Pop Sweep: February 2, 2013...

Hey folks, It's time to kick off today's five-part "chart sweeps" of the newest songs making their way on to the weekly music charts in Billboard magazine. I'll start with the latest on the pop side....

On the all-inclusive Billboard Hot 100, which includes airplay, sales, and internet streaming data, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with Wanz climb to the #1 position with "Thrift Shop", their first chart-topper...

The top entry on the big chart this week is by Lil' Wayne, who rockets in at #63 with the first single from his upcoming I Am Not A Human Being II album, "(Bitches) Love Me" featuring Drake and Future. As the lead artist, Weezy has placed seven singles in the Hot 100 top-10, with "Lollipop" going to #1 in 2008. I had already given my opinion on this trash a couple weeks ago. Toss-off. Grade: F (NSFW)

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Another rapper, Harlem native A$AP Rocky, has the top-selling album this week, and two more tracks from the set debut to join the already top-20 "F**kin' Problems". First at #82 is "Wild For The Night", a club-oriented track featuring dubstep king Skrillex and French DJ collective Birdy Nam Nam.Grade: D+ (NSFW)

The other A$AP Rocky entry is the title track from the album, "Love Live A$AP" at #86..Grade: D

British X Factor runner-up Olly Murs scores his second Hot 100 hit with the awesome Maroon-ish "Troublemaker" featuring rapper Flo Rida at #87. He previously took "Heart Skips A Beat" to #96 last year. This should be huge in a just world. Grade: A

The final debut here is alt-rocker-turned-country-singer Darius Rucker, with his cover of the Bob Dylan co-write originally done by the Old Crow Medicine Show. Grade: B

Meanwhile, over on the Mainstream Pop radio format, Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" jumps to the top spot.


Leaping in at #14 is Justin Timberlake with Jay-Z with "Suit & Tie". Grade: C (NSFW)

The other entry at #37 is Bruno Mars, with the followup to his #1 "Locked Out Of Heaven", the ballad "When I Was Your Man". Grade: B

Over at the Adult-Top-40 format list, The Lumineers hang on for a fifth week at #1 with "Ho Hey".

The sole debut here is Latin rapper Pitbull with his club jam (well, maybe not according to Billboard), "Don't Stop The Party" featuring TJR, a track that's already made the top-20 on the Hot 100. He took "Give Me Everything" to #19 on this chart in 2011...Grade: B+

Finally, on the Adult-Contemporary (or "Easy" or soft-rock) chart, a new and non-seasonal song climbs to #1, Phillip Phillips' "Home"...

The top entry at #22 is tenor Josh Groban's new single, "Brave". For him, it's the most "rockin'" he's ever been, but his voice remains as classical as it has, which is a little bit jarring. Grade: B-

Emeli Sande's "Next To Me" arrives at this format at #27. Grade: A

The last debut here is Taylor Swift's dubstep-lite of "I Knew You Were Trouble" at #29..Grade: B-

That's it for the first part of this trip, I'll return in 90 minutes with the latest on rock radio.