Charts: "Bad Boys" Finish First

We're not sure whether the nice guys actually ranked last on the latest album charts, but the Bad Boys definitely finished first.

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs fittingly launched the new venture between his own Bad Boy Entertainment and Universal's Motown label with the the soundtrack to Bad Boys II. Pop the Cristal and pass the Courvoisier, because the inaugural Bad Boy-Motown release scored a resounding number one debut on the album charts days after the movie dominated the weekend box office.

The BBII soundtrack sold 324,000 copies for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan data, becoming the first soundtrack to open at number one since the Eminem-led 8 Mile last November.

Bad Boys II sold well thanks to the radio hit "Shake Ya Tailfeather," featuring Diddy, Nelly and Murphy Lee. The disc also includes new cuts by Jay-Z, Fat Joe, Mary J. Blige, Snoop, Justin Timberlake and Bad Boy newbies Da Band from MTV's Diddy-helmed Making the Band II. Oddly enough, the soundtrack gets Diddy but not jiggy, as rapper-turned-film star Will Smith does not contribute his own music to the disc, something he did most recently for Men in Black II.

The Bad Boy-Motown joint wasn't the only new venture to sell well last week, however. Ludacris' new Disturbing Tha Peace label, distributed via Capitol Records, scored big on its own inaugural release, as St. Louis rapper Chingy's Jackpot rang up sales of 157,000 to open at number two. The rookie rapper is riding a huge summer smash with "Right Thurr."

On the other side of the tracks, country music landed two Top 10 debuts, too. The legendary country duo Brooks and Dunn debuted at number four, selling 114,000 copies of their latest release, Red Dirt Road. And Longhorn native Pat Green snuck into the 10 spot with Wave on Wave moving 53,000 copies.

The rest of the Top 10 were holdovers: Beyoncé Knowles' Dangerously in Love at three, Ashanti's Chapter II at five, Evanescence's Fallen at six, 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' at seven, Luther Vandross' Dance with My Father at eight and Norah Jones' Come Away with Me at nine.

Elsewhere on the charts, Chicago rapper Da Brat, who was actually featured on the original Bad Boys soundtrack in '95, returns after three years with her latest, Limelite Luv & Niteclubz, opening at 17. Keith Murray, who was in prison when his last album dropped in early 1999, returns with He's Keith Murray at number 40. Macy Gray stumbled in at 44 with The Trouble with Being Myself.

Other notable debuts included the Used's Maybe Memories at 84, RX Bandits' Resignation at 148, Shinedown's Leave a Whisper at 159 and Pearl Jam's latest live album, State College, PA, at 169.

Salsa singer Celia Cruz, who died of brain cancer last week, reentered the charts at 163 with her anthology collection Hits Mix. She recorded more than 70 albums in her lifetime.

Artists vying for chart positions next week include Mya, 311, Endo, Jane's Addiction and Sense Field, as well as the latest installment in the Now That's What I Call Music! series.

Here's a rundown of the Top 10 albums for the week ended Sunday, according SoundScan:

1. Bad Boys II soundtrack, various
2. Jackpot, Chingy
3. Dangerously in Love, Beyoncé Knowles
4. Red Dirt Road, Brooks and Dunn
5. Chapter II, Ashanti
6. Fallen, Evanescence
7. Get Rich or Die Tryin', 50 Cent
8. Dance with My Father, Luther Vandross
9. Come Away with Me, Norah Jones
10. Wave on Wave, Pat Green