http://reuters.com/newsAr...ID=3327958

Sun August 24, 2003 03:37 PM ET
By Geoff Mayfield
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - The songwriting/production team known as the Neptunes has helped craft No. 1 albums for Jay-Z, Britney Spears, 'N Sync, Nelly and Mystikal. For next week's Billboard 200, Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams are in position to claim their own No. 1.

Opening-day numbers from leading music chains have sales executives estimating a first-week take of at least 220,000 copies for "The Neptunes Present Clones," a multi-act offering on Star Trak/Arista. Nelly, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg are among the album's contributors, while Williams' own "Frontin'," featuring Jay-Z, has sat for two straight weeks at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.

Should the Neptunes hit that projection, it should be more than enough to overtake current chart champ Alan Jackson (Arista Nashville/RCA Label Group), who appears headed for a total in the range of 180,000 in his second chart frame.

Three other new hip-hop albums are on course to join the top 10. Bow Wow (Columbia) is headed for an opener of around 135,000, T.I. (Atlantic) aims for at least 100,000 and Juelz Santana (Roc-a-Fella/Island Def Jam) is predicted to start at around 85,000.

Jessica Simpson, Bow Wow's labelmate and star of a new MTV reality series, looks certain for the top 20, with an opener of at least 50,000 copies.

Reuters/Billboard

Great!

sweet...

I'm getting so sick of them and that same sound
too bad about Jessica Simpsons's album, what a flop, considering all the promo and her pimping her relationship, still couldn't get a hit