Welcome to Play Count, the Volume’s weekly mix of the best in recent hip-hop. In this edition, new music from Lupe Fiasco, Kida, Chip tha Ripper, Beanie Sigel and more.

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XV - “Vizzy Zone”
Kansas rapper XV delivers his take on Kid Cudi’s booming anthem, “Cudi Zone.” He doesn’t carry the melody with quite the same finesse as Mr. Solo Dolo, but this loose reworking never feels forced. The self-proclaimed “Kid with the green backpack” released his Everybody’s Nobody mixtape earlier this year, which showcased the young MC’s range—if he keeps to this standard, he’ll be setting himself up for a big 2010.

Kida ft. Busta Rhymes, Little Brother, Kurupt, Crooked I, Talib Kweli, Jay Rock and Willie B - “Holla! (remix)”
Seven guest MCs on one remix? How does a new artist pull off such amazing guest spots for one track? Turns out it was likely at the hands of Focus, who discovered the MC, and has now enlisted the talents of 9th Wonder, Jake One, Illmind and Don Cannon for Kida’s upcoming street album, The Endemic.

Timbaland ft. Drake and Lupe Fiasco - “Say Something (Blend Mix)”
Lupe has been on his grind since being left off MTV’s Hottest MCs List—he seems determined to let the world know he deserves to be included among the best today. On one of his many recent freestyles, Lupe jumps on the recent leak off of Timbaland’s upcoming album, Shock Value 2: a blend of Lupe’s verse mixed with the original Drake-assisted cut.

Beanie Sigel - “What You Talkin’ Bout”
The leader of State Property airs his dirty laundry about the man who brought him up in the game, Jay-Z. Since performing the first few bars at a recent Philly show, Beans hasn’t let up, premiering the track on Kay Slay’s radio show and sitting down for two long interviews, going into specific details about past issues with Hova and some of the supposed backstabbing ways of the Roc-a-Fella dynasty. Beans even talked with 50 Cent, notorious for using others’ drama for his own personal gain.

Chip tha Ripper - “Hey Love ‘09″
This Cleveland MC stole the show with his guest spot on the track “Hyyer,” from Cudi’s debut album. Here, he builds up hype for his upcoming solo mixtape, The Cleveland Show, with a reworking of “Hey Love” for the Mick Boogie and Terry Urban De La Soul dedication mixtape (due out later this month).

50 Cent ft. Eminem - “Psycho”
Before I Self Destruct, 50’s latest, sprung a leak almost four weeks before its release, and although it will always be hard to follow up his breakout album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, this may be his best attempt since. This album highlight features the always-impressive Eminem, who seems poised to do real damage with his next album, Relapse 2.

Spank Pops - “Beautiful Noise”
A newcomer from San Francisco, Spank Pops sets his sights high on this, the title track from his recent EP, Beautiful Noise; the production sounds fresh and exciting, and Spank comes off confident and crisp.

Buff1 - “When the Winter Comes”
The sheer amount of talent from Detroit can seem overwhelming, but Buff1 has felt like an artist ready to blow from the D for a while now. We caught Buff opening up for Mayer Hawthorne a month back, and his stage presence and confidence, rocking alongside DJ 14KT, suggested he’s ready for the next level of success. This ode to the coming change in seasons is a must-have for walking down the windy streets of New York this winter.