According to early reports, T.I.'s King album is on pace to become the year's biggest first-week seller to date with numbers heading past 500,000 copies.

With lead single "What You Know" in heavy rotation and T.I. making his motion picture debut in ATL this weekend, King, his fourth solo set, is expected to land atop the Billboard album charts next week.

Word is the album may sell well over 500,000 units should Warner Music Group fix major stock and distribution problems in a timely fashion. The album would put Tip in a position to score his first multi-platinum release. The Atlanta rapper already has two platinum efforts under his belt, 2003's Trap Muzik and 2004's Urban Legend. He also dropped his debut I'm Serious in 2001.

In related news, T.I. is starring in ATL, a coming of age story set in the crunk capital. Directed by Chris Robinson and executive produced by Will Smith, the flick also stars Big Boi, Lauren London, Keith David (Dead Presidents, Clockers) and Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump, Ali). ATL's L.A. premiere takes places tonight while the movie opens nationwide this Friday.

T.I.'s King is in stores now.
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A federal judge's order for the city of Los Angeles to pay $1.1 million to the family of slain rapper Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace was approved yesterday (March 30) by the Los Angeles City Council.

Voletta Wallace, B.I.G.'s mother, and his widow, Faith Evans, sued the city and others four years ago, alleging wrongful death, and accused convicted corrupt cops Rafael Perez and David Mack of conspiring with Death Row CEO Marion "Suge" Knight to kill B.I.G.

Last July, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper declared a mistrial in the family's suit after it was revealed that the LAPD were deliberately concealing evidence in the rapper's killing. She later ordered the LAPD to pay $1.1 million to the family's legal team in costs disbursed during the trial.

City lawyers told the council an appeal was unlikely to overturn the judge's ruling and they approved the payment on Wednesday.

A retrial of the wrongful death case is expected later this year.

Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed on March 9, 1997, after leaving a Los Angeles party. His murder has yet to be solved.

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Police Department assigned a new team of detectives to take a second look at the murder.

In related news, the approval of $1.1 million may come as good news to the Wallace family who recently learned that a judge halted all sales of the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1994 debut Ready To Die because of samples that were not cleared.
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