Pop singer Mariah Carey has been in tight competition with rapper 50 Cent in the race for best-selling US album of the year 2005.

Nielsen SoundScan, the US retail sales tracker has given figures according to which 50 Cent's album The Massacre has been at number one as of Christmas day, having sold 4.8 million copies since March.

But Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi has been closing in with 4.6 million copies sold since April and it is predicted that Carey will overtake 50 Cent before the end of the year.

50 Cent's debut album Get Rich of Die Tryin released in 2003 has sold 7.4 million to date, while Mariah Carey's 1995 album Daydream sold 7.5 million copies in the US. So although both albums went straight to the top spot on their release, they have not been a great sales success for the two artists.

At the 2005 Billboard Music Awards, rapper 50 Cent and Green Day were the big winners, with six trophies each. The rapper was the top finalist with mentions in eight categories; he was honored as Artist of the Year and took the Album of the Year prize for The Massacre. 50 Cent's awards were rounded out by R&B/Hip-Hop, Rap and Hot 100 artist of the year titles and the Ring tone of the year award for Candy Shop featuring Olivia. Mariah Carey was also a finalist in seven categories, but only won five awards.