The Top 10 Most Popular Hip Hop Singles The Week Of 10/24/2011

November is a big month for Hip Hop and with it comes the usual round of leaks to drum up anticipation for the whole slew of projects about to drop. It’s always good when an album can be played from beginning to end, but never underestimate the power of a good single. Thanks to the internet, these singles get tested and approved long before the album is ready. This week, we received a batch of those songs to test out and they were met with positive results. As Drake, Wale, Pusha T, and Mary J. Blige all plan to release their new projects, their songs have already hit the ground running here. Check them out.

Kid CuDi Looks To the Past as Wale Preps For the Future

There was a time when Wale and Kid CuDi were mentioned in the same sentence. Always. The two arrived on the scene at around the same time, had similar styles (back then), and it seemed like they’d be side by side delivering their new breed of Hip Hop to the masses. Then Kid CuDi turned a little emo, then turned rockstar, now actor (“How To Make It In America”). Wale aligned with Rick Ross to become the pensive wordsmith of the MMG empire who still likes to have a little fun. So the two parted ways, but finally made peace. Plus this week, they’re both on this list. The Cudster had a track circulate from back in 2007. It’s called “Bigger Than You” and it’s along the same vein as “Day N Nite” in that semi-sappy lonesome pothead musings sense. Wale is dropping Ambition in less than a week (check out the snippets ). He jumped right up the list with the Big Sean-assisted and Diplo-produced “Slight Work” plus brought out the big guns on the title track with fellow MMG-affiliates Rick Ross and Meek Mill. So there you have it with Wale and CuDi. Two kids who sat at the same lunch table now don’t even go to the same school. At least they reunited on Wale’s album with “Focused”.

Drake Shows Everyone a Good Time…Even Mary J. Blige

Say what you will about Drake, but people seem to love him. While Drizzy’s sad-sing-songy brand of Hip Hop has pissed enough people off, he still keeps on winning. On November 15th, he’ll bring out his second album Take Care, which we’ve already heard quite a large chunk of its tracks (“Marvin’s Room,”“Headlines,”“Club Paradise,”“Free Spirit,”“Make Me Proud,”“The Real Her”) long before the album was finished. This week “Make Me Proud” with Nicki Minaj and “The Real Her” with Lil Wayne still make their presence felt, with the latter at #1. However, as Mary J. Blige gears for My Life 2, she also gets Drake on a song called “Mr. Wrong.” The Jim Jonsin and Rico Love produced cut wasn’t the only glimpse into Mary’s new project. “Why” with Rick Ross also arrived, along with “25/8.” The album will also have a song with Nas (“Feel Inside”) and Beyoncé (“Loving a Woman”). Those last two tracks haven’t surfaced yet, but there’s still hope to head them before the album drops on November 21st.