(antiMusic) Diddy, or whatever silly name he is calling himself this week, has come a long way since getting his start standing around in other people's videos. He's now leading the decline in popular music as demonstrated with back to back No 1 albums coming out of his hip-pop manufacturing plant- Bad Boy Band Records. While we look upon this development in horror about its impact on the future of music, Atlantic Records Group seem a bit excited about it, as clearly shown by the following hype release: The Atlantic Records Group scores a major chart triumph this week, with four albums ranking in the top ten on the SoundScan/Billboard 200, a feat last accomplished by the company in 1994. In addition, this marks the first time in over 25 years that Atlantic has had three out of the top five albums in the country. The spectacular #1 debut of the self-titled first album from "DAY26" marks the second week in a row that Bad Boy Records has taken the top spot – following last week's history-making #1 debut by the sophomore album from Danity Kane, "WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE," which ranks at #4 this week. According to Billboard, "DAY26" marks the 61st #1 album on the Billboard 200 for the Atlantic family – dating back to Cream's "WHEELS OF FIRE" exactly 40 years ago.
Panic At The Disco scores a fantastic #2 debut with their eagerly awaited second Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen album, "PRETTY. ODD." Rounding out the foursome at #9 is Flo Rida's PoeBoy/Atlantic debut, "MAIL ON SUNDAY." In addition, following its rush-release last week due to online leaks, Gnarls Barkley's acclaimed second Downtown/Atlantic album, "THE ODD COUPLE," jumps into the #12 spot.
Atlantic's upcoming release schedule will feature eagerly anticipated new albums from Death Cab For Cutie, Moossy Elliott, Shinedown, Rush, Plies, Estelle, and others, all due out before the end of the summer.
"This is an historic moment in the life of Atlantic Records," said Atlantic Chairman/CEO Craig Kallman. "To have four out of the top ten records in the country, not to mention three out of the top five, is a hugely satisfying achievement. What makes it even more significant is the musical diversity of the artists – from the R&B of Day26 to the rock of Panic to the pop of Danity Kane to the hip-hop of Flo Rida to the category-busting of Gnarls Barkley. This is a real testament to the fantastic team we have in place, who have the creativity and passion to develop artists across genres. I want to congratulate the entire Atlantic family for a truly brilliant job and our artists for delivering the great music that makes it all possible."
"We share this fantastic accomplishment with our terrific label partners," said Atlantic President Julie Greenwald. "I want to congratulate Diddy, Harve Pierre and the Bad Boy staff; John Janick, Pete Wentz, and everyone at Fueled By Ramen and Decaydance; Flo Rida's Poe Boy camp; and Josh Deutsch and our friends at Downtown. I thank them for working hand-in-hand with everyone at Atlantic to set up these records so magnificently."
