Big September releases include 50 Cent, Kanye West, Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney….

September 11th -Â 50 Cent (“Curtis”) and Kanye West (“Graduation”), last discs saw debut sales weeks of 1.1 million and 860,000..

Country singer Kenny Chesney’s “Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates”. Chesney’s last album, 2005’s “The Road and the Radio,” sold 469,000 in its opening week.

Country music has grown in the last 18 months, while rap music is stifled with controversy and weakening sales which makes some music execs worried.

Other artists that will have September releases include KT Tunstall’s “Drastic Fantastic” and James Blunt’s “All the Lost Souls”.

Also Rascal Flatts, whose “Me and My Gang” had the mighty sales of 2006 — 722,000 — will have a new release on the 25th with “Still Feels Good” which could top 1 million in first-week sales.

Lastly we have the Foo Fighters‘ “Echoes Silence Patience & Grace,” Melissa Etheridge’s “The Awakening” . The industry is hoping to better the September sales tally of the last two years, approximately 39 million.

(Variety)