Thu 7 Mar 2013
Ladies and gentlemen, you may address him as King Kendrick Lamar — officially. In agreement with the general consensus, MTV have crowned the Compton kid the Hottest MC in the Game. In the proverbial toss-up for second place between Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz, it’s Tity Boi who’s claimed his place on the podium (you know where the phone is, Weezy).
Incredibly, this is both rapper’s debut appearance on the list, but their impact in the last 12 months has been undeniable. Kendrick released the potentially era-defining good kid, m.A.A.d city to both overwhelming critical and commercial success, toured the world and emerged as one of the most humble, likeable (and not forgetting lyrically-gifted) guys in the game.
2 Chainz, meanwhile, flourished under his new moniker on the big stage, topping the Billboard 200 with his debut solo album, Based on a T.R.U. Story, which boasted two of the hottest records of the year with “No Lie” and “Birthday Song.” Oh, and then there’s his verse on G.O.O.D. Music’s “Mercy.”
Debates aside, congratulations are in order for both Kendrick and 2 Chainz.
UPDATE: Watch the roundtable discussion plus a special live performance from Kendrick after the jump…
Check out the full Hottest MCs list after the jump…
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To commemorate his new title, Kendrick gave a live performance of “Poetic Justice”:
MTV’s Hottest MCs in the Game:
1. Kendrick Lamar
2. 2 Chainz
3. Rick Ross
4. Nas
5. Drake
6. Big Sean
7. Kanye West
8. A$AP Rocky
9. Future
10. Meek Mill
Previously:
Nas and Rick Ross Make the Top 5 on MTV’s Hottest MCs List
Drake Lands #5 on MTV’s ‘Hottest MCs in the Game’ List
Where did Kanye West, Big Sean and A$AP Rocky Land on MTV’s ‘Hottest MCs in the Game’ List?
Future Debuts at #9 on MTV’s ‘Hottest MCs in the Game’ List
Meek Mill Lands #10 on MTV’s ‘Hottest MCs in the Game’ List
March 7th, 2013 at 10:12 pm
Nas aside, it’s a pretty accurate list and I’m a Weezy stan.
March 7th, 2013 at 10:22 pm
Where the fck is TI, you can’t deny his presence plus he had damn near the most complete album of last year…..y’all niggaz is stupid
March 7th, 2013 at 10:30 pm
I Think 2 Chainz Should’ve Been #1 …Kindrick #2 And Drake At #3
March 7th, 2013 at 10:30 pm
“One day you’ll respect the good kid, m.A.A.d city”
March 7th, 2013 at 10:32 pm
We Shouldn’t Trust The “Brain Trust” Over At MTV!
March 7th, 2013 at 10:38 pm
Drake at 4 is ridiculous, everything he touches turns to gold.
March 7th, 2013 at 10:41 pm
MTV IS PRACTICING FOR APRIL FOOL’S DAY I SEE
March 7th, 2013 at 10:50 pm
nicki?
March 7th, 2013 at 11:04 pm
This list nor MTV judging criteria make any kind of sense, sorry but 2 Chainz is wack as hell and does not deserve the #2 slot,…to be honest f//k this list, only ones who put out a legendary album for the ages was Kendrick and ASAP Rocky who got ROBBED, Top 3 should have been Kendrick, ASAP and Slaughterhouse for putting the Hip-Hop back into Hip-Hop
Honarable mention goes out to Future who was featured by everyone and there mama
S/O TO A$AP who got robbed tho,….
March 7th, 2013 at 11:11 pm
Pusha T also got robbed,…fyi
March 7th, 2013 at 11:15 pm
Pusha T had some of the hottest verses in the last 12 months and he’s not on the list?
March 8th, 2013 at 12:15 am
I’ve got to agree that T.I’s absence is very surprising.
March 8th, 2013 at 12:33 am
Congrats to K-dot, he deserves it…. T.I. and Pusha T need to be somewhere on the list
March 8th, 2013 at 12:36 am
Where young jeezy juicy j fabolous at on this list
March 8th, 2013 at 1:11 am
The only tragedy on this list is that 2 Chainz is considered an MC lls!!!
Other than that Congrats to Kendrick Lamar well deserved
March 8th, 2013 at 1:19 am
Yol hv to agree is ufcked up list!!! Rick Ross, Nas n future????? No wayne & Jay-z
March 8th, 2013 at 1:22 am
yoll hv to admit ds is a ufcked up list!! Rick Ross, Nas n Future???? Instead of Wayne n Hova
March 8th, 2013 at 1:27 am
pusha t did get robbed & idk why they even put kanye? you know hes a legend & still relevant, I think its either put him 1 or dont put him at all, all they did was poke at the genius & made him angry, but motivated him prolly even more, which is good in a sense..
March 8th, 2013 at 1:34 am
Kendrick sure deserves 2 b no. 1, but i’d prefer seeing T.I at d no.2 spot instead of tity boi… Can’t wait 4 a more competitive 2013 wth d lyks of Eminem, Jay-Z e.t.c onset
March 8th, 2013 at 2:39 am
Nah they blew it!!!
1. Drake
2. Kanye
3. Wayne
4. Ross
5. Kendrik
6. 2 Chains
7. Big Sean
8. ASAP
9. Meek
10. Nas (for a great year) or 50 Cent (for a great mixtape)
March 8th, 2013 at 2:41 am
You f*cking right! 2chainz over kendrick over drake let the rest take they spots.
March 8th, 2013 at 2:56 am
Can’t believe cole isn’t on the list.
March 8th, 2013 at 3:43 am
I am a Kendrick fan so this award looks pretty good to me. Also m.A.A.d city deserved all the praise it got.
March 8th, 2013 at 4:29 am
No Jay-Z or Wayne on this list. Pure comedy.
March 8th, 2013 at 7:22 am
no Wayne or Jeezy ??? wtf … Big Sean shoud def be out … :/
March 8th, 2013 at 7:39 am
Once upon a time the ‘M’ in MTV once stood for Music….that’s all I gotta say smh lol
March 8th, 2013 at 8:52 am
True. Good call out. T.I.P. should have been on there for sure!
March 8th, 2013 at 8:53 am
A$AP did get robbed.
March 8th, 2013 at 8:54 am
T. I. and Push should have been on the list. Future shouldn’t even have been considered
March 8th, 2013 at 10:44 am
What were the requirements to be on this list. I see the comments and think fans have MC definition confused. Nas is a MC, Kendrick is a MC. Ill give Drake credit as a MC. Kanye is a MC. In my opinion the rest are just rappers. No disrespect to them but there is a difference between MC and rapper. All had great years in music, no denying that but you must kno the difference. Thats why I asked for the criteria to make the list
March 8th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
kanye should be no higher than 10 all his done all year is fellow kim K around
50 cent should no near this list T.I is missing he put out a soild album
March 9th, 2013 at 12:28 am
How is 2 chainz on this list? He’s garbage lyrically. Garbage!! And don’t give me the he had 2 songs on the top 200 bullshit. So did that weirdo soulja boy …. When he was in his ” non- lyrical prime”. Should he have made the list too? This shit is political.
Shout out to Currency and Dom Kennedy.
March 9th, 2013 at 1:05 am
1. fuck a list. 2. i’m glad k.dot got # 1 tho , and glad nas got as high as # 4 on this list , but 2 chains at #2 ? i’m done.
March 9th, 2013 at 12:22 pm
am all down here in kenya wondering wtf thoz fake asses at mtv were thnkn wen they snuffed wayne, t.i n jeezy outta thiz banged up list.. no way man.. we lve chainz overhere bt wayne n t.i. dem rock us mst. f***k mtv
March 9th, 2013 at 12:24 pm
yay! We love when friends from Kenya check in. Thank you! And thanks for your….forceful opinion, lol.
March 11th, 2013 at 6:00 am
These guys acting like they’re on the streets to kill/
Fake confidence, how weak is their will/
Wackest MC’s in the game – probable/
I fear for the future, it needs to be addressed As Soon As Possible/
Simple rhymes with simple mimes/
Ghost writers giving these finally famous rappers simple lines/
Fake bosses, sing and rap/
watch Scarface, pretend to be slinging crack/
Its like a Players Circle of rappers who repeat facts/
Unoriginal – shout out to the real 3 Stacks/
People shouldn’t be talking about this diss/
Why is Hip-Hop dead? – This List!
March 13th, 2013 at 8:20 am
The name of the list is hottest MC,not best wordsmith. lets not get into the semantics of the classic definition of MC, because unless your talking about some hot sweaty basement in NYC in the 80’s the definition is out the window. not best wordsmith. I think this year was pretty difficult, I dont think T.I. was snuffed, Im from Chicago, and I dont know about the rest of the country but he was not that cracking in the streets, when you reach that level of stardom like him and Jay-Z the streets mess with you on GP but your not in the same boat as people who fame isnt so cemented. I think Juicy J should have gotten a notable mention, and I think Future should have been higher on the list, if you wanna talk about hottest in the streets, he is the master of the hook club anthem. Nas should have not been that high, because I feel he’s on the list mostly out of respect. I cant see Drake ever getting the number 1 spot, or maybe thats just personal lol
March 22nd, 2013 at 11:19 pm
a mac isnt descripbed by lyrics any more if so who the fuck put future and 2 chianz on the list mtv on dat bull shit kanye more lyrical than 2chainz rap a about ya ryhmes and words on it a flashy hook and video and ill be number one on this list year
March 22nd, 2013 at 11:29 pm
(mc)not mac
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:45 pm
fuck this list is a joke wayne is the best rapper to ever live he should have been included in this list