If it’s Friday, it must be time for PopWatch’s latest Winner of the Week. So which entertainer had the most successful week this time around? I’m handing the crown to Atlanta rapper T.I. Check it out: His album Paper Trail debuted at No. 1 with 568,000 copies sold, the year’s third-biggest one-week sales figure to date and the biggest sales week of T.I.’s entire career. On top of that, his single "Live Your Life" leaped from No. 80 to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, setting a new record for the highest jump to the top in chart history — a record previously held by T.I.’s last single, "Whatever You Like," which he just bumped down to No. 2. Not bad, right? Of course, sales charts and commercial profits aren’t everything, which is why it’s also important to note that Paper Trail is a very dope album featuring some of Tip’s cleverest wordplay in years, and the man deserves every bit of success he sees with it.
Okay, sorry, CBS, that means you have to hand over your Winner of the Week title from last week to T.I. now. (Why am I talking to an inanimate network entity as if it were a person with feelings? Good question!) And PopWatchers, please go ahead and nominate your own Winners of the Week — either people you think should have won this past week, or people you’re betting on to win the coming week — in the comments below. See you next Friday!
More on T.I.:
Margeaux Watson reviews Paper Trail
Weird Al Yankovic parodies "Whatever You Like"
PopWatch reacts to the first teaser single from Paper Trail, "No Matter What"
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Sorry, but I have a problem giving “Winner of the Week” (or any week) to a guy who has a year-long prison sentence due for a serious gun charge, even if it is a fake award on a blog. Obviously the hundreds of thousands of people who bought the album don’t care, but whatever.
I nominate Walton Goggins for an incredible performance on this past week’s episode of “The Shield”, the best in years. I realize, compared to T.I., “The Shield” is watched by approximately 27 people, but the show, and Goggins particularly deserves some love.
Simon, will you nominate yourself to be the PopWatch Winner of the Week when you finally post a hip-hop item that gets over 10 responses, and not 1 including me for ripping on ya?? LOL Seriously, I mean I haven’t been as avid as poster as I used to, but still everytime I check in, you got some lame post with like zero responses. It has to bother you on some level. Me? I just enjoy pointing it out!! Haha Oh, and yeah the T.I. album is good, but you need to stop trying to be the “hip white guy that knows hip-hop like its his lover”. And this is coming from another white guy who likes hip-hop.
Lay off Phil. I think Simon does a pretty good job, being the biggest voice in the rap genre for the mag. Your suggestions seems as ludicrous as kicking out Marc Bernandin because of his sci-fi heavy posts or Jeff Jensen because of his Lost zealotry. If you don’t like it, skip it.
P.S. Apparently, you haven’t paid attention to the two Love Lockdown threads, which did exceed your ten posts standard.
I haven’t gotten around to purchasing T.I.’s new CD (or even Nas’s for that matter) though I’m not clamoring for it like T.I. vs. T.I.P off the first couple singles.
I have to agree with T.I. being the winner of the week. Much deserved,