Notorious B.I.G. hits comp tops chart

Late rapper's Greatest Hits bests a strong debut from Arcade Fire's sophomore album, Neon Bible.

The Notorious B.I.G. grabbed the No. 1 slot on the US pop album charts for the second time since he was murdered in 1997, while Montreal-based rock troupe Arcade Fire debuted at No. 2 with its second album, according to sales data issued Wednesday.

The late rapper's Greatest Hits sold 99,000 copies in the week ended March 11, tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan reported. The package is Notorious B.I.G.'s third chart-topper, his second posthumously, and features two previously unreleased tracks, "Running Your Mouth" and "Want That Old Thing Back." The rapper, born Christopher Wallace, was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles 10 years ago almost to the date, on March 9, 1997.

Arcade Fire scored its best charting and sales week ever with Neon Bible, which moved 92,000 copies. The seven-piece band's 2004 debut, Funeral, peaked at No. 131. Thirty percent of the new album's sales were fueled by sales via digital retailers.

After leading the chart last week, rock band Daughtry's self-titled debut slipped to No. 3 with 82,000 copies. Akon's Konvicted slipped one to No. 4 with 76,000.

Another Greatest Hits bowed in the top tier, as country crooner Gary Allan's retrospective moved 70,000 units at No. 5. It's the artist's second-best-charting album after 2005's Tough All Over, which peaked at No. 3.

Christian punk rock band Relient K's Five Score and Seven Years Ago debuted at No. 6 with 64,000, a high-water mark in both respects for the five-piece. The band's last album, MMHMM, debuted and peaked at No. 15 in 2004 with 51,000.

Norah Jones' former chart-topper Not Too Late fell five to No. 7 with 59,000, while Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High dropped four to No. 8 with 58,000.

Hard rock band Korn earned its seventh top-10 hit with MTV Unplugged, which entered at No. 9 with 51,000. The group previously led the chart with 1998's Follow the Leader and 1999's Issues, while its last studio effort, 2005's See You on the Other Side, bowed at No. 3 with 220,000 units. Robin Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke fell five to No. 10 with 47,000.

Sevendust's Alpha started at No. 14 with 42,000, the rock band's eighth set on the chart. Alpha is the follow-up to 2005's Home, which debuted and peaked at No. 20.

Other big debuts included Finger Eleven's Them Vs. You Vs. Me (No. 31, 19,000), Air's Pocket Symphony (No. 40, 17,000), and Chimaira's Resurrection (No. 42, 16,000), all of which were charting bests for those bands.

In a second straight week where no album cracked 100,000 copies, album sales were up 2 percent from last week's total at 8.66 million units, but down 19 percent from the same week last year. Overall album sales for the year are down 16.4 percent from last year at 90.7 million units.