Mariah Carey has best-selling CD of 2005

updated 4:11 p.m. ET Dec. 30, 2005

NEW YORK - With the 2005 finish line in sight, Mariah Carey has inched past 50 Cent in the race for the year’s best-selling album.

Carey’s “The Emancipation of Mimi” sold 290,000 copies in the week ending Dec. 25, according to figures released Wednesday by Nielsen SoundScan. That brings her total to 4.86 million copies on the year, compared to 4.83 million for 50’s “The Massacre,” which came out in March.

“Mimi,” released in April, recently found sales momentum after receiving eight Grammy nominations, tied for the most with Kanye West and John Legend. 50 Cent landed six nominations.

Carey’s single “Don’t Forget About Us” also recently ascended to the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, putting her in a tie with Elvis Presley for second place among those with the most No. 1 singles in the rock era. Her 17 hits are second only to the Beatles, who had 20.

The top selling album last week, according to SoundScan, was Mary J. Blige’s “The Breakthrough,” which sold 727,000 copies in its first week. Jamie Foxx’s “Unpredictable,” also just released, sold 598,000 copies

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