You already know Diddy’s about to come out with a song that says something about being on this list AGAIN. He beats out Jay-Z for the #1 spot at an estimated worth of $580 million. Most of that money comes from his very generous deal with Ciroc Vodka.
As you can tell from the picture above, this year’s XXL Freshman class consists of Schoolboy Q, Trinidad Jame$, Joey Bada$$, Ab-Soul, Logic, Action Bronson, Kirko Bangz, Travi$ Scott, Dizzy Wright, and Angel Haze. Chief Keef made the honorary 11th spot. What do you think of this year’s list?
Alright so with all this talk about the “Hottest MCs” list, we thought it would be cool to put our own together. This list doesn’t have the same structure as the MTV list. For our list we wanted to place MCs who can actually spit and have some sort of buzz coming up in 2013. The list you saw on MTV was mainly based off artists who had the best buzz from the beginning of 2012 to the end of it, not too much weight on lyricism. We’re considering 20% buzz and 80% lyricism for ours and basing it off who to watch for in the year 2013. Oh and Jay-Z and Eminem are left off the list for a reason, you just don’t put guys like that on a list like this, they’re in a league of their own. The other MCs you see in the pic above were all considered and we put them in the “Honorable Mention” category.
Decision Factors:
-Lyricism
-Buzz
-Who to watch for
-Recent Projects
-Song Concepts
-Image
-Other ventures
10. Action Bronson: This guy had a very strong year, especially towards the end of 2012. It’s been said that he sounds like the white Ghostface with a more technical flow and we couldn’t agree more. He was also featured on A$AP Rocky’s track “1Train” and absolutely killed it. Watch for Action Bronson to have a huge impact in 2013 and pick up a lot more features.
9. Macklemore: Seattle’s very own Macklemore is having a huge year with his song “Thrift Shop” going 4 x platinum. The rest of the world might not know it yet, but all of the other songs he has stashed away from “The Heist” are all absolute fire also. “Gold” and “Can’t Hold Us” are already getting some rotations so we can only expect Macklemore’s buzz to keep growing. Watch for him to be much higher on this list next time around and we can almost guarantee he’ll be on MTV’s list also. His lyricism has always been there so discussing it isn’t even necessary. We’re very proud of the town’s artist and love what he’s done for Seattle.
8. J. Cole: Even though J.Cole doesn’t release music as often as we’d like, everything he does put out is a true work of art. You can tell he puts his all into the music which is why it might take longer than most of these mixtape rappers. He’s also got the Jay-Z cosign which has always been a plus in his career, Jay doesn’t just pick anyone up. Cole has always been good at telling his story and shying away from the cliche aspect of rapping about a lavish lifestyle. Don’t get it twisted he’ll stunt on a track every once in a while, but over all he’s the best at telling his story.
7. Joey Bada$$: This guy is very quickly starting to become a household name while still maintaining that underground image. With rappers like A$AP Rocky and French Montana coming out of New York with a “not-so-New-Yorkish” sound, Joey Bada$$ evens out the playing field and brings it back. Not to mention he’s also been named creative director at Ecko, huge moves all around. We’re excited for his album to drop which stays true to the roots of hip-hop and we’re sure will display true lyricism at its finest.
6. Big Sean: Whether you like him or not, Big Sean has been snappin’ on almost every track he gets on. Some may say that he’s too corny or has too soft of a voice, but all that doesn’t matter when he destroys every instrumental out there. Being on “Clique” with Jay-Z and Kanye West also should tell you something. Those two wouldn’t just let someone get on that song in their presence if they didn’t feel like that person was best for the job. Big Sean has his album “Hall of Fame” coming out this year also, that’s going to be a masterpiece.
5. Ace Hood: Ace Hood is finally getting the recognition he deserves for all the hard work he’s put in and currently has the hottest track in the club with “Bugatti”. Even though we’ve heard his type of flow from other rappers, Ace Hood is truly one of the originators of his type of flow. Everyone in the industry is after this guy and he’s currently got a deal with both DJ Khaleds We The Best and YMCMB, winning all around. Make sure to look out for his album “Trials and Tribulations” coming very soon.
4. A$AP Rocky: A$AP Rocky was disappointed about his MTV “Hottest MCs” list spot and so were we. We’re not going to place him at #1 like he wanted, but #4 is a much better spot. This guy is literally everywhere whether it’s on tour with Rihanna, the cover of Vogue, in music videos, features, fashion shows… you name it he’s there. Even though his lyrics might not go over anyone’s head, his cadence and the way he delivers is what makes him a hot MC. Just listen to his verse on “Problems”, what he says might not be technical, but the way it’s delivered definitely gives the track exactly what it needs.
3. Kendrick Lamar: Kendrick Lamar set 2012 on fire with his album, nobody is spittin like this guy in the industry. He’s got a unique cadence that nobody can replicate and destroys every feature he’s given. He’s also the best at telling his story while still delivering over-the-top metaphors that might go over a lot of heads but can all be understood if you pay attention. Kendrick is destined to have a huge year and will be hitting the road for a long time both in the United States and overseas.
2. Drake: Started from the bottom now he’s here. Drake came out of nowhere with that track and has already claimed song of the year with it, but wait… then he came out with “5 AM in Toronto” and really told the industry how he felt about everything happening around him. Drake’s the kind of guy that can have both a hit single and something to help motivate the average hustler. We’ll also be getting an album from Drake this year and everyone else might as well not do anything when that drops, he’s going to have the music industry on lock.
1. Kanye West: Now Kanye belongs up there with Jay-Z and Eminem on the “too good for the list” category, but he’s just been way too controversial recently not to mention. There’s Kim, the rants, the crazy costumes, going after Justin Timberlake and so much more that Kanye has to bring. Even with all this chaos he still makes some of the best music in the world. Yes in the world, nobody touches Kanye when it comes to both production and rapping. He’ll probably be involved in a lot of projects this year and if the rumors are true will be helping out with the new Jay-Z album. Very well deserving of the #1 spot.
Okay now here’s a list we can agree with more than what MTV put out. Complex had to make their own as always and put Jay-Z at #1 which is the best decision they could have made. Everyone in the rap game for the most part is trying to get to Jay-Z’s level, so how can you not put him at the very top.
Yo yo yo yo yo yo yo…. so we are back once again with the rest of MTV’s “Hottest MCs” list. This list has already caused a lot of controversy including Kanye West calling in to tell Sway he gave him his first TV, A$AP Rocky not agreeing with anything on the list, and Lil’ Wayne once again being named the best rapper alive… by Kanye. So over all there’s just been a lot of Kanye all over this list even though he got the #7 spot. Here’s the rest of the list.
#4: Nas
It makes sense that Nas would get the #4 spot, he did very well with his album “Life is Good” and frankly he’s a legend that everyone was waiting on new music from. Just being Nas alone should put him up there, dude will definitely be in the hip-hop Hall of Fame, as if he isn’t already.
#3: Rick Ross
Ugh! You gotta have the boss up in the mix this year. The main reason I feel that he should be on this list isn’t just because of his personal success, but because of all the people he put on. Look at Meek Mill, Wale, Stalley, Rockie Fresh… shit he even brought Omarion back. Rick Ross will always have a stash of hits, but he’s great at making others shine with his MMG empire.
#2: 2 Chainz
Who didn’t see this coming? If you’re talking about buzz alone, 2 Chainz could easily be #1. He got commercials, movies, shows, products, and everything else under the sun. We even got to go to one of his shows this year in Seattle and he had the Showbox turned up more than ever. Props to 2 Chainz on all the success this year, he definitely put in the hard work to get there. Don’t forget that the man that used to go by Titty Boi has been in this game for a very long time, it is definitely his time to shine.
#1: Kendrick Lamar
“I’m Kendrick Lamar, a.k.a benz is to me just a car” <<< one of the best hottest bars of the year. “Greh I know want this Dih!” on “Problems” is also a very powerful one this year. There’s no need for an explanation here. He released an instant classic album this year and sells out shows no matter if they’re in the United States or overseas. If Kendrick didn’t get the #1 spot MTV would be in some serious trouble and their panel might all need to start looking for new jobs. Congrats to K.Dot, he has a very promising career ahead oh himself.
Nobody is really agreeing with MTV’s “Hottest MCs” list this year, and rightfully so. A$AP Rocky didn’t like his #8 spot and he hopped on L.A. Leakers radio to talk about it. Not sure if he should be #1 out of everyone but he does make some very valid points.
As expected, Kanye West did not appreciate the way the “Hottest MCs” list was put together by MTV. So he called DJ Enuff, which he rarely does, and let him know he he felt about the whole thing. Remember that Kanye barely ever talks to the media so this is huge. In the end he just wanted to let everybody know that he bought Sway’s first TV, then hung up. Listen below.
The people over at Playboy love making lists, so for this list they chose the top cars of 2013. Car of the year ended up going to the Porsche 911 along with plenty of other categories. Here’s the full list…
Car of the Year: Porsche 911
Hottest Roadster: Mercedes SL500
Best SUV: Land Rover Range Rover
American Muscle: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Slickest Sports Sedan: BMW M5
Hottest Exotic: McLaren MP4-12C
Bang for Buck: Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ
Ace Electric: Honda Fit EV
Most Versatile: Audi A4 Allroad
Responsible Ride: MazdaSpeed3
Rihanna hit Twitter real late tonight to let the world know which songs and features are going to be on her next album “Unapologetic”. Looks like we’re going to see Eminem, Future, Nikky Ekko, and of course Chris Brown on there. Can’t wait to hear that Eminem track and “Nobodies Business” is the perfect title for the one with Breezy. Due November 19th.
