Maybe Plies isn't bad for the kids after all. At least not the ones that sneak into his concerts. Plies was in the middle of a show when he spotted a preteen girl in the crowd. "I just realized there's a little girl in here that looks like she's 12 years-old," Plies said. He motioned to his hype men to bring the kid onstage. He then did what any responsible adult would do: He apologized and sent her home.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Before dismissing the girl Plies gave her a parting present of $1,000. Yes, he had exactly $1,000 lying around in his pocket. Hey, I'm just saying. While I commend Plies for taking a stance against having kids at his show, I'm puzzled by his decision to pay her $1,000. Watch the video below.

• Video - Plies Pays Pre-teen $1,000 to Leave Concert

By now you've probably heard of the rift between Jay-Z and former Roc-A-Fella associate Beanie Sigel. Sigel released a track titled "Average Cat" last week to address the issue. "Average Cat" is not so much a diss as it is Beanie's melodramatic take on the discord. Jay has only responded briefly during a press conference in Montreal.

"Beanie Sigel, at the time, was driving two Bentleys," Jay said in his response. "Beanie Sigel had a record deal, a record label, and a clothing line, and never went platinum...ever. I don't know in the history of rap has anyone done so much with so little. I don't know what more you could do for a person at that time."

As the saying goes, there are three sides to every story: your side, the other person's side, and the truth. So, what do you have to say about that, Sigel?

Read more...

Hip-hop veteran Wyclef Jean takes a break from humanitarian efforts to cook up some new music for his fans. His latest project, From The Hut, To The Projects, To The Mansion is due out November 10.

You can stream the disc in its entirety right now by visiting Clef's MySpace page.

If you're going to call on Jay-Z to judge your freestyle contest, it might be a good idea to pick people that won't pee all over their pants upon seeing him. The contestants in this MuchMusic freestyle battle (I used that term loosely) were laughable. Jay complimented the chick on her "all black everything" outfit. She then proceeded to make a fool of herself. The guy obviously came loaded with a stash of pre-written rhymes. Jay called him out on it and requested a 2nd round. He was probably thinking, "been there, done that." It wasn't even close. At least, the guy had decent flow.

• Watch for yourself: Jay-Z Judges Freestyle Contest

Remember the days of steam boats, morse codes, and female rappers? Seriously, ever wonder what happened to the era of dominant lady lyricists like Lauryn Hill and MC Lyte? Lin Que (X Clan) isn't taking it lying down, so she rounded up several femcees under the moniker We Are the Girl for the sheer purpose of giving a voice to the ladies.

"There was a time when we had some form of positive representation within the industry," Lin writes on the website wearthergirl.com. "This positive representation has long time passed. We went from gripping microphones to gripping stripper polls. We have been reduced to "eye-candy' and 'mimes.'I realized that the only way for us to once again make our mark is to join forces."

The group also believes in giving back to the community. Proceeds from We Are the Girl's first release, "Suga-Coated," will go toward a cancer charity. "Suga-Coated" features Mala Reignz, Knewdles, Bless Roxwell, Lin Que, Alana, Paula Perry, Toni Blackman, J-Boo, Tiye Phoenix & Rachel Walker. A download is available for $0.99 on their website.

If you plan on going to the record store today, you should first take a cursory glance at today's list of new hip-hop releases. Today's schedule includes two albums mentioned in our November Top 10: Masta Ace & Edo G's Arts & Entertainment and Gift of Gab's Escape 2 Mars. Here's a rundown of the new hip-hop albums in stores right now:

• Chief - Collabo Collection
• Cunninlynguists - Strange Journey Volume Two [Deluxe Edition]
• Gift of Gab - Escape 2 Mars
• Hell Rell - Live From Hell
• K-Rino - Solitary Confinement
• Legendary Status: Ying Yang Twins Greatest Hits
• Masta Ace & Edo G - Arts & Entertainment
• Mr. Chop - For Pete's Sake

A video for 50's "Baby By Me" has popped up on the web. The video was directed by Chris Robinson. Don't you want to see what it looks like? Take a look below:

• Watch 50 Cent's "Baby By Me" Video

On another note, Fif's album, Before I Self Destruct, has made an early debut on the web. After a few spins, it sounds like the old 50 Cent is back. A desperate attempt to regain some credibility, perhaps, but it sure sounds good.

Warning: The songs you are about to witness contain intricate conversations with supernatural beings and trippy tales of paranormal encounters. You've been warned. Start your Halloween party with these 10 spooky rap songs.

I hope you're ready for an exciting holiday season, because this month's release schedule is sizzling with some highly anticipated hip-hop albums. Will Timbaland end his streak of disappointing beats on Shock Value II? Will Wale's Attention Deficit live up to the hype? Will Rakim's Seventh Seal make a late run for Album of the Year? B-boys and b-girls, I give you November's Top 10 New Rap Albums.

Album art © Interscope

The most memorable performance at the 2009 BET Hip-Hop Awards did not take place on a stage with bright lights and bootylicious dancers. It happened right outside the venue, and all the performers needed was a microphone, a DJ, and a crowd. Yes, I'm talking about The Cypher. The bit with Eminem, Black Thought, and Mos Def was the best. (Watch the Cypher spots here)

The award ceremony itself was devoid of outstanding moments. Jay-Z teamed up with Young Jeezy to perform "Real As It Gets," which appears on Blueprint III. It was a relief to see him perform anything other than "Empire State of Mind" for a change. Speaking of the Jiggaman, he edged out Lil Wayne and Kanye for the MVP trophy.

Ice Cube was appropriately honored with the I Am Hip-Hop Icon award. Cube seized the opportunity to give credit where credit was due. "Without Chuck D, we'd be on a real bad collision course," said Cube in his acceptance speech.

This year's show featured a lot more musical performances than the previous ones. That's not necessarily a bad thing unless half the performances featured a lethargic Gucci Mane. Burr!

• Complete List of 2009 BET Hip-Hop Award Winners

What did you think of the award show now that you've seen it? Sound off.