UGK & Kingz Crowns Chart

UGK just took the high ground on the charts.
The veteran rap duo, whose initials are short for Underground Kingz, officially entered the mainstream with their first chart-topping album in a 15-year career. For the week ended Sunday, the Texas rappers' Underground Kingz reached the number one spot on 160,000 copies, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday.
Featuring the rhymes of Bun B and Pimp C, UGK previously peaked at 15 with 1996's Ridin Dirty and at 18 with 2001's Dirty Money. The group was sidelined in 2002 when Pimp C was charged with aggravated assault that ultimately led to prison time. Each rapper released solo albums during that time before reuniting after Pimp C was sprung in 2005.
At radio, UGK is best known for guesting on Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin' " and Three 6 Mafia's "Sippin' on Some Syrup." The new Underground Kingz single "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)" was produced by Three 6 Mafia's DJ Paul and Juicy J and features OutKast.
Another hip-hop act, the heavily buzzing Plies, entered at two with his major label debut, The Real Testament, selling nearly 97,000. The Sunshine State emcee appeared on Akon's original "I Wanna Love You" and recently scored his own hit with "Shawty."
With UGK and Plies charting at 1-2, last week's champ, fellow rapper Common's Finding Forever, dropped to seven. The album sold 58,000 copies in its second week out.
The latest Disney Channel spawn, the Jonas Brothers—made up of teen siblings Kevin, Nick and Joe—sold over 69,000 copies of their new self-titled album to bow at five. The Jersey trio, who debuted last year with It's About Time, who will tour with Mouse House compatriot Miley Cyrus this fall. Cyrus' monster hit Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus finished one slot ahead of her label mates for the week.
The other Top 10 holdovers included Now That's What I Call Music! 25 at three, the Hairspray soundtrack at six, Fergie's The Dutchess at eight, T.I. vs. T.I.P. at nine and Korn's untitled disc in the 10 spot.
Veteran alt-rockers Fuel checked in at 42, selling 15,000 copies of Angels & Devils. Last year, the group famously asked Chris Daughtry to become its new singer after hearing the American Idol contestant perform the band's hit "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" on the show. Daughtry turned down the vocal post, which eventually went to Something to Burn alum Toryn Green.
The week's other noteworthy debuts included Slightly Stoopid's Chronchitis at 55, Kat DeLuna's 9 Lives at 58, Okkervil River's The Stage Names at 62, Drowning Pool's Full Circle at 64, Third Day's Chronology Vol. 2: 2001-2006 at 73 and American Idol's Constantine Maroulis at 75 with a new self-titled release.
With High School Musical 2 set to debut this weekend on the Disney Channel, the original soundtrack continues to climb back up the charts. In its 83rd week, the soundtrack jumped five spots to 28, bringing its total tally to nearly 4.1 million copies sold.
Thanks to the success of the TV musical, the HSM soundtrack became the bestselling album of 2006. The High School Musical 2 soundtrack, which just hit retail racks, is expected to top next week's chart.
Here's a recap of the Top 10 albums, per Nielsen SoundScan:
1. Underground Kingz, UGK
2. The Real Testament, Plies
3. Now That's What I Call Music! 25, various
4. Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, Miley Cyrus
5. Jonas Brothers, Jonas Brothers
6. Hairspray soundtrack, various
7. Finding Forever, Common
8. The Dutchess, Fergie
9. T.I. vs. T.I.P., T.I.
10. (Untitled), Korn