The highest-selling albums and EPs in the United States are ranked in the Billboard 200, published by Billboard magazine. The data are compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly discrete and download sales. [1]
In 2003, 34 different albums reached the #1 spot on the Billboard 200. Get Rich or Die Tryin' by the American rapper 50 Cent spent the longest time at #1, with 6 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the albums list. It also became the best performing album of 2003.
† | Indicates best performing album of 2003 |
Issue date | Album | Artist(s) | Sales | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
January 4 | Up! | Shania Twain | 459,000 | [2] [3] |
January 11 | 8 Mile | Soundtrack | 313,000 | [4] [5] |
January 18 | 119,000 | [6] [7] | ||
January 25 | Come Away with Me | Norah Jones | 108,000 | [8] [9] |
February 1 | 114,000 | [10] [11] | ||
February 8 | 112,000 | [12] [13] | ||
February 15 | Home | Dixie Chicks | 104,000 | [14] [15] |
February 22 | Get Rich or Die Tryin' † | 50 Cent | 872,000 | [16] [17] [18] |
March 1 | 822,000 | [19] [20] | ||
March 8 | Chocolate Factory | R. Kelly | 532,000 | [21] [22] |
March 15 | Come Away with Me | Norah Jones | 621,000 | [23] [24] |
March 22 | Get Rich or Die Tryin'† | 50 Cent | 359,000 | [25] [26] |
March 29 | 280,000 | [27] [28] | ||
April 5 | 234,000 | [29] [30] | ||
April 12 | Meteora | Linkin Park | 810,000 | [31] [32] |
April 19 | 265,000 | [33] [34] | ||
April 26 | Faceless | Godsmack | 269,000 | [35] [36] |
May 3 | Thankful | Kelly Clarkson | 297,000 | [37] [38] |
May 10 | American Life | Madonna | 241,000 | [39] [40] |
May 17 | Get Rich or Die Tryin'† | 50 Cent | 128,000 | [41] [42] |
May 24 | Body Kiss | The Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley | 150,000 | [43] [44] |
May 31 | The Golden Age of Grotesque | Marilyn Manson | 118,000 | [45] [46] |
June 7 | 14 Shades of Grey | Staind | 220,000 | [47] [48] |
June 14 | How the West Was Won | Led Zeppelin | 154,000 | [49] [50] |
June 21 | St. Anger | Metallica | 418,000 | [51] [52] |
June 28 | Dance with My Father | Luther Vandross | 442,000 | [53] [54] |
July 5 | After the Storm | Monica | 185,000 | [55] [56] |
July 12 | Dangerously in Love | Beyoncé | 317,000 | [57] [58] |
July 19 | Chapter II | Ashanti | 326,000 | [59] [60] |
July 26 | 135,000 | [61] [62] | ||
August 2 | Bad Boys II | Soundtrack | 324,000 | [63] [64] |
August 9 | 197,000 | [65] [66] | ||
August 16 | 155,000 | [67] [68] | ||
August 23 | 121,000 | [69] [70] | ||
August 30 | Greatest Hits Volume II and Some Other Stuff | Alan Jackson | 328,000 | [71] [72] |
September 6 | The Neptunes Present... Clones | The Neptunes / Various Artists | 249,000 | [73] [74] |
September 13 | Love & Life | Mary J. Blige | 286,000 | [75] [76] |
September 20 | Metamorphosis | Hilary Duff | 131,000 | [77] [78] |
September 27 | Heavier Things | John Mayer | 316,500 | [79] [80] |
October 4 | Grand Champ | DMX | 312,000 | [81] [82] |
October 11 | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below | OutKast | 509,600 | [83] [84] |
October 18 | 235,000 | [85] [86] | ||
October 25 | Chicken*N*Beer | Ludacris | 429,000 | [87] [88] |
November 1 | Measure of a Man | Clay Aiken | 613,000 | [89] [90] |
November 8 | 225,000 | [91] [92] | ||
November 15 | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below | OutKast | 142,000 | [93] [94] |
November 22 | Shock'n Y'all | Toby Keith | 585,000 | [95] [96] |
November 29 | The Black Album | Jay-Z | 464,000 | [97] [98] |
December 6 | In the Zone | Britney Spears | 609,000 | [99] [100] |
December 13 | The Black Album | Jay-Z | 260,000 | [101] [102] |
December 20 | The Diary of Alicia Keys | Alicia Keys | 618,000 | [103] [104] |
December 27 | Soulful | Ruben Studdard | 416,500 | [105] [106] |
Genius Loves Company is the final studio album by rhythm and blues and soul musician Ray Charles, posthumously released August 31, 2004, on Concord Records. Recording sessions for the album took place between June 2003 and March 2004. The album consists of rhythm and blues, soul, country, blues, jazz and pop standards performed by Charles and several guest musicians, such as Natalie Cole, Elton John, James Taylor, Norah Jones, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Diana Krall, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson and Bonnie Raitt. Genius Loves Company was the last album recorded and completed by Charles before his death in June 2004.
The Neptunes Present... Clones is a compilation album produced and released by American production and songwriting duo The Neptunes. It was released on August 19, 2003 and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. The album featured six singles; "Frontin'" by Pharrell Williams, "Popular Thug" by Kelis, "Light Your Ass on Fire" by Busta Rhymes, “Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Fam-Lay, "Hot Damn" by Clipse and "It Blows My Mind" by Snoop Dogg.
"Buzzin'" is a song by American hip hop artist Mann. Written by Mann, the Jackie Boyz and J.R. Rotem and produced by the latter, the song was released as a single on October 25, 2010, as the second single from Mann's debut album Mann's World. "Buzzin'" is an R&B hip hop song and is built on samples of Nu Shooz' 1986 recording "I Can't Wait", written by John Smith. The official remix of the song, featuring rapper 50 Cent, was released as a single on December 21, 2010.