Joey Bada$$ Scores Top 5 Billboard Debut for 'B4.Da.$$'

It's a good week for independent rap. New York rapper Joey Bada$$ earned amazing first-week sales for his 'B4.Da.$$' album, beating out veteran Lupe Fiasco's 'Tetsuo & Youth.'

Joey's debut sold 58,000 copies, to be the No. 5 album in the country on the Billboard 200 chart. The MC's album was available for streaming ahead of its premiere, which could be another reason why sales increased. The project includes production from the likes of DJ Premier, Hit-Boy and Kirk Knight. In an era where illegal downloads are aplenty, Joey's strong fan base showed up for their favorite rapper -- 94 percent of his sales were comprised of the traditional album buys.

Lupe, on the other hand, came in at No. 9, according to Hits Daily Double, pushing 35,740 units.

These sales are interesting, given the fact that Joey is an independent artist and did not have a radio-centric single to propel his project. Further, Lupe has been receiving a lot of publicity as of late for a string of Twitter feuds against Kid Cudi and defending Iggy Azalea. Despite these high-profile incidents, Joey's Pro Era fans came out in stronger numbers to support the young rapper.

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