In just three years, Wale went from virtual unknown to hip-hop eminence. He's dropped three notable mixtapes, four singles, and a gazillion shoe references in that time. 2008's A Mixtape About Nothing was impressive. Still, I wondered how much of that lyrical jewel would end up on the only thing that will matter years from now, his debut album. The wait is over. Here's the verdict on Wale's Attention Deficit.

Album art © Interscope

Nicki Minaj has emerged as one of the most prominent new faces in hip-hop, thanks, in part, to an enviable roster spot on Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment.I caught up with the self-proclaimed Harajuku Barbie to pick her brain on music, courage, and everything else. In this About.com exclusive interview, she talks about her songwriting process, the first hip-hop album she ever bought, and her Top 5 MCs of 2009. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the First Lady of Young Money, Nicki Minaj.

Related Content:

• A Brief Bio of Nicki Minaj
• Nicki Minaj in Photos

Photo © Young Money Ent.

Since I somehow managed to omit J.J. Brown's Connect The Dots from November's Top 10 Rap Releases, I've decided to make amends by using his album art as the lead pic for this post, in addition to offering up my left hand for sacrifice. Seriously, JJ Brown is as underrated as they come. His production on Louis Logic's Misery Loves Comedy helped me get through most of 2007. Connect The Dots makes its debut today via Well Done Entertainment.

Also in stores today are:
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Raekwon has unveiled a new music clip for "Catalina," a song off his highly praised Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II LP. "Catalina" was my least favorite cut on Cuban Linx 2. That Dr. Dre concoction stuck out like a sore thumb.

Here's the video: Raekwon - "Catalina" (Ft. Lyfe Jennings)

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?

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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