Hyphy sure has faded quite a bit in popularity over the past couple years (check out this story in our sister publication SF Weekly as to the reasons why). The rambunctious and uptempo Bay Area hip-hop subgenre, which helped introduce "ghost riddin' the whip" into the national consciousness, blew up massively in 2006 thanks in part to E-40 and his Lil' John-produced hit single "Tell Me When to Go."
Both the track and the album from whence it sprang, My Ghetto Report Card, rocketed up the Billboard charts and gave E-40 his biggest level of success since he entered the rap game in the early '90s. As for the rotund rap star's follow-up, last year's The Ball Street Journal? Eh, not so much.
Since dropping in November, Ball Street has only sold around 125,000 copies and illustrates how hyphy's star has been falling. The customers at Circles Records and Tapes are still digging on the disc, since it's the number one seller for the week of January 20-26. As always, hip-hop and other urban and R&B artists are the major movers and shakers at the downtown Phoenix music store. So for a look at what else is on their top 10 list, click the link below.
1. E-40, The Ball Street Journal (Reprise)
2. Jamie Foxx, Intuition (J-Records)
3. Anthony Hamilton, The Point of It All (La Face)
4. Various Artists, Cadillac Records OST (Sony)
5. Beyoncé, I Am...Sasha Fierce (Sony)
6. Britney Spears, Circus (Jive)
7. Lil' Rob, 1218, Pt. 2 (Upstairs)
8. Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak (Roc-A-Fella)
9. Q-Tip, The Renaissance (Universal Motown)
10. The Game, LAX (Interscope)
