'Thrift Shop' bests Timberlake's 'Suit & Tie' on Billboard

Cast member Justin Timberlake poses at the premiere of "Trouble with the Curve" at the Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California September 19, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Justin Timberlake's first single in five years - "Suit & Tie" - fell short of sales expectations for its first week and was kept from the top spot on the Billboard digital songs chart by a novelty rap act.

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"Suit & Tie," which features rapper Jay-Z, sold 314,000 downloads, according to figures released on Wednesday by Nielsen SoundScan.

Industry experts had expected about 350,000 downloads for Timberlake's widely publicized single, which precedes a new album later in 2013 - his first since 2006.

But Timberlake, 31, who has been focused on building a Hollywood acting career, was dressed down on the digital chart by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop" featuring rapper Wanz, which sold some 341,000 downloads in the week ending on January 20.

It was the second consecutive week atop the digital songs chart for the novelty rap song about eschewing designer clothes for a second-hand look.

Timberlake will perform his first concert in five years during a private Super Bowl-related event in New Orleans on February 2, DirectTV announced on Wednesday. The invitation-only concert will not be shown on TV, the satellite providers said.

On the Billboard 200 album chart, rapper A$AP Rocky's debut album "Long.Live.A$AP" entered at the top spot, selling about 139,000 units last week.