T.I. Is No.1 Everywhere

If all T.I. did this week was shoot to the top of the Billboard 200 with Paper Trail, it would have still been a remarkable feat. But Tip did much more than that. When Paper Trail arrived at the top with 568,000 copies this week, it not only marked T.I.'s 3rd straight No.1 debut on the chart but also his biggest sales week since signing with Atlantic Records.

Even more significantly, this marks Atlantic's biggest sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. The previous record holder? Well, look no further than T.I.'s 2006 LP, King, which topped the chart with 522,000 units. His 2007 set, T.I. Vs. T.I.P., didn't do too badly either; it debuted at No.1 with 466,000 scans.

That's not all. T.I. also dominates the Hot 100 department, where he breaks the record for largest jump to No. 1 -- a feat he first accomplished just 6 weeks ago after "Whatever You Like" flew 71-1 the week of Sept. 6, 2008. "Live Your Life" (featuring Rihanna), the 2nd single from Paper Trail, skyrocketed 80-1 to replace "Whatever You Like" at numero uno this week.

The ailing music industry gets to breathe a sigh of relief this week, thanks, in part, to T.I.'s impressive showing.