Usher and Justin Bieber

Usher and Justin Bieber (celebritywonder.com)

Usher and Justin Bieber may be a mentor and the protégé, but when it comes to a battle at the chart, looks like Usher still got his strength over the rising star.

Justin Bieber’s My World 2.0 slipped to the second spot on the Billboard charts this week, giving up his No. 1 seat to Usher, who scored his third consecutive No. 1 album on the U.S. pop chart Wednesday with Raymond v. Raymond.

The Burn singer previously led the tally with his 2008 album, Here I Stand (443,000 copies in its first week) and 2004′s Confessions (1.1 million). The latest album sold 329,000 copies during the week ended April 4, and marks the third-best sales week of the year, following the debuts of Sade’s Soldier of Love (502,000) and Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now (481,000).

16-year-old Bieber actually sold more albums this week than his chart-topping debut last week, with 291,000 copies sold. It enjoyed a rare sales boost, up 3%, with help from the Easter holiday. Its two-week total stands at 574,000. Bieber remained No. 1 in his hometown Canada, where Usher debuted at No. 4.

Usher should thanked his album’s achievement to his American Idol-abetted publicity blitz, when he made a stop on the show last week. His performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show also generated some great buzz. The new single which he performed at both shows, OMG, is expected to make a pretty good debut on the Billboard Hot 100 when the new chart is unveiled Thursday.

Congrats, Usher!

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