Shaggy’s “Hotshot” (MCA), now in its 26th week of release, finishes its slow ascent to the top of the album chart this week and claims the No. 1 spot from Jennifer Lopez’s “J. Lo” (Epic). LeAnn Rimes’s “I Need You” (Curb), meanwhile, posts the only Top 10 debut of the week.

“Hotshot” moved over 245,000 copies last week, bringing sales of the disc to more than 2.8 million copies, according to MCA. The album features the Top 20 hits “It Wasn’t Me” and “Angel.” The artist--whose music is a fusion of rap, hip-hop and reggae--is scheduled to appear on “Saturday Night Live” on Feb. 17, “Late Night with David Letterman” on Feb. 23 and “Rosie O’Donnell” on Feb. 28.

Released last August, “Hotshot” is the follow-up to 1995’s “Boombastic” (Virgin), which features a hit single of the same name.

“J. Lo,” the sophomore release from Jennifer Lopez, dips to No. 2 after debuting in the top spot last week. Meanwhile, the "Save the Last Dance” soundtrack (Hollywood) and the Beatles “1” (Capitol)--whose 7-week run at No. 1 Lopez ended last week--remain unmoved at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.

Ja Rule's “Rule 3:36” (Def Jam), which returned to the Top 10 last week at No. 10, leaps to No. 5 this week. The album’s track “Put It on Me” is at No. 3 on trade publication Radio & Records’ latest urban chart, which measures national radio airplay.

Dido’s “No Angel” (Arista) continues its ascent with a move to No. 6 from No. 9 last week, while the “Now That’s What I Call Music Vol. 5” (Columbia) compilation stands firm at No. 7 for the second week in a row.

“Back for the First Time” (Def Jam), the debut album from Ludacris [ tickets ], surges into the Top 10 this week to land at No. 8, up from No. 14 last week. “Southern Hospitality,” the latest single from the disc, leapt from No. 26 last week to No. 14 on this week’s Radio & Records urban airplay chart.

Dream [ tickets ]’s “It Was All a Dream,” which entered the chart at No. 6 last week, drops three spots to No. 9.

Rounding out the Top 10 is “I Need You” (Curb), the latest release from LeAnn Rimes. The album was apparently released without the country singer’s consent, according to a statement that her manager posted to her official website on Feb. 2. In the statement, the manager characterizes the release as “unplanned and unauthorized.”

Leaving the Top 10 in a big hurry this week is made-for-television band O-town's self-titled debut, which entered the chart at No. 5 last week, and freefalls to No. 20.