Jay Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail” album storms in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 528,000 copies in its first week according to preliminary data from Nielsen SoundScan.

The larger-than-expected start is the second-biggest sales week for a single album this year. It bypasses the previous runner-up, Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories,” which opened with 339,000 in May. Both albums trail behind the year’s largest frame, racked up when Justin Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience” exploded with 968,000 in its first week.

“Magna Carta” also gives the hip-hop icon his 13th No. 1 — extending his record for the most chart-toppers by a solo act in history. Among all artists, only the Beatles — with 19 No. 1s — have more. Tied for the third-most No. 1s are Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Presley, who each have 10 leaders.

Jay Z has seen every one of his solo studio albums reach No. 1 since 1998’s “Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life,” which also happened to mark his first No. 1. His 13 chart-toppers also include three collaborative albums: one each with R. Kelly, Linkin Park and Kanye West, respectively.

-Billboard

Harvard University has established the Nasir Jones Hip Hop Fellowship to fund scholars and artists who show productive scholarship and creative potential in hip hop.

Nas tells Rolling Stone,

“I am immensely over-the-top excited about the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship at Harvard. From Queens, NY to true cultural academia. My hopes are that greed for knowledge, art, self-determination and expression go a long way. It is a true honor to have my name attached to so much hard work, alongside great names like Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and W.E.B. Du Bois and to such a prestigious and historical institution, and all in the name of the music I grew to be a part of.”

The Scandal star up and married NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha last month in a super-secret ceremony witnessed only by their nearest and dearest, E! News exclusively confirmed.  Now we know E! can report some bogus stories, case in point confirming a 2nd pregnancy for Beyonce; which was clearly false.  However, E!  has obtained the marriage certificate.

According to the newlyweds’ marriage certificate, exclusively obtained Wednesday by E! News from Idaho’s office of Vital Statistics, Ezenwa Nnamdi Asomugha swapped vows with Kerry Marisa Washington on June 24 in Hailey, Idaho.

Washington’s parents, Earl and Valerie, signed the certificate as witnesses, and the groom’s sister, Chisaraokwu Asomugha—a minister in Silver Spring, Md.—officiated.

On the eve of his album release, Jay-Z has unveiled the cover for Magna Carta Holy Grail. As part of his “New Rules,” he debuted it in grand fashion at Salisbury Cathedral in the U.K., home to one of the four surviving original 1215 Magna Carta documents.

The installation will be on display at the Salisbury Cathedral Chapter House through July. Tomorrow, July 4, the first million Samsung Mobile users who download the Magna Carta app will receive the album for free. It will be available to the rest of the world on July 9.

See pics of the real Magna Carta next to Jay-Z’s below.

Wale scores his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week with The Gifted.

The third album from the D.C. rapper sold 158, 000 copies  in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It marks Wale’s second top 10 album following 2011′s Ambition.

50 Cent has been charged with domestic violence after the hip-hop mogul allegedly kicked the mother of his child and destroyed her condo last month.

According to the L.A. City Attorney (via TMZ), the 37-year-old rapper is being accused of causing $7,100 in damage during the June 23 incident, which occurred inside his baby mama’s condo in Toluca Lake, CA.

The woman reportedly called LAPD officers and told them she had gotten into an altercation with 50 and locked herself in the bedroom.  During the argument, 50 allegedly got angry, kicked down the door, and kicked her. He is also accused of breaking chandeliers, furniture, a TV, and a lamp.

50 faces five charges including one count of misdemeanor domestic violence and four counts of misdemeanor vandalism.  If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to up to five years in jail and face $46,000 in fines.

He is due to be arraigned in court on July 22.