Tropical Albums is a record chart

Record chart

A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....

 published by Billboard magazine

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

. Established in June 1985, the chart compiles information about the top-selling albums in genres like salsa

Salsa music

Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...

, merengue

Merengue music

Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...

, bachata, cumbia

Cumbia

Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...

, and vallenato

Vallenato

Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...

, which are frequently considered tropical music

Tropical music

Musica tropical or tropical music is a broad term for vocal and instrumental music with "tropical" flavor usually associated with the Afro-Caribbean music. It is part of an even broader category of Latin music. Usually it is an upbeat dance music, but also includes ballads. It features complex,...

. The chart features only full-length albums and, like all Billboard album charts, is based on sales. The information is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan

Nielsen SoundScan

Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...

 from a sample representing more than 90% of the U.S. music retail market, including not only music stores and music departments at electronics and department stores but also direct-to-consumer transactions and Internet sales (both physical albums and digital downloads). A limited number of verifiable sales at concert venues is also tabulated. Innovations

Innovations (album)

-Critical reception:José A. Estévez, Jr. of Allmusic gave the album a mixed review criticizing the lack of novelties while stating Juan Cabeza Dura, No Me Olvides and La Loma del Tamarindo were "servicable".-Chart performance:...

by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico was the first album to reach number-one in the chart.

The current number-one album, as of the January 22, 2011 issue is Prince Royce

Prince Royce (album)

Prince Royce is the eponymous debut studio album by American recording artist Prince Royce, released on March 2, 2010 through Top Stop Music. The production was handled primarily by Andrés Hidalgo, with other contributions made by Sergio George, George Meña, Bastiany, Gregory "Greko" Rojo and Napoles...

by Prince Royce

Prince Royce

Geoffrey Royce Rojas , known professionally as Prince Royce, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer from New York City, New York. At an early age, Royce took an interest in music and into his teenage years, began experimenting with music and writing poetry. By age nineteen, Royce met...

.

Artist with the most number-ones

• Gilberto Santa Rosa
  Gilberto Santa Rosa
  Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...
  
   (10)
• Víctor Manuelle
  Victor Manuelle
  Víctor Manuelle, born Víctor Manuel Ruiz on November 4, 1968 in Bronx, New York, is a successful Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican American salsa singer, songwriter, and improvisational sonero, known to his fans as El Sonero de la Juventud...
  
   (9)
• Marc Anthony
  Marc Anthony
  Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
  
   (7)
• El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico (6)
• Eddie Santiago
  Eddie Santiago
  Eddie Santiago is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico. At a young age, Eddie demonstrated great love for salsa music...
  
   (6)
• La India
  La India
  La India , known also as "La Princesa de la Salsa" , is a singer of salsa. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.-Early years:...
  
   (5)
• Jerry Rivera
  Jerry Rivera
  -Albums:* Empezando a Vivir Sony Music* Abriendo Puertas * Cuenta Conmigo * Cara de Niño...
  
   (5)
• Juan Luis Guerra
  Juan Luis Guerra
  Juan Luis Guerra is a singer, songwriter and producer from the Dominican Republic who has sold over 30 million records, and won numerous awards including 12 Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards...
  
   (5)
• Luis Enrique
  Luis Enrique (singer)
  Luis Enrique Mejía López, is a Nicaraguan singer and composer. He started his career in the late 1980s and achieved success in the 1990s earning the title "El Principe de la Salsa . He was one of the leading pioneers that led to the salsa romantica movement in the 1980s...
  
   (5)
• Aventura (4)
• Frankie Ruiz
  Frankie Ruiz
  Frankie Ruiz was a famous Puerto Rican salsa singer.-Early years:Born Jose Antonio Torresola Ruiz, he was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. His parents moved from Puerto Rico to the United States in search of a better way of life. In Paterson, Ruiz received his primary and secondary...
  
   (4)
• Gloria Estefan
  Gloria Estefan
  Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
  
   (4)

Year-end best selling albums

According to the RIAA, albums containing more than 50% Spanish language content are awarded with gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 certifications (Disco de Oro) for U.S. shipments of 100,000 units; platinum

Platinum

Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...

 (Disco de Platino) for 200,000 and multi-platinum (Multi-Platino) for 400,000 and following in increments of 200,000 thereafter. In the following table, the certifications

RIAA certification

In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 shown are standard as any album release in United States: gold certification for sales of 500,000 copies; platinum, for one million units, and multi-platinum for more than one million sold.

Year	Artist	Album	Label	RIAA certification
1986	Frankie Ruiz Frankie Ruiz Frankie Ruiz was a famous Puerto Rican salsa singer.-Early years:Born Jose Antonio Torresola Ruiz, he was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. His parents moved from Puerto Rico to the United States in search of a better way of life. In Paterson, Ruiz received his primary and secondary...	Solista Pero No Solo Solista Pero No Solo Solista Pero No Solo is the debut album by Frankie Ruiz following his departure from Tommy Olivencia's band. The album reached #1 on the Tropical Album chart which made Ruiz the first solo performer to achieve this feat.-Track listing:...	Rodven Records Rodven Records Rodven Records was a Venezuelan record label that belonged to the Cisneros family owned ODC group, then proprietors of one of the largest TV networks in the country, VENEVISION...
1987	Eddie Santiago Eddie Santiago Eddie Santiago is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico. At a young age, Eddie demonstrated great love for salsa music...	Atrevido y Diferente Atrevido y Diferente Atrevido y Diferente is the second studio album by Puerto Rican salsa singer, Eddie Santiago. Released in 1986, it was cited as one of the turning points of the salsa genre into salsa romantica.-Singles:...
1994	Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...	Mi Tierra Mi Tierra Mi Tierra is the third studio solo album and first Latin solo album released by American singer Gloria Estefan, but is her 15th overall, released in 1993 .- History :...	Epic Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...	Platinum
1995
1996		Abriendo Puertas
1997	Charlie Zaa Charlie Zaa Carlos Alberto Sánchez , better known in the entertainment world as Charlie Zaa, is a Colombian singer who has gained fame across Latin America and among Hispanics in the United States. Zaa is the son of singer Luis Humberto Sánchez.Zaa was a singer with two famous Colombian salsa orchestras:...	Sentimientos Sentimientos -Personnel:*Milton Salcedo — arranger*Hugo Gutiérrez — director*Rafael Henriquez — engineer, mixing*Liliana Parra — violin*Jorge Ramirez — bass, piano, mixing*Sady Ramírez — percussion, programming, mixing*Luis Maria Diaz — viola*Valentin Diaz — violin...	Sonolux	Platinum
1998	Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club The Buena Vista Social Club was a members club in Havana, Cuba that held dances and musical activities, becoming a popular location for musicians to meet and play during the 1940s...	Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club (album) - Music :"Chan Chan", the first song on the album, is a Cuban song composition by Compay Segundo, revolving around two central characters, Juanita and Chan Chan. The song was one of Segundo's last compositions and was written in 1987, already having been recorded by Segundo himself various...	World Circuit World Circuit World Circuit can mean:* World Circuit , a famous world music record label.* Formula One Grand Prix , a racing simulator video game known as "World Circuit" in the US....	Gold
1999	Elvis Crespo Elvis Crespo Elvis Crespo , is a Puerto Rican-American Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning Merengue singer.-Early years:Crespo was born in New York City and was named "Elvis" after Elvis Presley...	Suavemente Suavemente Suavemente is an album by Puerto Rican merenguero Elvis Crespo, literally meaning "smoothly" or "softly" in Spanish. The album reached Number 1 on Billboard's "National Latin top 40" chart in 1998...	Sony Discos	Platinum
2000	Marc Anthony Marc Anthony Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...	Desde Un Principio: From the Beginning Desde Un Principio: From the Beginning Desde un principio: From the Beginning is a greatest hits album by American singer Marc Anthony released on November 9, 1999, by RMM. The album was a result from Anthony leaving RMM Records and signing on with Columbia Records...	RMM RMM Records & Video RMM Records, also known as RMM Records & Video Corp, was an independent Latin music record label based in New York City, The record label was formed originally as RMM Management by one of Fania Records promoter Ralph Mercado, but in 1987 it started operating as a record label, with Angelito...	Gold
2001	Son by Four Son By Four Son by Four is a salsa music group from Puerto Rico, well-known for their English U.S. pop hit "Purest of Pain ". The group is signed to Sony Music Entertainment....	Son by Four Son By Four (album) Son by Four is the second studio album released in 2000 by the romantic music group Son by Four. This album received a Latin Grammy Award for Best Tropical Song, for their number-one hit "A Puro Dolor", and also became their first number-one album on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart.-Track...	Sony Discos	Gold
2002	Marc Anthony Marc Anthony Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...	Libre		Gold
2003	Celia Cruz Celia Cruz Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...	Hits Mix		Gold
2004	Daddy Yankee Daddy Yankee Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez , known artistically as Daddy Yankee, is a Latin Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican Reggaeton recording artist. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, the largest district of San Juan, where he became interested in music at a young age. In his youth he was interested in baseball,...	Barrio Fino Barrio Fino Barrio Fino is the third studio album and first commercially released album by Puerto Rican rapper performer Daddy Yankee, released on 13 July 2004, by Machete Music and El Cartel Records....	El Cartel Records El Cartel Records El Cartel Records is Daddy Yankee's record company. The release of Barrio Fino, Daddy Yankee's first commercially successful album, is notable for being the label's first distributed album.-Studio albums:Daddy Yankee* 2004: Barrio Fino* 2005: Barrio Fino en Directo* 2007: El Cartel: The Big...
2005
2006	Aventura	God's Project	Stritchcode/Premium Latin
2007		K.O.B. Live
2008		Kings of Bachata: Sold Out at Madison Square Garden Kings of Bachata: Sold Out at Madison Square Garden Kings of Bachata: Sold Out at Madison Square Garden is the third live album released by Bachata group Aventura. The concert was sold out and took place on September 1, 2007, at Madison Square Garden. A DVD of the concert was released November 13, 2007...
2009		The Last The Last (album) John Bush of Allmusic gave the album a somewhat positive review. He called the lead single "Por un Segundo" a "straight bachata, rhythmic and sweet" and noted that the crossovers are put on the latter half of the album. Tijana Ilich of About.com praised the vocals of Anthony "Romeo" Santos and the...
2010