July 18, 2008

By By Geoff Mayfield, L.A.

Nas' new Def Jam album may not have a title, but it will have a home at No. 1 on The Billboard 200. The veteran rapper is on course to notch his fifth topper on the big chart, as he leads Nielsen SoundScan's Friday Building chart with 113,000 copies.

That total represents un-weighted sales at nine leading music merchants, through close of business Thursday. Those accounts -- Trans World Entertainment, Apple, Best Buy, Circuit City, Borders, Starbucks, Target, Anderson Merchandisers and Handleman Co. -- account for about 80% of the U.S. album market. Anderson now services all Wal-Mart stores.

Nas' interim total is a tad behind the 116,000 that another rapper, Rick Ross, rang on "Trilla" on the Friday Building chart in March, on the album's way to a chart-topping total of 198,000.

The artist's last No. 1 album, "Hip-Hop Is Dead," arrived in late December 2006, selling 354,000 copies during Christmas week.

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