pieces of a Man" - 244,419
"9 Lives" - 217,282
"AZiatic" - 205,297
Total = 1.005.301

Showbiz & AG:
"Showbiz & AG EP" - 31,463
"Runaway Slave" - 53,951
"Goodfellas" - 54,509
Total = 139.923

Fat Joe:
"Represent" - 88,282
"Jealous Ones Envy" - 185,700
"Don Cartagena" - 487,196
"Jealous Ones Still Envy" - 933,387
"Loyalty" - 243,584
Total = 1.938.149

Raekwon:
"Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" - 1,021,929
"Immobilarity" - 423,979
"Lex Diamond Story" - 124,892
Total = 1.570.800

Gravediggaz:
"6 Feet Deep" - 438,916
"The Pick, The Sickle & The Shovel" - 315,840
"Nightmare In A-Minor" - 64,966
"Six Feet Under" - 3,967
Total = 823.689

Poor Righteous Teachers:
"Holy Intellect" - 83,197
"Pure Poverty" - 146,189
"Black Business" - 56,355
"New World Order" - 29,686
Total = 315.427

John Forte:
"Poly Sci" - 79,998
"I, John" - 10,511
Total = 90.509

Xzibit:
"At the Speed of Life" - 178,069
"40 Dayz & 40 Nightz" - 188,090
"Restless" - 1,329,376
"Man vs. Machine" - 587,536
Total = 2.283.071

Dr. Dre:
"The Chronic" - 4,984,796
"Presents: The Aftermath" - 567,197
"The Chronic 2001" - 6,870,929
Total = 12.422.922

2Pac:
"2Pacalypse Now" - 698,288
"Strictly 4 My Niggaz" - 1,365,580
"Me Against the World" - 2,438,580
"All Eyez On Me" - 5,145,423
"Makaveli/Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory" - 3,911,787
"R U Still Down?" - 2,059,201
"Still I Rise" - 1,588,,133
"Until the End of Time" - 2,036,675
"Better Dayz" - 1,595,313
"Resurrection" - 1,536,942
Total = 22.375.922

Outkast:
"Southernplayalisticaddillacmusic" - 1,271,756
"ATLiens" - 1,796,797
"Aquemini" - 2,166,700
"Stankonia" - 4,025,029
"Speakerboxx / Love Below" - 5,357,225
Total = 14.617.507

Jay-Z:
"Reasonable Doubt" - 1,236,897
"Vol. 1: In My Lifetime" - 1,281,426
"Vol. 2: Hard Knock Lilfe" - 5,137,002
"Vol. 3: Life & Times of S. Carter" - 2,966,367
"Dynasty: Roc La Familia" - 2,410,552
"Blueprint" - 2,329,127
"Best of Both Worlds (w/ R. Kelly)" - 871,172
"Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse" - 1,895,502
"The Black Album" - 2,834,146
Total = 20.962.191

Nas:
"Illmatic" - 1,116,911
"It Was Written" - 2,346,018
"I Am" - 2,006,703
"Nastradamus" - 1,171,591
"Stillmatic" - 1,851,560
"God's Son" - 1,226,287
Total = 9.719.070

Notorious BIG:
"Ready to Die" - 3,019,758
"Life After Death" - 4,594,566
"Born Again" - 1,823,987
Total = 9.438.311

LL Cool J:
"Radio" - 235,928
"Bigger & Deffer" - 669,909
"Walking With the Panther" - 657,008
"Mama Said Knock You Out" - 1,451,532
"14 Shots to the Dome" - 618,208
"Mr. Smith" - 1,873,391
"All World" - 1,158,903
"Phenomenon" - 756,306
"G.O.A.T." - 817,967
"10" - 969,591
"The DEFinition" - 393,898
Total = 9.602.641

Snoop Dogg:
"Doggystyle" - 5,875,225
"Doggfather" - 2,044,318
"Da Game is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told" - 2,061,188
"Top Dogg" - 1,494,771
"Tha Last Meal" - 2,030,582
"Dead Man Walkin'" - 220,478
"Paid Tha Cost To Be Tha Boss" - 1,171,360
Total = 14.897.922

[KURUPTION-81]

The sad thing is there are some legends in that list who have not sold anywhere near what they should have.

[QuietTruth]

^ For real. Now go check the Sound Scans. And I'm not the one to check for record sales. But hell.

 

[MIAMI4LIFE]

The sad thing is there are some legends in that list who have not sold anywhere near what they should have.

Soundscan has only been around since 1991 so I think these sales are only in the sounscan era, so most of the '80's artist sales are not reflected...

[Patrick Bateman]

The sad thing is there are some legends in that list who have not sold anywhere near what they should have.

I am sure they got what they deserve off of concerts, thats how artists get most of their money anyhow.

[GangstaBoogy]

Keep in mind a lot of those albums were mainly sold in mom-&-pop shops (meaning no soundscan).

[MIAMI4LIFE]

Keep in mind a lot of those albums were mainly sold in mom-&-pop shops (meaning no soundscan).

Snoop Doggystyle only at 4x plat but soundscan has him at 5.8 million, but damn I didn't know Cube and Eazy sold that much...

[Shallow]

Run DMC has King of Rock certified at platinum and Raising Hell at 3X according to the RIAA website.


P.S. Mom and Pop stores may not have soundscan, but the record companies know how many albums they ship and they keep track of what is sold to an extreme so they can re-ship if need be. I never bought the theories that rap albums in the 90s were selling double what soundscan said they sold. Claims that Chronic sold 8 million or what have you don't fly with me. The record companies would make sure numbers that high were reported and they'd know if they even shipped that many albums. I do believe that over 8 million people have chronic if you count tape dubs and downloads.

[MIAMI4LIFE]

Run DMC has King of Rock certified at platinum and Raising Hell at 3X according to the RIAA website.


P.S. Mom and Pop stores may not have soundscan, but the record companies know how many albums they ship and they keep track of what is sold to an extreme so they can re-ship if need be. I never bought the theories that rap albums in the 90s were selling double what soundscan said they sold. Claims that Chronic sold 8 million or what have you don't fly with me. The record companies would make sure numbers that high were reported and they'd know if they even shipped that many albums. I do believe that over 8 million people have chronic if you count tape dubs and downloads.

yeah Chronic sold alot of bootleg tapes back in the day, same with Doggystyle but why would RIAA still have Chronic at 3x Plat and Doggystyle at 4x Plat when according to Soundscan they are at 4.9 and 5.8

[Shallow]

Run DMC has King of Rock certified at platinum and Raising Hell at 3X according to the RIAA website.


P.S. Mom and Pop stores may not have soundscan, but the record companies know how many albums they ship and they keep track of what is sold to an extreme so they can re-ship if need be. I never bought the theories that rap albums in the 90s were selling double what soundscan said they sold. Claims that Chronic sold 8 million or what have you don't fly with me. The record companies would make sure numbers that high were reported and they'd know if they even shipped that many albums. I do believe that over 8 million people have chronic if you count tape dubs and downloads.

yeah Chronic sold alot of bootleg tapes back in the day, same with Doggystyle but why would RIAA still have Chronic at 3x Plat and Doggystyle at 4x Plat when according to Soundscan they are at 4.9 and 5.8

It's up to the record companies to get a certification letter. RIAA Doesn't do it on it's own. If Interscope or whatever want an update. The Chronic was certified triple platinum on November 3rd, 1993. Today it is obviously higher, but RIAA doesn't take it upon themselves to update.

[herpes]

also with a lot of rappers in the 80's the suburbs werent buying there stuff.  And you would have more lucky finding someong with a dubbed copy of the tape then the actual original tape.

[swangin and bangin]

damnn "2Pacalypse Now" - 698,288 thats it, that was a pretty good cd too, i got a copy

[everlast1986]

Wrong. The first few Run DMC albums went platinum or higher and i know Gang Starr have had a few gold albums. Unless this is only first week sales.

[Bedford Iz Active]

2Pac killed the sales ! I could swear the classics/legends had WAY more sales, that doesn't look right. What happened to BIG, i thought he sold loads...

[Trauma-san]

I was under the impression from somewhere that "No one can do it better" went platinum.