* Please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandth.

Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)

spotted: HipHopDX



Watch New Visual from Detroit artist, Stretch Money over Drake beat:

On this day in 2006 rapper Proof of D12 was shot and killed at a bar in Detroit on east 8 mile Rd.  Proof, real name DeShaun Dupree Holton will always be remembered as being instrumental in forming D12 as well as a great freestyle battle rapper, having particpated in numerous competitions in Detroit.

Proof’s mom Pepper Holton, formed The Proof Foundation to keep his name and memory alive. Tonight they will hold a candlelight vigil and tribute at the Shelter in Detroit.

R.I.P. Big Proof

spotted: Thisis50

For all the talk of the music industry’s decline, a new study from the RIAA shows that things aren’t as bad as they seem. Yes, sales during the first three months of 2011 are down 1.3% compared to 2010.   According to the RIAA’s chart (above), which was made using data sourced from Nielsen SoundScan, digital album sales have increased by 15.0%.

Conversely, as more people are buying digital albums, less and less people are purchasing physical albums. The number of physical albums sold dropped 12.3%.

Consumers are obviously consuming media in a completely different way than they were when most of the industry execs started their gigs.

spotted at: MediaMemo

The members of Forbes 2011 list of wealthiest fictional characters have an average net worth of $9.86 billion, up 20% from last year. In aggregate, the Fictional 15 are worth $131.55 billion –more than the gross domestic product of New Zealand.  WOW!

To qualify, characters must be known, both within their fictional universe and by their audience, for being rich. Net worth estimates are based on an analysis of the fictional character’s source material, and where possible, valued against known real-world commodity and share price movements according to Forbes.com.

Check out top 5 below:

1.) Scrooge McDuck $44.1 Billion

2.) Carlisle Cullen $36.2 Billion

3.)  Artemis Fowl II $13.5 Billion

4.)  Richie Rich $9.7 Billion

5.)  Jed Clampett $9.5 Billion

Click Here for Full List