Rapper T.I., Jennifer Hudson lead U.S. album chart (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Rapper T.I. earned his third consecutive No. 1 album on the U.S. pop chart Wednesday with his best numbers yet, while Oscar-winning "American Idol" reject Jennifer Hudson landed at No. 2 with her debut release. T.I., a.k.a. Clifford Harris, sold 568,000 copies of "Paper Trail" during the week ended Oct. 5, according to Nielsen SoundScan. He previously went to the top of the Billboard 200 with 2006's "King," which started with 522,000, and 2007's "T.I. Vs. T.I.P," which began with 468,000. The Atlanta rapper also had a big week on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, breaking the record for largest climb to No. 1 -- a feat he already accomplished last month. "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna, the second single from "Paper Trail," surged to the top from No. 80, ending the five-week reign of the album's... [read full story]