Never mind 50, Mariah's no. 1
Mariah Carey's "Emancipation of Mimi" CD opened at No. 1 selling 403,755 copies, a record debut for the curvy singer. Wound-weary 50 Cent took a beating when Mariah Carey pummeled him with a hefty weapon - her pipes. After six weeks at No. 1, 50 Cent's "Massacre" was knocked out of the sweet spot this week by "The Emancipation of Mimi", a CD titled after the vocal gymnast's nickname.
Despite a film flop, a panned album and a 2001 breakdown, Carey claims to have freed herself from emotional and professional shackles. With 403,755 copies sold in the first week of its release, "Mimi" is the biggest debut of the singer's career.
"This album takes me back to where I was when I made my first demo," Carey, who co-wrote the songs on "Mimi", told the Daily News. "That was a time and place when it was just me sitting in a little room making music. People have so many opinions, on everything from the curl of your hair to the trill of your last note. This time around I just did exactly what I wanted."
With the CD marketed as "the return of the voice", Carey unleashed hers last week in a Times Square performance that closed down 44th St. from Sixth Ave. to Broadway. Her previous high-water mark was 1999's "Rainbow", which began with sales of 320,000 and went on to sell 3.7 million copies. Carey's last album, "Charmbracelet", opened at No. 3, with 241,000 copies moved, and eventually posted sales of just 1.1 million. Her CD before that was tied to her 2001 bomb flick "Glitter".
Carey's feat is even more impressive considering her single, "It's Like That", hasn't exactly burned up the airwaves. It peaked at No. 16 on Billboard's Hot 100 Song chart. Meanwhile, 50's CD sunk to No. 3. Mudvayne's "Lost & Found", which pushed 151,559 copies in its debut week, was No. 2. (New York Daily News)
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