From MTV News:
Patience has paid off for Nicki Minaj. The first lady of Young Money just missed out on a #1 debut for her Pink Friday album back in November, settling for #2 behind Kanye West, and she’s consistently hung around in the top 10 ever since. Well, next week she’ll finally get her reward when her major-label debut climbs into the pole position on the Billboard 200 thanks to sales of 45,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. She’ll have something else to celebrate as well, as the 18-percent uptick in sales has pushed the disc over the 1 million mark.
The good news for Nicki means that Christian rockers Red will just miss out on their first #1 debut, landing instead at #2 with their third effort, Until We Have Faces (43,000 copies). Debuting at #3 is the latest offering from Ricky Martin, Musica Alma Sexo, which sold 32,000 copies and was the only other new entry at the top of the charts.
The rest of the top 10 is as follows: Bruno Mars, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (#4, 32,000); Rihanna, Loud (#5, 29,000); Kidz Bop 19 (#6, 28,000); Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party (#7, 27,000); Taylor Swift, Speak Now (#8, 27,000); Pink, Greatest Hits … So Far! (#9, 25,000); and Eminem, Recovery (#10, 25,000).
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