T.I., Young Jeezy and Fabolous also enjoyed success in 2011 but fell short of MTV News' top 10.
By Rob Markman
J. Cole
Photo: C. Brandon/ Redferns
MTV News' Hottest MCs in the Game debate isn't solely about the 10 MCs who make the hotly contested list.
Before MTV News' Hip-Hop Brain Trust convenes at the roundtable, each member submits his or her own individual list of 10 MCs they'd like to nominate for the discussion. After all of the nominees are tallied, approximately 20 rappers are taken into consideration; the artists with the most nominations are weighted at the top.
So outside the 10 chosen, MTV had a handful of other MCs to consider based on a combination of criteria like impact, buzz, sales, lyrics, style (commonly referred to as swag) and the intangibles. Though Maybach Music Group's Wale eventually had his #10 spot cemented, many were considered.
Now, MTV News presents our Hottest MCs honorable mentions:
J. Cole
J. Cole had a phenomenal 2011. His debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, has gone gold and yielded a platinum single with "Work Out." Cole, who was once an underground favorite, broadened his fanbase by touring with Rihanna on her Loud Tour.
T.I.
Tip might have gotten off to a late start, since he was released from prison at the very end of September, but the King of the South wasted no time getting back into the swing of things. Immediately after finishing his bid, Tip jumped on some of the hottest songs in rap, creating his own remixes to 2 Chainz's "Spend It," Future's "Magic" and the Throne's "N---as in Paris." Tip capped it all off on New Year's Day when he dropped his F--- Da City Up mixtape.
Eminem
Last year, Eminem stood as the #1 Hottest MC in the Game. It was hard to deny him after 2010's Recovery dominated the charts. Em's lyrical ability is never a question, and in 2011, King Mathers once again proved that very few (if any) can match him on the mic. Rather than churn out the commercial smashes he is known to make, Em took things back to the underground and hooked up with Royce Da 5'9" for their fan-favorite Bad Meets Evil EP Hell: The Sequel.
Young Jeezy
It may have taken the Snowman a minute to put out his long-awaited TM 103: Hustlerz Ambition album, but Jeezy wasn't just sitting around twiddling his thumbs. While fans salivated for his major-label release, Young fed the streets with a pair of DJ Drama-helmed mixtapes in 2011. (The Real Is Back and The Real Is Back 2). By the time Jeezy finally released his latest installment from his Thug Motivation series in December, he had earned himself a #1 rap album.
2 Chainz
A little artistic reinvention never hurt anybody. The MC formerly known as Tity Boi broke out from his group Playaz Circle and embarked on a solo mission that paid huge dividends. As 2 Chainz, the ATL standout fired up the streets with mixtapes like Codeine Cowboy and T.R.U. Realigion. With street bangers like "Spend It" under his belt, 2 Chainz stood as the poster child for rap's underground and then cashed in when he signed his major-label deal with Def Jam this month.
Fabolous
With or without an album, Brooklyn's Fabolous consistently slays his completion. Fab didn't release his Loso's Way 2 LP, but he did serve his fans a dose of that raw with his Christmas Day mixtape There Is No Competition 3: Death Comes in 3's. On the tape, Funeral Fab goes in, freestyling over beats made famous by Tyga, Travis Porter and, of course, 2 Chainz. By the end of the 15-track ride, Fab proved that he is eternally hot no matter what his competitors may throw at him.
What do you think of our list? Sound off on MTV News' "Hottest MCs in the Game VII" using the hashtag #HottestMC!
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