Washington D.C rapper Wale has topped the Billboard No.1 after his third album 'The Gifted' sold a very solid 158,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Wale's follow-up 2011's 'Ambition' - which saw him cement a place in the mainstream - ousted Kanye West from the top-spot, whose album Yeezus suffered a dreadful drop in sales.

Clearly, Wale was boosted by the success of lead single 'Bad' which has been a mainstay on rap radio since the beginning of the year. It peaked at No.3 on Billboard's rap chart and spawned a Rihanna remix. 

Last week, Kanye West had marginally seen off J Cole's new album Born Sinner for the top spot, though the tide has turned dramatically. West suffered an 80% drop in sales - the fourth biggest second week drop since SoundScan began keeping records in 1991 - to allow J Cole to snatch the No.2 spot with an additional 84,000 sales. Kanye's slump echoes Madonna's huge sales drop with MDNA, which sank a massive 87% in week two.

Other releases this week included Skillet (No.4), India.Arie (No.7) and August Burns Red (No.9). Kanye's pal Jay-Z will almost certainly take the top spot with his new album Magna Carta Holy Grail next week, though whether he will suffer the same second week sales slump at West remains to be seen. We think not. 

WaleWale Absolutely Thumped Kanye West On The Billboard 200 Chart This Week

Why do you think Kanye West suffered an 80% sales decrease? Is is something to do with the quality of the record? We our review of Kanye West's Yeezus here. 

WaleWale's Smash Hit Single 'Bad' Helped Push The Album Up The Charts

Kanye West
Kanye West Suffered A Devastating Sales Slump