From North West to number one: Kanye West continues to fly high by topping the UK album charts with Yeezus
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Your support makes all the difference.If Kanye West weren't on enough of a high already following the birth last week of his baby daughter North, then the only direction is up as his latest album is at number one.
Yeezus topped the charts in its debut week yesterday, beating 13 by Black Sabbath.
It is Kanye's first number one album in the UK since Graduation in 2007, and is his fourth Official Top 10 record overall, the Official Charts Company said.
The LP, a follow-up to his collaboration with Jay-Z, Watch The Throne, was described by The Independent's music critic as "a powerhouse of brutal noise and abrasiveness that often makes you recoil on first listen" which uses "bass as the primary sonic weapon".
Produced by Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Run DMC) and with guest appearances from Daft Punk, Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, Charlie Wilson and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, Yeezus' success is the second celebration of the week for West who has just become a father with reality show star partner Kim Kardashian.
The record's success is despite the rapper coming in for criticism for referring to Parkinson's disease in one of its songs. "On Sight" includes the lyric: “Soon as I pull up and park the Benz / We get this b***h shaking like Parkinson’s.”
Steve Ford, chief executive at Parkinson’s UK, said last week: “ Kanye West has shown an inexcusable level of stupidity and cruelty towards people living with an incurable condition."
The previous week's chart topper, 13 by Black Sabbath, is now at number two, while Kodaline was new in at number three yesterday with their debut album In A Perfect World. Rod Stewart's Time is still doing well at number four and Passenger's All The Little Lights is at number five.
The Official Singles Chart has been topped by US R&B star Robin Thicke with "Blurred Lines" for a fourth week in a row. The track, which also features TI and Pharrell Williams, fought off competition from Jason Derulo's "The Other Side", which is at number two, to retain its position.
"Blurred Lines" is the second biggest-selling single of the year so far, clocking up a further 133,000 sales over the last seven days, to bring its total combined sales tally to 718,000 copies. This is despite criticism from some feminist commentators and the rape charity Rape Crisis, which have suggested that the song promotes sexual violence against women and that the video - featuring scantily clad models - is degrading.
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Daft Punk's "Get Lucky", which also features Pharrell Williams, remains this year's biggest-selling single, having nearly shifted one million copies.
"La La La" by Naughty Boy FT Sam Smith and "Let Her Go" by Passenger both fell one place to number three and number four respectively, while Dizzee Rascal was in fifth place with "Goin' Crazy" featuring Robbie Williams.
Video: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West name their daughter North West
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