Just Blaze and Jay Electronica have teamed up to give us one of the most compelling hip-hop songs of the year. And I realized this after repeat spins of an untidy version of the track, replete with obnoxious shoutouts. Imagine how much more powerful it sounds after passing through a mixing console en route to iTunes. Hop over to iTunes and help yourself to the final, mixed and mastered version of Jay Electronica's Exhibit C EP right now.

Don't say I never gave you a Christmas present.

Cue the cinematic theme music. Lil Wayne and Eminem, two largely revered hip-hop titans clash on their first real collaboration (no, "Forever" doesn't count) on "Drop The World," a track off Weezy's eternally postponed Rebirth album, due out Feb. 1st. Both MCs seize the opportunity to tout the cachet that others could only envy. Here's my take on Lil Wayne's "Drop The World" featuring Eminem.

Christmas may be in the air, but that doesn't mean that Kid Cudi is in a festive mood. Cudi was caught on tape engaging in a slugfest with a disrespectful fan during a show in Vancouver last weekend. From the video, it appears that the fan had tossed a wallet at the rapper. Cudi then vaulted off the stage and proceeded to serve him a knuckle sandwich. Turns out he was slugging the wrong fan all along. Watch the video below.

• Kid Cudi Attacks a Fan [Video]

From early indications, Common's next album might see him return to the raw emceeing he was known for before he caught the Kanye experimentation bug. For starters, the Chicago native has stated that he wants to do "some raw hip-hop" with his next effort, The Believer. It gets better. He also tapped No ID, the mastermind behind his early albums, for this go-round.

"We did some preliminary pre-production type stuff, and it just felt so good to be working with him," said Common in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "It felt like, "Man, life is really, really good." It's full circle. You meet up with the person who's partially responsible for beginning your career, and you're like, "Man, this is really cool -- that we meet at this place in our lives and our creative journeys and we really are enthused to work with each other."

Other members of The Believer's production cast are Kanye West and Twilite Tone. The Believer is set for the summer of 2010.

Nas and soon-to-be ex-wife Kelis have reached a financial agreement in court with regards to their ongoing divorce and child custody battle. A Los Angeles court ordered Nas to increase monthly payments to his estranged wife. He will now pay Kelis $51,000 each month. Kelis said she was "thrilled" about the upgrade.

According to court documents, both artists are described as suffering from financial hardship. Kelis recently signed a record deal worth $175,000 with Interscope, but her lawyers argued that she has only received $50,000 of the fee.

Nas is not expected to release an album until next year - which may then result in additional income. His last album, Untitled, was released over a year ago.

Kelis, meanwhile, has not filed a tax return for years. Similarly, Nas was busted by the IRS for unpaid taxes.

This month's lineup is a grab bag dominated by hip-hop compilations and re-issues. One is a rock-rap experiment. One is a duo of brothers bestowing itself upon a public hungry for some grit. Two are comeback attempts by artists whose relevancy is questionable. One is a reintroduction from an erstwhile Eminem protege. Together they constitute December's Top 10 New Rap Releases.

To borrow Andre's words from "Ms. Jackson," "You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather." If this picnic goes as planned, however, 2010 could see a batch of new music from OutKast, arguably hip-hop's greatest rapping duo.

Big Boi's Sir Luscious Left Foot
The first OutKast release out the gate will be Big Boi's long overdue solo album, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. Boi tells Billboard.com that his solo debut is "coming at the top of the year." Judging by the singles and buzz songs, Sir Lucious Left Foot shows signs of brilliance. It has already spawned two solid hits, the Mary J Blige-assisted "Something's Gotta Give" and "Royal Flush," alongside Raekwon and Andre 3000. You may recall that "Royal Flush" topped our Best Rap Songs of 2008 list.

Andre 3000's Solo Album
Big Boi's solo outing will be followed directly by Dre's album. In the same Billboard interview, Boi adds that "3000 [will drop] right after me."

Hey, what about Outkast?
At this point, you're probably wondering if these two will ever make another group album. It will only happen on one condition. Here's Big Boi again: "When the solo albums come out, depending on how the fans support them, then we're gonna give them the Outkast album."

The moral of the story is this: if you want OutKast as a whole, you have to go out in droves and support the sum of its parts. Either way, 2010 will be a big year for the two dope boys in a Cadillac.

New details have emerged on Drake's long-gestating debut album, Thank Me Later. For starters, the Canadian MC is now aiming for a March 2010 release date for the album.

During Wednesday's Grammy nominations concert, where Drake received 2 nods for his monstrous single "Best I Ever Had," he attributed part of the album's delay to scheduling issues with other artists.

Nas can't catch a break these days. As if it wasn't enough that he's embroiled in a legal battle with Kelis, the Queens MC now has a pending court date in Georgia for charges related to DUI. Nas and his brother Jungle (Jabari Jones) were pulled over in September, according to a police report obtained by MTV News. Nas was taken to the nearby Henry County police station, where he was charged with one count of driving under the influence and released. TMZ obtained a dash cam clip of the incident.

While 2009 produced more duds than gems, the year also boasts an array of great albums that managed to sustain our faith in hip-hop. Grab a cold drink, pull up a chair, and join us as we take stock of 2009's Best Hip-Hop Albums.