The playlist: a weekly ranking of the hottest Blacks in R&B, hip-hop and rap, according to radio airplay, CD sales, ringtones or single downloads

Jet, August 18, 2008

Top R&B CDs

1. SPIRIT Leona Lewis

2. LAY IT DOWN Al Green

3. JORDIN SPARKS Jordin

4. AS I AM Alicia Keys

5. HERE I STAND Usher

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Source: Amazon.com as of 8/01/08

Top Hip-Hop & Rap CDs

1. NAS Nas

2. THA CARTER III Lil' Wayne

3. HERE I STAND Usher

4. SHINE Estelle

5. ST. ELSEWHERE Gnarls Barkley

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Source: Amazon.com as of 8/01/08

Top R&B Downloads

1. AMERICAN BOY Estelle

2. FOREVER Chris Brown

3. CLOSER Ne-Yo

4. GREEN LIGHT John Legend (f/Andre 3000)

5. LOVE IN THIS CLUB Usher

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Source: iTunes.com as of 8/04/08

Top Radio Airplay

1. A MILLI Lil' Wayne, CM/Universal Motown

2. PUT ON Young Jeezy (f/Kanye West) CTE/Def Jam/IDJMG

3. I LUV YOUR GIRL The-Dream, Island/IDJMG

4. TAKE A BOW Rihanna, SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG

5. NEEDU BAD Jazmine Sullivan (f/Missy Elliott), J/RMG

6. HEAVEN SENT Keyshia Cole Imani/Geffen/Interscope

7. TAKE YOU DOWN Chris Brown, Jive/Zomba

8. GET LIKE ME David Banner (f/Chris Brown) SRC/Universal Motown

9. HERE I AM Rick Ross, SNS/Def Jam/IDJMG

10. BUST IT BABY (PART 2) Plies (f/Ne-Yo) Big Gates/SNS/Atlantic

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Source: Mediabase

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