The 24th annual DMC’s DJ Battle For World Supremacy and World DJ Finals take place this Friday and Saturday, September 26-27, in London. The battle segment features the U.S.’s defending champion, DJ Shiftee, versus contenders from Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Israel, France, Sweden, and Portugal. The event also includes performances by Killa Kela, Million Dan, and Jungle Drummer. Previous DMC World Champions from North America have included DJ Cheese (1986, New Jersey), DJ Cash Money (1988, Philadelphia), Qbert, MixMaster Mike, and DJ Apollo (1992, San Francisco), Roc Raida (1995, NYC), A-Trak (1997, Canada), and Craze (1998-2000, Florida), to name a few.

Q-Tip, from influential ’90s hip-hop quartet A Tribe Called Quest, drops his new album, The Renaissance (Universal Motown), on November 4. It’s just his second solo release since his 1999’s Amplified. Q-Tip quick facts: He DJs weekly Fridays with Rich Medina at Santos Party House in New York; he performs October 29 at the New York Knicks opening game and appears November 6 on The Late Show with David Letterman.

DJ M.O.S. has a dope rare-groove soul mix online now. The mix features all-good “roots of hip-hop” funk selections from Cameo, Loose Ends, Donald Byrd, Con Funk Shun, and more.

West Coast supergroup The Mighty Underdogs (Lateef The Truth Speaker, Headnodic, and The Gift Of Gab) head out on tour in October and November to support their October 14 Definitive Jux release, Droppin’ Science Fiction. The tour starts in L.A. and hits Chicago, Milwaukee, and Denver before heading back to the western states.

People Under The Stairs producer Thes One is offering a free mixtape download titled Funner Than Leather. “I call it up-tempo disco rap,” says Thes of the release. PUTS official new album, Fun DMC, is out September 30 on Gold Dust Media, and the group will perform October 1 in San Francisco with Shawn Jackson and Common Market at The Independent.

Political hip-hop heads can get a does of real news coverage every week. Just tune in to Jasiri X’s YouTube channel as he remixes the news from a hip-hop perspective. Neither Karl Rove, Bill O’Riley, O.J., nor Josh Howard escape X’s insightful commentary. Brilliant stuff!