R. Kelly's 'Chocolate factory' at top of US Albums

NEW YORK (Top 40 Charts) - R. Kelly's new album has debuted at the top of the charts despite child pornography charges against him.

Kelly's disc "Chocolate Factory" sold about 532,000 copies for the week ending Sunday, according to industry figures released on Wednesday.

It's the R&B singer's first disc since his arrest last year for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl. Kelly has denied the charges, and they haven't hindered his popularity so far; the first single from the album, "Ignition," is at No. 12 on the Billboard charts.

"Chocolate Factory" is Kelly's third album to debut at No. 1, according to his label, Jive Records. Some radio stations initially were hesitant to broadcast Kelly's music after charges were filed, but Ignition is enjoying wide airplay.

A guilty verdict won't necessarily ruin Kelly's standing, Mayfield says, noting that the late Tupac Shakur earned notoriety as the first artist to enter the chart at No. 1 while in jail.

Kelly knocked rapper 50 Cent out of the top spot. Although 50 Cent's album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" is no longer No. 1, it still managed to sell 520,000 copies in just its second full week of release; it's sold 2.2 million copies within three weeks.

Grammy magnet Norah Jones, at No. 3, should rebound mightily next week, along with such Grammy winners and performers as Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, the Dixie Chicks (No. 4 this week) and Kid Rock (No. 5). The Cradle 2 the Grave soundtrack enters at No. 5 with 98,000, followed by Avril Lavigne, the Chicago and Daredevil soundtracks and Grammy Nominees 2003.