Lil Wayne does it again. The pint-sized rapper has just rung up the second-biggest sales week of 2011 so far with his latest effort, Tha Carter IV. Ringing in with 964,000 copies sold, Weezy comes just a hair’s breadth away from matching the first week sales of his chart-topping magnum opus (and last *proper* album), Tha Carter III. How big is this number? Well, if the year was to end today, Wayne would have the fifth biggest selling album of 2011-after one week. While I appreciate anything positive that happens in the music industry, I can’t help but think that there’s NO accounting for taste here. Ah, well.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers come in at a distant second with their latest, I’m With You. The veteran rockers pump out a solid 229,000 of their latest, but it’s a far cry from their biggest week. Twice as many people bought their last album, Stadium Arcadium, in it’s first week. I wonder whether the half that didn’t purchase this new album were, like me, turned off RHCP by the mediocrity of Arcadium.

There are also new entries from supa-DJ David Guetta (making his highest chart showing yet at #5), rising country star Jake Owen (at #6) and rock vet Lenny Kravitz, who makes a so-so showing at #18 with Black & White America.

Aside from two majorly big sales weeks, many albums get a boost on account of the VMAs, which originally aired the night prior to the beginning of the tracking week. The biggest jumps go to new or developing artists who appeared on the show. Young The Giant jumps from #130 to #42 on a 189% increase, Jessie J’s Who You Are re-enters the chart at #79 with a 151% increase after appearing with the “house band” and singing before and after commercial breaks, and rapper Tyler The Creator’s Goblin album jumps 102-48 on a 133% increase.

Adele is having a hell of a year, even though she didn’t win any VMAs. 21 jumps back into the six-figure zone thanks to her performance of “Someone Like You” on the show. The triple-platinum album holds at #3 with an 88% increase to 154,000 units. Additionally, “Someone Like You” vaults to #1 on the Hot 100 singles chart, becoming the British singer’s second straight chart-topper.

Guess all of the publicity stunts couldn’t help Game make a hit album. His long-delayed fourth effort, The Red Album, falls to #8 after debuting at the top last week. The 137,000 units it’s sold in two weeks is a far cry from the 238,000 that the rapper’s last album, LAX, rang up in it’s first week alone.

Weezy should be sitting pretty at the top for at least another week, although his reign on the chart throne will be challenged with the new Lady Antebellum record, which arrives this coming Tuesday. The only new release of consequence this week-George Strait’s new album-should debut in the Top Five.

Here’s this week’s Top 20:

1) Tha Carter IV | Lil Wayne
2) I’m With You | Red Hot Chili Peppers
3) 21 | Adele
4) Watch The Throne | Jay-Z Kanye West
5) Nothing But The Beat | David Guetta
6) Barefoot Blue Jean Night | Jake Owen
7) 4 | Beyonce
8) The Red Album | Game
9) Love Is The Answer | Barbra Streisand
10) Now That’s What I Call Music 39 | Various Artists
11) Tailgates & Tanlines | Luke Bryan
12) Torches | Foster The People
13) My Kinda Party | Jason Aldean
14) Born This Way | Lady GaGa
15) Chief | Eric Church
16) Sigh No More | Mumford & Sons
17) 19 | Adele
18) Black & White America | Lenny Kravitz
19) Teenage Dream | Katy Perry
20) Hell: The Sequel | Bad Meets Evil