Chesney speaks up in No. 1 fray

OK, so 50 Cent has vowed to hang up his solo career if Kanye West outsells him when their new albums are released simultaneously Sept. 11. But the outspoken rapper hasn’t said what he’ll do if he trumps West but still comes in behind another superstar act with a new album coming out the same day.

Country singer-songwriter Kenny Chesney says the rappers ought to be watching their backs in case he slips by both. “It’s funny how with every record that comes out,” Chesney told Entertainment Weekly, “we’re aware of the urban [competition], and none of those acts are aware that I exist -- until I have that No. 1 debut on the Top 200.”

In fact, Chesney’s last four studio albums have debuted at No. 1, and he consistently places at or near the top of annual lists of the year’s top concert-ticket sellers. So if West and 50 Cent split the rap vote come Sept. 11, Chesney might just be the spoiler.