Rapper Nas has released his ninth studio album to great controversy and to good success on the Billboard album chart, with 187,000 sold copies ousting Lil Wayne and his “Tha Carter III.”

Lil Wayne has been king of the Billboard 200 these past five weeks, occasionally trading places with Coldplay and their new album “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends” but this week the ranking changes, as Nas’ untitled new album sold 187,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, making it the fifth Nas album to reach No. 1.

The album has long been surrounded by controversy, given that Nas originally intended to entitle it “N----r,” a proposition that angered many.

Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III settled for No. 2, selling 105,000 copies; the “Mamma Mia!” soundtrack jumped to No. 3 with 91,000 units; and Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends” fell to No. 4 with 90,000.

John Mellencamp’s “Life Death Love and Freedom” opened at No. 7 with 56,000, while David Banner’s “Greatest Story Ever Told” bowed at No. 8 with 52,000. “Beautiful Eyes,” a CD-DVD package by Taylor Swift available only at Wal-Mart stores, opened at No. 9 with 45,000.

Last year, both the NAACP and the Rev. Jesse Jackson criticized Nas, real name Nasir Jones, the latter saying in a statement the title would be “morally offensive and socially distasteful.” In May, the artist revealed he had given thought to the situation, deciding to release the album without a title.

“The people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it,” he told MTV News at the time.
The 34-year-old singer’s last album, 2006’s “Hip-Hop Is Dead,” his Def Jam debut, sold 743,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.