Rapper Mac Miller Straight to No.1 in Indie Victory

Rapper Mac Miller became the first indie artist since 1995 to debut at the top of the Billboard Top 200 album charts on Wednesday, with his first album Blue Slide Park.

Selling 144,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan, Miller's No. 1 debut beat out Michael Buble's Christmas album, which climbed to No. 2 on the chart from last week's No. 8 position.

Miller, 19, has quickly established a fan base of more than one million followers on Twitter and Facebook and recently appeared on the VH1 television series Single Ladies.

Jon Garcia at AllHipHop.com praised Miller for the album's production, and the fact that he doesn't do too much to mess up the groove. MTV's Rob Markman called the album a homegrown compilation...from a youngster whose rap appeal stretches way beyond his native Pittsburgh borders.

The last time an independently distributed artist's debut album reached No. 1 was rap group Tha Dogg Pound's Dogg Food in 1995. Miller's album Blue Slide Park is a Rostrum Records release, independently distributed by INgrooves and Fontana Distribution.

Rostrum and Mac are proof that a digitally-focused independent effort works in today's dynamic music marketplace, by engaging fans directly, Dave Zierler, executive vice president at INgrooves, said in a statement.

Miller and Buble are followed by the Now 40 music compilation, entering the Billboard album chart at No. 3 this week, with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 soundtrack at No. 4, ahead of the film's release on Friday.

Adele's 21 holds steady at No. 5 after more than 35 weeks in the charts.

Justin Bieber's holiday album Under The Mistletoe, which knocked Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto from the top position last week, fell to No. 6, while Susan Boyle's Someone To Watch Over Me, fell to No. 7, edging out Mylo Xyoloto at No. 8.

On the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, Rihanna's We Found Love held onto the top spot, with LMFAO's Sexy And I Know It at No. 2.

Taylor Swift, who received the coveted entertainer of the year honor at last week's Country Music Awards, achieved two top ten debut singles this week, with If This Was A Movie at No. 3 and Ours at No. 5. A third single, Superman, entered the chart at No. 13, after all three songs were released digitally for the first time last week.