Benzino (file)
Photo: Elektra

Just days after formally relinquishing his post as The Source magazine's chief brand executive, Raymond "Benzino" Scott, one of the hip-hop glossy's co-founders, has been named in court documents accusing him of gender discrimination and sexual harrassment.

The documents were filed early Monday morning with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by two of the monthly's highest-ranking former female executives.

Also named in the documents is CEO David Mays, who co-owns The Source with Scott.

The documents accuse both men of committing gender discrimination, sexual harassment and unlawful retaliation against women. The action was filed on behalf of all current and former female employees of the magazine by former editor in chief Kimberly Osorio and former Vice President of Marketing Michelle Joyce.

The charges follow Friday's announcement that Scott had resigned (see "Citing Eminem Feud And Other Reasons, Benzino Quits Source"). In a statement, Scott explained that he was tired of the legal wrangling with his nemesis, rapper Eminem, and felt the magazine had gotten too rigid for his liking.

"Everyone is too politically correct," he said. "I plan on creating another magazine that has my voice which represents the little guy. It's because of the manipulation of SoundScan and radio that hip-hop is losing its edge."

Monday afternoon, however, Benzino reconsidered his resignation, announcing that he would not be stepping down after all. According to a press release on the reversal, Benzino will continue to work "to make The Source bigger and better."

According to the charges, female employees were constantly discriminated against on the basis of their gender, in favor of male employees — not only with respect to hiring and promotions, but compensation, benefits, working hours and discipline.

Rather than hire or promote women, the documents claim that Benzino, who is originally from Boston, appointed members of his hometown clique to positions for which they weren't qualified, and that they rarely showed up for work. When these male employees made mistakes or failed to do their jobs, the filing says Mays and Scott would blame those shortcomings on their female supervisors and co-workers.

In addition, the charges further claim that Scott and Mays yelled at, belittled and verbally abused female workers, and even fired or forced out many competent and capable female employees (Joyce was let go in January, and Osorio was replaced in March) for minor work-related indiscretions. It also claims that they consistently subjected female employees — from interns to the top brass — to degrading acts of sexual harassment.

The alleged abuse was so widespread that many female employees hid in their offices to avoid being sexually harassed, according to court papers.

"After dedicating five years to The Source, I could no longer endure the blatant gender discrimination and harassment, so I spoke up," said Osorio — who holds a degree from New York Law School — in a prepared statement. "But it only hurt the situation because I was fired shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, discrimination and harassment in the workplace is very common, and now I must speak out for all women who have been victims of this same type of treatment."

"I chose to take a stand for women of the hip-hop generation and for all women who quietly endure such treatment for fear of retaliation and for those women who have suffered in silence and quietly surrendered," added Joyce.

According to the filing, both Osorio and Joyce had complained about the discriminatory treatment of women at The Source, but those grievances were ignored. Rather than remedy the situation, the court documents charge Scott and Mays with showing them the door.

Osorio, the magazine's first female editor in chief, was terminated just days after refusing to withdraw an e-mail she'd sent to the magazine's human resources department in which she complained about the treatment she and other female employees endured during their tenure, according to the charges.

In addition, Osorio says in court documents that the magazine's work environment was both hostile and sexually charged. She states that women were chastised for speaking their minds and were threatened physically and publicly debased — both during and after their employment.

Court documents claim that Scott fired one female employee, a senior member of the accounting department, because "all she does is walk around here with her big ass and pillow talk with mother----ers." Osorio also says in her complaint that women were repeatedly denied advancement at The Source, and alleges that Scott utilized the magazine to carry out his personal attacks on some of hip-hop's leading figures.

More specifically, Osorio claims in the court papers that Scott ordered the magazine's editors to publish articles about Hot 97's Angie Martinez and the station's program director, Tracy Cloherty, which suggested both women were sexually promiscuous and "had advanced their careers in the rap music industry by having sex with many entertainers and performing certain sexual acts."

In the office, according to the charges, Scott's objectionable behavior was commonplace. Osorio and Joyce witnessed Scott and other male employees sexually proposition, touch and try to kiss female co-workers. Scott once demanded that a female subordinate sit on his lap. He asked Osorio to have dinner with him on numerous occasions and even asked her to spend a weekend with him in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the filing claims.

Scott also asked her personal questions about who she was dating and publicly boasted about his sexual conquests "with a number of prominent females in the rap music industry," according to the charges.

In Joyce's complaint, she claims male workers placed bets on who would be the first of them to sleep with an intern. She also said a male employee, upon noticing she had a lollipop in her mouth, made inappropriate comments about it.

"Osorio and Joyce have shown extraordinary courage in coming forward, and we will fully vindicate their rights at trial," said Kenneth P. Thompson, their attorney and a former federal prosecutor. "All women should be treated fairly and with the utmost respect whether they are in the world of hip-hop or not, and we will prove that in this case."

Thompson said he will be filing a federal lawsuit in the coming months, and will be seeking class-action status for both suits. Filing discrimination charges with the EEOC is the first step in the litigation process that will ultimately result in a federal court action.

The Source has issued a statement in response to the charges: "Neither of those women ever filed any complaints during many years of working at The Source. It raises a lot of questions when these types of charges are made subsequent to valid and legitimate terminations of their employment." The magazine's statement goes on to level accusations against Osorio and Joyce, adding, "Also, it is a fact that Osorio had sexual relations with a number of high profile rap artists during her employment as editor in chief. We also suspect that Joyce falsified health claims in an effort to attack The Source when she learned that she was going to be terminated. We look forward to our day in court on this matter."

This report was originally published at 11:33 a.m. EST on 4.11.05

• Benzino

Benzino (file)
Photo: Elektra

Blaming irreconcilable differences with both The Source magazine and its investor, Black Enterprise, co-founder Raymond "Benzino" Scott stepped down as chief brand manager on Friday (April 8).

"I want to step down from the magazine and sell my stock effective immediately," he said in a statement.

Claiming he's also tired of court battles with his enemy Eminem (see "Eminem 'Never Wanted To Squash The Beef,' Benzino Says; Fires Back In New Video"), Benzino said the magazine is too stiff for his taste.

"I've been consumed too much with the whole conflict thing ... the Eminem suit, and I am sick of it," Benzino said (see "Eminem's Lawsuit Against The Source Going To Trial"). "I don't want to take away from what The Source has built up, but I got issues with The Source and magazines like that. Everyone is too politically correct. They're not thinking about the little guy who can't afford to pay for high-priced ads. It's like a monopoly."

The feelings were apparently mutual as, according to a spokesperson for The Source, Black Enterprise disliked Scott's practices.

"Our other partner, Black Enterprise, is another reason why I've decided to leave," Benzino said. "I don't like how they perceive me. There are too many things that I don't agree with, so I am moving on."

Though his tenure at The Source has been rocky, Scott said he's looking forward to new publishing opportunities.

"I plan on creating another magazine that has my voice, which represents the little guy. It's because of the manipulation of SoundScan and radio that hip-hop is losing its edge. I want to come out with a magazine that will reflect that. I want to start from the ground up and speak for the artists," he said.

• Eminem
• Benzino

Benzino (file)
Photo: Elektra

A truce isn't a truce if both parties don't agree. That seems to be the case in the ongoing beef between Eminem and Benzino.

While Eminem has said that he would like to end all of his rivalries (see "Eminem Hangs Up Beef, Refuses To Be A Pawn"), the co-owner of The Source magazine said he isn't buying it.

"These guys are all about spin," Benzino said Tuesday. "He never wanted to squash the beef. He said in another publication that he would never sit down with me. If he did want to come forth and address these issues, that would be a great thing because of his influence. But he's never had the desire to sit down with me."

In fact, Benzino has crafted "Look Into My Eyes" as a response to Slim Shady's "Like Toy Soldiers," which featured the fictional murder of D12 member Proof. The video picks up where "Like Toy Soldiers" leaves off: In the opening scene, an Eminem lookalike calls a character named Jimmy (presumably a reference to Interscope Records honcho Jimmy Iovine) from the hospital to tell him that he wants to get out of the business because he's been scared by Proof's death.

"He's dead, he's dead — they killed him, Jimmy," the Eminem character says. The Jimmy character tries to calm Eminem down, reminding him that he said there would be casualties. However, Eminem cannot be consoled and says he wants to quit.

While Benzino is never named by either character, it is insinuated that he's to blame for Proof's death. As the video continues, there are shots of police raiding a warehouse where Benzino and his crew are holed up. While Benzino isn't killed on camera, he is later shown as an angel rising to heaven, and at the end of the video, "Jimmy" telephones someone and says, "It's done."

"The guy that shoots Proof in ['Like Toy Soldiers'] is supposed to be me," Benzino said. "What he's so afraid of happening in that video happens in the 'hood every day. I have lost three friends — one of them died in my arms — like that. 'Look Into My Eyes' addresses all of that. He's never gone through what we've been through in the 'hood."

The autobiographical "Look Into My Eyes" also chronicles Benzino's turbulent life, including the incarceration of his father and the MC's years growing up on the mean streets of Boston. The song serves as the first offering from the rapper's forthcoming LP, Archnemisis, which is slated for release on February 22.

The beef between Benzino and Eminem has been long-running and well-documented (see "Benzino Calls Eminem 'The Rap Hitler,' Says There's No Beef"). Most recently, it was reported that the two parties would settle at least some of their differences in court (see "Eminem's Lawsuit Against The Source Going To Trial").

Representatives for Eminem had no comment at press time.

• Eminem
• Benzino

Eminem and Benzino (file)
Photo: Getty Images

Eminem and The Source magazine will finally get to settle their beef ... at least in court, that is.

On Monday, New York federal court judge Gerald E. Lynch ruled that Slim Shady's copyright-infringement lawsuit against the hip-hop publication would go to trial.

The trial is the latest development in the ongoing war of words between Em and The Source owners Ray Benzino and Dave Mays. The suit itself stems from the magazine's release of excerpts of two of Eminem's early recordings where the rapper can be heard making offensive comments about black women (see "The Source Digs Up Tape Of Eminem Using Racial Slurs").

At first, Judge Lynch granted the rapper and his Shady Records an injunction that blocked The Source from releasing a CD with the freestyle (see "Judge Halts Distribution Of Eminem's Controversial Freestyle"). Less than a week later, however, Lynch lifted the injunction, ruling that the magazine could release a small portion of the track (see "Source Can Release Excerpts Of Eminem's Controversial Rap"). Eminem's lawyers appealed this decision.

"This case is about freedom of the press, freedom of speech and the way that he and Shady [Records] have tried to suppress those freedoms," Dave Mays said. "These guys are trying to use the courts and their finances to stop us from doing what every other press outlet does on a daily basis."

Representatives for Eminem and Shady Records declined to comment.

Ironically, Eminem has lately been talking about quashing beefs. In fact, the rapper said he was ready to settle all of his rivalries late last year (see "Eminem Hangs Up Beef, Refuses To Be A Pawn").

• Eminem
• Benzino

Eminem (file)
Photo: The Source

The friend of Eminem who helped The Source corroborate its claim that Eminem is a racist has written a letter to the magazine saying he was taken out of context and that he believes Marshall Mathers is not a racist.

The letter was written by Chaos Kid to Kim Osorio, the editor-in-chief of The Source, and was found posted on various online newsgroups.

Chaos Kid, a Detroit MC who is featured in The Source's February cover story, was Eminem's writing partner between 1988 and 1993 (see "Source Can Release Excerpts Of Eminem's Controversial Rap"). He is also described as one of the kids in a rap crew called Bassmint Productions to which Eminem belonged when he recorded a pair of controversial freestyles, which surfaced in November and found Eminem using offensive language toward black people. Though Chaos Kid says in the magazine that he opted out of the freestyle sessions, his interview is used to validate the magazine's contention that Eminem is a racist.

In his letter, Chaos Kid says his words were manipulated and facts contorted to fit The Source's motives. He writes to Osorio, "I am forced at this point to recognize that there are obviously some ulterior motives/personal hang-ups/political/racial agendas going on behind the scenes at The Source and this is making it impossible for you to present the issue of these tapes in a true light that would give a full spectrum of perspective."

Chaos explains that the freestyles were called "Suckerin' Rhymes," and that they were intentionally misguided. He says their purpose was to be as "goofy/stupid/ignorant/wack as possible." He accuses The Source of making some factual errors in its reporting and failing to give his quotes proper context.

He writes of his personal experiences with Eminem during that time and says that the famous rapper never used the N-word or "any other derogatory names or made any derogatory remarks about African-Americans in casual conversation with me. In fact, we personally had conversations talking about how we hated racism and racists and both had real songs denouncing racism!!"

Chaos Kid concludes by writing that, in his opinion, "Marshall Mathers is not a racist. Although the songs were in bad taste, they were not intended to be taken seriously or even heard and do not represent the true sentiments of Eminem."

Though Chaos Kid's words seem to support the generally accepted notion that Eminem's freestyles weren't pathological or even characteristic, they differ from the sentiments expressed in Eminem's own apology issued in December (see "Eminem Apologizes For Old Track That Dissed Black Women"). In a statement, Em said the offensive freestyles were motivated by a relationship with a girl gone awry and that they were written from a hurt, emotional and reactionary point of view.

Chaos Kid's letter asks for Osorio to publish a "Letter to the Editor" in the next issue of The Source to clarify his position or, he says, he'll be forced to tell "the truth" to other media outlets. Though the letter was addressed to Osorio, when reached for comment, the editor said she had no knowledge of receiving such a letter.

• Eminem
• Benzino

Eminem (file)
Photo: MTV News

The controversial issue of The Source purporting Eminem to be a racist hit newsstands last week, so it's no surprise that the rapper has already fired back at the magazine.

In an untitled freestyle on the Green Lantern mixtape The Invasion Part Three: Countdown to Armageddon, Eminem aims to both elaborate on and get past the controversy stirred up by an old song in which he spit offensive lyrics directed at black women (see "The Source Digs Up Tape Of Eminem Using Racial Slurs").

He raps: "Oh, sorry, yo so sorry, whoa/ But that was a long time ago/ When I was a Joe Schmo/ Rapping in Joe Blow's basement/ I apologized for it before, so/ Either accept it or you don't/ And let's move on/ If I ain't shown that I've grown/ You can get the bone." Later, he says, "Word on my daughter, I told ya/ That I love this culture/ Don't let 'em insult ya/ I'mma tell you once more again/ This is the environment I was brought up in."

Of course, it wouldn't be an Eminem track if he also didn't get in a few digs as well, and The Source co-owners Dave Mays and Ray Benzino are the butt of many jokes. "I got a riddle/ What's little and talks big/ With midget arms and creamy filling in the middle?/ That will do anything to throw dirt on my name?/ Even if it means walking the whole Mediterranean?/ Isn't it Albanian? Armenian? Iranian? Tasmanian?/ No it's Dave, Raymond and a ho'."

Along with the cover story "Eminem: Cleaning Out White America's Closet," the February issue of The Source also includes a CD featuring snippets of two Eminem songs that Benzino claims prove Em's racist tendencies (see "Source Can Release Excerpts of Eminem's Controversial Rap").

In addition to the Green Lantern freestyle, Eminem answers back at The Source's charges in rival magazine XXL's March issue. In it, Eminem takes on each of The Source's points of contention, including when the tape was made, his business relationship with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, and his cognizance of being a white star in black music.

"The worst part that's gonna come out of this is people are gonna realize that I was like any other stupid kid at 16," he says in the article by Sacha Jenkins. "You do and say dumb sh--. You don't even necessarily mean it. But you do it and you don't think about it. ... That's part of growing up and discovering who you are."

The March issue of XXL hits stands February 3. Eminem's spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

• Eminem
• Benzino

Eminem (file)
Photo: Interscope

NEW YORK — On Tuesday a federal court judge granted Eminem an injunction against The Source, blocking the hip-hop publication from releasing a CD containing a controversial freestyle by the rapper.

Last month the magazine's owners, Ray "Benzino" Scott and David Mays, held a press conference to expose the old recording in which a young Marshall Mathers talks disparagingly about black women (see "The Source Digs Up Tape Of Eminem Using Racial Slurs"). The Source's owners said a CD of the freestyle would be included in their February issue, due on newsstands January 13.

Eminem admitted to making the song in anger and issued an apology. In a statement released two weeks ago, he said, "I did and said a lot of stupid sh-- when I was a kid, but that's part of growing up. The tape of me rapping 15 years ago as a teenager that was recently put out by The Source in no way represents who I was then or who I am today."

Attorneys for Em and his Shady Records imprint filed papers for the injunction in Manhattan on Monday, citing copyright infringement. Em is also seeking unspecified damages.

Although many people in the hip-hop community have chosen to either forgive and forget or flat out not get involved in the Eminem fracas, The Source has continued to press the issue, branding Slim Shady a racist and a thief of hip-hop culture and promising an exposé on the rapper. Eminem, meanwhile, dissed Benzino and The Source on tracks that hit the Internet and mixtapes recently (see "Eminem's Benzino Dis Turns Up In The Lab").

A spokesperson at Eminem's label, Interscope, had no comment Wednesday (December 17). A Source spokesperson had no comment on the injunction but said the release of the February issue would not be delayed.

• Eminem
• Benzino

Eminem
Photo: Interscope

A lyrical salvo fired by Eminem, seemingly toward rapper and The Source magazine co-founder Benzino, leaked onto the Internet over the weekend.

The song, called "Bully," would appear to be retaliation for Benzino's public unveiling last week of a 15-year-old Eminem freestyle in which the white rapper used offensive lyrics in describing black women (see "The Source Digs Up Tape Of Eminem Using Racial Slurs").

The song, however, is 6 months old, according to Eminem's people, and was never released officially or otherwise. That would put the track's production around the timeline of the last Benzino/Eminem mixtape flare-up when Benzino fired off tracks like "Pull Ya Skirt Up" and Eminem responded with cuts like "The Sauce" and "Nail in the Coffin." Em's spokespeople said the rapper and his camp had nothing to do with the leak.

The lyrics of "Bully" — or at least the parts that were leaked — aren't particularly scathing, and Benzino is never called out by name. Em begins by speaking from the perspective of his target, saying, "It's my right to insist that he acknowledges my existence, but he just displays complete lack of respect." Then he adds, "That's what he says to himself as he uses magazines to trash me/ As he sits with both his feet up at his desk/ Smokes a bag of his weed/ And starts imagining things/ And he just can't see that he's manically depressed."

Over a simple keyboard and drum beat and with Eminem half-singing his lyrics, he continues elsewhere with the lines "And it's destroying him slowly/ 'Cause he does not even know me/ Even though he sees me everywhere he goes/ So he tortures himself/ He has no fortune and wealth/ So he extorts someone else to get his dough."

"Bully" is actually one of three different Eminem tracks to be leaked online. A second one is called "6" and the other is untitled. None of the songs sound complete and only segments of the tracks were circulated online.

Meanwhile, Benzino issued a statement on Monday calling Russell Simmons' defense of Eminem through his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network "irresponsible." Last week, the HHSAN called Eminem's tape "regrettable" but added that they accepted his "sincere and forthright" apology. Benzino's statement implicated that Simmons has a conflict of interest since both report to the same corporate parent, Vivendi Universal. He called Simmons' opinion "not impartial."

Through another statement issued on Tuesday, Simmons said he did not want to be drawn into a battle with The Source. He also accepted Dave Mays' resignation from the board of directors of the HHSAN.

This story was updated at 11:15 a.m. ET

• Eminem
• Benzino

Benzino at <i>The Source</i> press conference
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — Eminem found himself on the defensive Tuesday (November 18) after The Source magazine owners Ray Benzino and Dave Mays held a press conference to play a recording of the MC delivering racial slurs.

On the first of two tracks purportedly recorded in 1993, an audibly young male, who says he's Eminem raps, "All the girls I like to bone have big butts/ No they don't, 'cause I don't like that n----- sh--/ I'm just here to make a bigger hit."

The second track, made in 1988, featured Eminem rapping about a black girlfriend he broke up with. "Blacks and whites, they sometimes mix/ But black girls only want your money, 'cause they dumb chicks," he rhymes. Later in the freestyle Em raps, "Never date a black girl, because they only want your money/ And that sh-- ain't funny."

The first track was only a few lines long, but the second track went on for several minutes with Em — seemingly rhyming off the top of his head — repeatedly saying he did not like black girls and that they were only out to get money. Both tracks sounded amateurish.

"Don't make this right now a double standard," Benzino said at the press conference. "We gotta treat this the same way you treat Mike Tyson, like you treat Kobe Bryant, like you treat R. Kelly, like you treat O.J. Simpson."

Eminem responded to the latter track on Tuesday by insisting he isn't racist and explaining that the recording was made when he was just 15, foolish and angry.

"Ray Benzino, Dave Mays and The Source have had a vendetta against me, Shady Records and our artists for a long time," Eminem said in a statement. "The tape they played today was something I made out of anger, stupidity and frustration when I was a teenager. I'd just broken up with my girlfriend, who was African-American, and I reacted like the angry, stupid kid I was. I hope people will take it for the foolishness that it was, not for what somebody is trying to make it into today."

Eminem's manager, Paul Rosenberg, said Wednesday that neither he nor Eminem had "heard or heard of" the first track Benzino and Mays played.

Eminem, 50 Cent and the rest of the Shady/Aftermath team have had a long-running feud with The Source, fueled by Benzino's accusations that the media operate on a double standard when it comes to the multiplatinum white MC and that an artist of color could never get away with saying some of the things Em says in his music (see "Benzino Ignites Beef By Calling Eminem '2003 Vanilla Ice'").

After their comments, Benzino and Mays refused to entertain questions about the tape and its origins. They did say they plan to include a CD of the Eminem recordings in February's issue, and they promised another press conference concerning Eminem will be held in the future, when they'll answer questions and have civic leaders and members of the hip-hop community on hand.

[This story was updated at 4:58 p.m. ET on 11.19.2003]

• Eminem
• Benzino

Norah Jones
Photo: Blue Note

Norah Jones' five Grammy nominations continue to help lift her Come Away With Me above all other albums on the Billboard albums chart.

With 47 weeks of good words behind it, Jones' debut LP sold more than 114,000 copies last week, up 6,000 copies from the week before, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (January 22). The new tally puts Come Away With Me above the 3 million mark in total sales.

Fellow Grammy nominees Avril Lavigne and the Dixie Chicks each increased weekly sales of their respective current albums, Let Go and Home, to take the #2 and #3 slots. The Canadian pop star arrives from a previously held #3 spot, with a sizable boost of more than 21,000 copies, while the Chicks' Home increased its seven-day draw by more than 7,000 copies.

In its first week in stores, the soundtrack to the Golden Globe-gobbling "Chicago," featuring songs from the movie sung by actors Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere and Renée Zellweger, debuted at #4 with more than 83,000 copies sold.

Ja Rule's The Last Temptation, sparked by the emergence of its second single "Mesmerize," will re-enter the top 10 at #10, with more than 52,000 in sales. It marks the first time the album placed in the top 10 since the LP debuted at #4 when it was released in late November.

The remainder of the top 10 finds no new entries or exits, as Jennifer Lopez's This Is Me ... Then drops three spots to #5 (78,000); the "8 Mile" soundtrack also drops a notch to #6 (68,000); Missy Elliott's Under Construction moves up a place to #7 (57,000); Aaliyah's I Care 4 U drops a spot down to #8 (56,000); and Christina Aguilera takes a step ahead to #9 with Stripped (54,000).

Good Charlotte lead the pack of bands that felt an impact from being featured on MTV's Spankin' New Bands week. The group's second album, The Young and the Hopeless, will jump from #25 to #12, while its weekly sales increased by nearly 15,000 copies to reach a 49,000-copy pull. Simple Plan are enjoying the 15-spot leap that will place No Pads, No Helmets ... Just Balls at #44, and the 6,000-copy bump that made it possible. Further down, the Used's self-titled debut will move up 33 spots to #63, the Donnas' Spend the Night will sail 50 spots higher to #67 and New Found Glory's Sticks & Stones will ascend 20 places to #102.

Using more conventional promotional tactics, Kid Rock's Cocky has been on a major upswing thanks to the crossover success of its fourth single, "Picture," an acoustic country duet. While the rap-rocker's rock audience hasn't responded tremendously to previous hybrid singles "Forever" and "You Never Met a Motherf---er Quite Like Me," "Picture," with Sheryl Crow on the album cut and Allison Moorer on the single version (due to the inability of Rock's label to secure single rights to the tune from Crow's label), has re-introduced the pimp of the nation to adult contemporary formats, where his "Only God Knows Why" once had a home, and established his place on country radio. As such, Cocky, released in November 2001, has moved into the top 20 for the first time in over a year. It will stand at #15, up from #24, with a 14,000-copy weekly increase.

Following the death of Maurice Gibb on January 12 (see "Maurice Gibb Of The Bee Gees Dead At 53" ), the Bee Gees' 2001 two-disc retrospective, Their Greatest Hits: The Record, re-entered the top 200 at #55 with more than 17,000 in sales, nearly six times its previous weekly total.

All the hype generated from his beef with Eminem didn't translate into record sales for rapper Benzino. His second solo album, Redemption, will debut on the chart at #65, with more than 14,000 in sales.

• Norah Jones
• Avril Lavigne
• Dixie Chicks
• Ja Rule
• Jennifer Lopez