As reported in a breaking Billboard.com news story yesterday, Jay-Z earns his fourth Hot 100 No. 1 with "Empire State of Mind," his collaboration with Alicia Keys. All of Jay-Z's four chart-toppers have been collaborations, but this is his first No. 1as a lead or co-billed vocalist. The rap legend's prior chart-topping entries came as a featured vocalist on Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker" (1999), his now-wife Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" (2003) and Rihanna's "Umbrella" (2007).
 
"Empire" is also Keys' fourth overall No. 1, as she previously scaled the list with her debut single "Fallin'" (2001), her duet with Usher, "My Boo," (2004) and "No One" (2007).
 
"Empire" takes Hot 100 Airplay Gainer honors as it rises 6-1 on Radio Songs (up 15 million listener impressions to 109.5 million), the largest climb to No. 1 on that chart since Kanye West's "Stronger" jumped 7-1 in the Oct. 6, 2007, issue.
 
The other big story within the Hot 100 top 10 is the 22-5 move and a Digital Gainer nod for Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now." The act, which won Vocal Group of the Year and Single of the Year (for "I Run To You") on ABC's "Country Music Awards" Nov. 11, performed "Need" on the highly rated broadcast.
 
As a result, digital downloads soared 162% to 157,000, the highest one-week sum for a song by a country group since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital sales in 2003. Among all country acts, only Taylor Swift has moved more downloads for a track in a single week.
 
Lady Antebellum is also the first country group to reach the Hot 100 top 10 since Dixie Chicks peaked at No. 4 with "Not Ready to Make Nice" in March 2007.
 
Owl City's "Fireflies" falls from No. 1 to No. 2 once more, now having spent two single-week stints at the top of the list. Another recent No. 1, Jason DeRulo's "Whatcha Say" holds at No. 3 and Iyaz's "Replay" remains at No. 4.
 
Britney Spear's "3" rebounds 8-6, "Down" by Jay Sean Featuring Lil Wayne dips 5-7 and Miley Cyrus' "Party In The U.S.A." also falls two spots to No. 8. Ke$ha chimes in with her first top 10, "Tik Tok" (14-10), becoming the second female act to score a top 10 with her debut single this year, following Lady Gaga. And she appropriately follows Gaga on this week's list as "Paparazzi" slips 7-9.
 
The Glee Cast has charted 14 songs on the Hot 100, and for the first time sees one track move up the chart as the troupe's cover of the "Wicked" musical's signature song "Defying Gravity" bounds 99-31. "Gravity's" gain is a result of a 185% digital spike to 70,000 downloads. Not coincidentally, the "Wicked" Broadway cast album nets its best sales week since last Christmas (6,000; up 85%) and the original "Defying" by Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth has its best download week ever (9,000 downloads).
 
Hot Shot Debut honors go to "Give It Up To Me" by Shakira Featuring Lil Wayne, the second single from the Latin songstress from her upcoming "She Wolf, due Nov. 23. The track enters the chart with 25,000 first-week downloads and moves 30-29 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.
 
Another interesting debut comes from California native Anya Marina, who enters at No. 88 with a cover or T.I.'s former No. 1 "Whatever You Like." Her version was featured in a recent episode of the CW's "Gossip Girl."