Over the past week, MTV would announce an entry in their highly talked about annual Top 10 Hottest MC’s in the Game list. The list began with East Coast veteran Raekwon and followed up with more New York artists, but then stirred up some controversy by placing Gucci Mane and Rick Ross in the middle of the list. The daily countdown ended at number 5, and numbers 4 through 1 was left a surprise for this Sunday’s program for the countdown. As expected, Jay-z was number one. Check the list below (click any of the artists names to view the article) and continue reading to view my interpretation of the list.

10. Raekwon

9. 50 Cent

8. Fabolous

7. Young Jeezy

6. Gucci Mane

5. Rick Ross

4. Kanye West

3. Drake

2. Lil Wayne

1. Jay-z

There are a couple of things on this list that’ll easily cause a debate with Hip Hop enthusiast like myself. The first thing is, where is Eminem on this list? Though the Relapse received mixed reviews, Eminem deserved a spot on the top 10 list. Jeezy, 50 Cent, Ross, and Gucci could have easily been replaced with Slim Shady. Didn’t MTV just give him the award for best Hip Hop video? Em definitely deserves a spot on this list.
One thing that’s raised eyebrows is Gucci Mane’s placement on the list. Not only did he debut on the list, he is also placed higher than Raekwon, 50 Cent, Fabolous, and Jeezy. I don’t listen to Gucci that much, but I can say he makes dope music to ride to and he is developing a cult following.
I”m surprised to see that Wayne was placed above Drake since he hasn’t been on the prowl as much as he was 07-08. It’s still a good look for Drake since he doesn’t have an official LP out and he’s building his career off of features.
As for the number one spot, I knew it had to be Hov. Jay-z reigns supreme with his eleventh album, Blueprint 3. It’s obvious Jay runs Hip Hop earning his stripes after a successful career of over 13 years. Jay has risen from an ambitious rookie in the 90’s to a veteran in the 00’s who’s mastered his craft. Jay has became a boss figure in the game who sets the trends and lays out blueprints for the direction in Hip Hop music.