Jailed rapper T.I. has top debut on singles chart

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Incarcerated rapper T.I. scored the highest debut on the new Billboard Hit 100 singles chart Thursday, while the Black Eyed Peas logged a sixth consecutive week at No. 1.

T.I.'s "Remember Me," featuring Mary J. Blige, debuted at No. 29, boosted by 81,000 downloads. The rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, began serving a 366-day sentence in May for felony weapons charges.

The Black Eyed Peas extended their record for the longest successive No. 1 chart run by a duo or group in the 51-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The six-week reign of "I Gotta Feeling" followed 12 weeks at the top by "Boom Boom Pow." Both tunes come from the hip-hop group's recent No. 1 album "The E.N.D."

Canadian rapper Drake's "Best I Ever Had" held at No. 2, and Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" rose one to No. 3, swapping places with Keri Hilson's "Knock You Down" featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo. Kings of Leon remained at No. 5 with "Use Somebody."

Jay Sean's "Down," featuring Lil Wayne, zoomed 26 places to No. 6. The U.K. singer's video premiere on YouTube July 23 was followed by a download increase of 136% for the track.

Sean Kingston's "Fire Burning" slipped one to No. 7, the Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" fell one to No. 8, and Lady GaGa's "Lovegame" was off one to No. 9. Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester's "Good Girls Go Bad" rose one to No. 10.

(Editing by dgoodman at Reuters)