Label It Hot

The controversy over a warning label on Compton-based rapper MC Eiht’s “We Come Strapped” album certainly helped boost sales. It debuted at No. 6 on The Times’ Southern California chart and No. 5 nationally. Epic Records got a lot of media attention by tacking a disclaimer on the label, distancing itself from the anti-cop lyrics. The “Forrest Gump” soundtrack continues to be a big seller--remarkable considering it’s double-CD set of oldies.

TOP 10 ALBUMS

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 The Lion King, soundtrack (1) 1 2 Forrest Gump, soundtrack (3) 3 3 It Takes a Thief, Coolio (8) ... 4 Purple, Stone Temple Pilots (4) 4 5 Voodoo Lounge, Rolling Stones (6) 2 6 We Come Strapped, MC Eiht (5) ... 7 Smash, Offspring (16) 5 8 The Sign, Ace of Base (2) 7 9 August and. . .After, Counting Crows (7) 6 10 Superunknown, Soundgarden (10) 9

TOP 10 SINGLES

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Fantastic Voyage, Coolio (1) 1 2 Stay, Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories (3) 2 3 Funkdafied, Da Brat (5) 3 4 I Swear, All-4-One (2) 4 5 Regulate, Warren G. and Nate Dogg (4) 5 6 This D.J., Warren G. (16) 14 7 Bop Gun, Ice Cube (48) 19 8 Can You Feel the Love. . ., Elton John (8) 6 9 Back and Forth, Aaliyah (6) 7 10 Back in the Day, Ahmad (15) 9

TOP 10 COUNTRY ALBUMS

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Who I Am, Alan Jackson (2) 1 2 Not a Moment Too Soon, Tim McGraw (1) 2 3 When Love Finds You, Vince Gill (4) 3 4 Read My Mind, Reba McEntire (5) 4 5 Kickin’ It Up, John M. Montgomery (3) 5 6 In Pieces, Garth Brooks (9) 6 7 What a Crying Shame, the Mavericks (12) 7 8 Come On. . ., Mary-Chapin Carpenter (15) 10 9 Lot About Livin’, Alan Jackson (11) 9 10 This Time, Dwight Yoakam (19) ...

Source: SoundScan Inc., for week ending July 24