In the battle of the preteens ensuing on the Billboard 200 this week, Backstreet brother Aaron Carter (brother of Nick, who is I think the cute one? oh wait they are ALL the cute ones, except for that one who looks too much like Donnie Wahlberg) loses out to Lil’ Bow Wow. The bouncing baby rapper’s album “Beware of Dog” debuted at #8 this week, 8 places ahead of Young Mr. Carter’s “Aaron’s Party (Come and Get It).” Of course, Lil’ Bow Wow has the added advantage of a novelty hit (“Bounce With Me”) that’s already logged 20 weeks on the charts, while Aaron has … his older brother.
But the real question is, will either of these artists have the latter-day cultural impact that Jordy—you remember him, yes? the French rapping 5-year-old?—has seven or eight years after his single was first foisted on the world? I ask this because six or seven people have brought “Dur Dur D’Être Bébé” up in casual conversation over the past few weeks. And also because no one seems to know where young Jordy is at the moment.
Other US chart news: Debuting at #1 this week is the new album by Mystikal; right behind that is 98 Degrees’ latest offering, which was accompanied by an ‘N Sync-worthy barrage of live MTV specials including a “you pick the next single” contest. Possibly relevant, but maybe not side note: Mystikal’s record was put out by Jive, the same company responsible for the huge debuts of Britney, the Backstreet Boys, and ‘N Sync over the past year, while 98 Degrees (who I always found to be sort of lower-rent anyway, and on this new album they are writing their own songs—red flags at alert!) is a Universal offering. (Did I ever mention the ‘N Sync midnight madness sale at my formerly local mall, where I ran into a girl who bought 3 copies of “No Strings Attached” for the sole purpose of helping her favorite band beat the Backstreet Boys’ first week sales record?)