ASAP Rocky, From Mixtape Darling to Top of the Chart

The Harlem rapper ASAP Rocky became a mixtape darling two years ago, and now, with his proper debut released on a major label, he has a No. 1 album as well.

ASAP Rocky performing at Santos Party House.

ASAP Rocky’s album, “Long.Live.ASAP” (Polo Grounds/RCA), led by a single with an unprintable title, sold 139,000 copies in its opening week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Those sales gave it a healthy lead over this week’s No. 2 album, which is also new but couldn’t be more different: “Kidz Bop 23” (Razor & Tie), the latest in a popular compilation series that has toddler-friendly versions o pop hits, like Rihanna’s “Diamonds” and Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” It sold 78,000 copies.

The most interesting contest this week, though, is on the singles chart. “Thrift Shop,” by the independent rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, is the most-downloaded track, with 341,000 downloads, and the song also rises one spot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, which in addition to sales also incorporates radio airplay and online streaming. Close behind, though, is Justin Timberlake’s comeback song, “Suit & Tie,” which sold 315,000 in its first week out and rocketed 80 spots to No. 4 on the Hot 100. (The quirks of Bllboard’s chart rules are partly responsible for that big leap. The song was released just after midnight on Jan. 14, too late for its early sales to count, but not too late to allow two days of airplay.)

Also on the album chart this week, the soundtrack to the film “Pitch Perfect,” which was released in theaters in September but! lately become a hit as an on-demand video, continues its climb up the chart. The album is up two spots this week to No. 3, with 45,000 sales â€" about 6,000 copies more than the soundtrack to “Les Misérables,” which this week is No. 6 on the album chart. (“Les Misérables” is currently No. 5 at the box office, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.)

Taylor Swift’s “Red” (Big Machine) holds at No. 4 with 41,000 sales, and Bruno Mars’s “Unorthodox Jukebox” (Atlantic) rises one spot to No. 5 with 39,000. Last week’s No. 1, “Burning Lights” (sixsteps) by the Christian singer-songwriter Chris Tomlin, fell to No. 22 with 16,000 sales in its second week out.