(Photo: MMG)

Wale's The Gifted topped Billboard charts this week, giving the rapper his first No. 1 debut.

The release sold 158,000 units, fending off J. Cole's Born Sinner, which pushed an additional 84,000 copies and sustained the No. 2 spot for the second week in a row; and Kanye West's Yeezus, which fell 80 percent from its No. 1 position with 327,000 albums sold to third place with an additional 65,000.

"Today is a day I want my fans to be extra proud," Wale tweeted yesterday (July 2). "We have the #1 album in the country!! Came a long way and still goin. So grateful!" 

The MMG rapper also sent a message to his boss, Rick Ross, writing in part, "thank you for believing in my vision!!!"

The Gifted marks Wale's second album to debut in the Top 10. His Ambition opened at the No. 2 slot in 2011 (even though the first-week sales were larger than The Gifted, at 164,000 units). From a critical standpoint, it has been well received, a "daring" attempt to "elevate" the rap star "beyond a level of Rick Ross' reliable second-stringer," according to a Pitchfork Media review. 

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