Written by 1. Norah Jones, Come Away With Me, 10,797,000. (Total sales: 10,807,000). This was Jones’ first album as a lead artist. It won a Grammy for Album of the Year. Released: February 2002. Top 200 rank: #11.
2. Eminem, The Eminem Show, 10,049,000. This is the best-selling rap album of the last 10 years, beating out 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ and Nelly’s Nellyville. The album, Eminem’s third, spawned the top 10 hits “Without Me” and “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.” Released: May 2002. Top 200 rank: #18.
3. Usher, Confessions, 9,968,000. This is the best-selling (non-rap) R&B album of the last 10 years, beating out Mariah Carey’s The Emancipation Of Mimi and Beyonce’s Dangerously In Love (4,825,000). The album spawned three #1 hits: “Yeah!” (featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris), “Burn” and “Confessions Part II.” (A fourth #1 hit, “My Boo,” a collabo with Alicia Keys, was added to a deluxe edition of the album.) Released: March 2004. Top 200 rank: #19.
4. Adele, 21, 8,090,000. This is the best-selling album of the last 10 years by an artist who was born outside the U.S. Runners-up in that category are Nickelback’s All The Right Reasons and Avril Lavigne’s Let Go. The album has spawned three #1 hits: “Rolling In The Deep,” “Someone Like You” and “Set Fire To The Rain.” It won a Grammy as Album of the Year. Released: February 2011. Top 200 rank: #39.
5. 50 Cent, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, 8,086,000. This was the rapper’s first major-label album. It spawned the #1 hits “In Da Club” and “21 Questions” (featuring Nate Dogg). Released: February 2003. Top 200 rank: #41.
