T.I.'s Paper Trail (Grand Hustle / Atlantic) is on course to debut at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 next week. The rapper's sixth studio set leads Nielsen Sound Scan's Building Chart, released today (October 3). Unweighted sales of Paper Trail through the close of business yesterday stood at 357,000.

Billboard estimates the nine merchants who report to Nielsen SoundScan's Building chart -- Trans World Entertainment, Best Buy, Circuit City, iTunes, Starbucks, Borders, Target, Anderson Merchandisers and Handleman Co. -- comprise about 80% of all U.S. album sales.

The 357,000 figure is the third-largest Friday Building Chart sum of the year, trailing only Lil Wayne's Cash Money / Universal Motown set Tha Carter III (630,000) and Coldplay's Capitol album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends (459,000). Those two albums finished their first full week in stores shifting 1 million and 721,000, respectively.

If Paper Trail does hit No. 1, it will be T.I.'s third straight chart topper on The Billboard 200, following King in 2006 and T.I. Vs. T.I.P. in 2007. King bowed with 522,000 while T.I.P. landed with 468,000.

Source: Billboard

imagine Paper Trail being #1 while he is in jail, remind you of anyone?