August 27, 2008

By Silvio Pietroluongo, N.Y.

T.I. establishes the mark for biggest jump to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, as "Whatever You Want" soars 71-1 in its third week on the list. The new chart will be published tomorrow (Aug. 28) on Billboard.biz.

A No. 1 opening on Hot Digital Songs with sales of 205,000 downloads is the impetus for the record-setting Hot 100 move, which surpasses the 64-1 hike taken by Maroon 5's "Makes Me Wonder" in the May 12, 2007, issue.

"Want" is the rapper's first No. 1 as a lead artist (he was featured on Justin Timberlake's 2006 chart-topper, "My Love") and his opening-week digital sum is the best by a rap track since Nielsen SoundScan began compiling download data in 2003.

The song is also faring well at radio, jumping 33-20 on Hot 100 Airplay and 13-8 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.

T.I.'s new Grand Hustle/Atlantic album, "Paper Trail," is due Sept. 30. The rapper, who pled guilty to federal weapons charges in conjunction with an October 2007 arrest in Atlanta, will eventually serve a year in jail following the completion of 1,000 hours of community service.

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