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Lil Wayne Is MTV’s #2 Hottest MC In The Game

Mon, Oct 5, 2009 by Danny M

The full list goes: #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.

A big congratulations to Weezy F Baby.

You can read why MTV choose Lil Wayne for number 2 after the jump:

2007′s Hottest MC in the Game, Lil Wayne, has been in the top three of the Hottest MCs list three years running on account of his consistently powerful skills on the mic and perennially enormous impact.

Even without an album release in 2009, Weezy’s rep and influence continued to grow, owing to his status as rap’s most active and lucrative touring act, the rise of his Young Money crew of newcomers, and his armor-piercing punchlines on guest appearances.

Just one example of his lyrical marksmanship can be found in Jadakiss’ “Death Wish”: “I’m from the mecca of the reckless/ With a record-breaking debt list/ The wreckers and neglectors think the election won’t affect us,” Wayne raps about his hometown of New Orleans. “I’m knockin’ niggas down this year, I’m on my timber shit/ Big lion growl at you niggas/ On that Simba shit.”

Over the past year, the big lion tore up the road for nearly 80 dates on his “I Am Music” and “Young Money Presents: America’s Most Wanted Music Festival” tours, which banked slightly over $42 million — a record for a hip-hop act, according to Pollstar. Wayne’s show was must-see as he exploded onstage with spectacles such as a live band whose members were suspended in the air, sexy dancers, his guitar (heh heh!) and his most important weapon, his charisma. With his swinging dreads, tattooed body and insurgent attitude, Weezy’s stage command was practically a religious experience for fans as he infused rock, pop and all his hip-hop blockbusters into his live set.

As boundless as his raps and live performances were, so was Wayne’s media omnipresence. The New Orleans native’s appeal proved universal as he snagged the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for his still-unreleased new Rebirth LP, analyzed sports for ESPN and wooed CBS News’ Katie Couric and the ladies of “The View.”

Weezy’s other big move in 2009 was ushering in others. Wayne may not look like the traditional buttoned-up CEO, but his business acumen proved potent as he helped introduce music’s rookie of the year, Drake. Drizzy’s So Far Gone mixtape (released in February) became so popular that virtually every major label tried to sign him. It was Wayne and his Young Money label that won out, and for good reason: Weezy’s star-powered co-sign has served as a major catalyst for Drake-mania, with the newcomer already being tapped by fans and media to be a rap phenom before he’s dropped a full album.

While other members of Young Money, such as female standout Nicki Minaj, have shown tremendous personality and presence on the mic, the Drake/ Wayne tag team on freestyles and singles such as “Ignant Shit” “Every Girl,” “Successful” and the all-star team-up of “Forever” (also featuring Kanye West and Eminem) has been lyrically exhilarating, carpeted with ferocious quotables. The prolific duo has planted the flag for Young Money’s takeover.

Wayne’s trusted stamp of quality has even given his career-long recording home, Cash Money Records (of which Young Money is an offshoot), an added rejuvenation. Veteran the Birdman has featured his stepson Weezy on two concrete hits: “Always Strapped” and the current “Money To Blow.” Meanwhile, newcomers Jay Sean and Kevin Rudolf have been able to ride the Wayne bandwagon to the top of the charts with the Weezy-guested hits “Down” and “Let It Rock,” respectively.

Wayne’s ballyhooed guest spots didn’t slow or stay contained to his musical family. He terrorized rough hip-hop tracks for the likes of Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Jadakiss and Fabolous — not to mention his spot in T.I.’s all-star track “Swagga Like Us,” also featuring Kanye West and Jay-Z — while even Madonna placed a call to Wayne to add some New Orleans spice to her greatest-hits LP.

Wayne is still music’s number-one go-to guy because his versatile flow, coarse voice and swagger blend with a surprisingly diverse range of musical styles — and when it comes to wordplay, Wayne’s abstract thinking remains on another planet, keeping his innovative bars above his peer group. (Who else in rap would compare the seats of a car to a human posterior, as he did on Ross’ “Maybach Music 2″?)

Although Weezy F. is currently spreading the love to others, we can’t forget that his most major singular accomplishment from last year added to his heat inn ’09. Tha Carter III was the biggest-selling album of 2008 and obviously was a huge reason why so many fans came to Wayne concerts in 2009. The album also took home a Grammy for Best Rap Album in February.

While the long-promised Rebirth LP remains on ice, Weezy’s high volume of high-quality work with the entire music industry keeps him on top — album cycles just don’t apply to the Fireman anymore. The Kobe Bryant of rap is not just a marquee artist; Wayne’s a leader. You see people like Gucci Mane following his dogged work ethic, living in the studio and churning out song after song. Street MCs such as Young Jeezy have incorporated live bands in their stage repertoire after seeing how seamlessly it worked for Wayne — and maybe the biggest nod to Weezy is that record company execs are paying close attention to Young Money’s moves in a hope to emulate their success.

Co-Signer: Diddy”I nod my head to Wayne, I tip my hat to him. I told him at the BET Awards. I said, ‘You doing the new generation of Bad Boy. You’re doing what we did back in ’94, that’s really creating a movement. I tip my hat to him, but now I gotta watch him because he’s competition. But he’s doing his thing. He’s gone from artist to label mogul, so you have to give him his respect.”

Ignitable Incitement: “These people all have the drive that I have, and that’s ‘never stop working,’ ” Wayne told MTV News about his Young Money artists. “We never get tired. Soon as I meet somebody that never gets tired: ‘Let’s do it, and when you ready, let’s go!’ Let’s go, [then] you Young Money. These people right here are that.”

Hot Streak:

Selected Mixtape: Dedication 3

Singles: “Lollipop,” “A Milli,” “Mrs. Officer” (featuring Bobby Valentino), “Got Money” (featuring T-Pain), “Prom Queen,” “Every Girl” (with Young Money crew), “Bedrock” (with Young Money crew), “Comfortable” (featuring Babyface)

Street Bangers: “Mr. Carter,” “You Ain’t Got Nuthin’ ” (featuring Fabolous and Juelz Santana), “Let the Beat Build,” “Phone Home”

Key Guest Appearances: Drake’s “Successful” (also featuring Trey Songz), “Uptown” (also featuring Bun B) and “Forever” (also featuring Eminem and Kanye West), Kanye West’s “See You in My Nightmares,” Birdman’s “Money To Blow” (also featuring Drake), Birdman’s “Always Strapped,” Fabolous’ “Salute,” Jadakiss’ “Death Wish,” Keri Hilson’s “Turnin’ Me On,” Rick Ross’ “Maybach Music 2″ (also featuring Kanye West and T-Pain), T-Pain’s “Can’t Believe It,” Madonna’s “Revolver,” Chris Brown’s “I Can Transform Ya,” Mack 10′s “So Sharp,” T.I. and Jay-Z’s “Swagga Like Us” (also featuring Kanye West)

Meteoric Metrics (as of October 2):
$42 million: the combined earnings of Wayne’s “I Am Music” and “Young Money Presents: America’s Most Wanted Music Festival” tours
1 million-plus: First-week sales of Tha Carter III

MySpace Friends: 1,618,594 Facebook Fans: 2,168,793

Business Ventures: Young Money Entertainment label (featuring Drake, Nicki Minaj, Gudda Gudda, Jae Millz, Mack Maine, Tyga, T-Streets, Lil Twist and Lil’ Chuckee)

Tours: I Am Music Tour (2008 and 2009), Young Money Presents: America’s Most Wanted Music Festival (2009)

Monumental Moment: Showing that the “Best Rapper Alive” may soon be the best label CEO alive by helping to launch Drake’s career and establishing the Young Money camp.

Forecast: Too easy! Wayne’s poised to close out this year with a humungous bang. He has a mixtape soon and the Young Money and Rebirth albums both slated to drop in December. In 2010, he’ll once again be a major contender for the #1 position on this list.

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Rating: 9.5/10 (21 votes cast)
Lil Wayne Is MTV's #2 Hottest MC In The Game, 9.5 out of 10 based on 21 ratings

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60 Comments

  1. On October 5, 2009 at 11:24 am mrs. carter responded with...

    haha so where’s 50 cent now?

  2. On October 5, 2009 at 11:34 am Kyle responded with...

    jay-z should be # 1 and then kanye west at 2

  3. On October 5, 2009 at 11:44 am carter responded with...

    daaamn, he should be #1 hands down, wtf were they thinking? jay z is weak dat bitch passed away long time ago

  4. On October 5, 2009 at 11:51 am Ooohhh responded with...

    Why is Eminem not on the list, but 50 Cent is :?

  5. On October 5, 2009 at 11:52 am young nas responded with...

    smh at drake being numba 3… mtv bum this guy

  6. On October 5, 2009 at 11:54 am Fresh King responded with...

    I agree Ooohhh – Eminem has released an album this year

    50 Cent, Drake, Lil Wayne and Kanye West haven’t

    Is this a racist thing?

  7. On October 5, 2009 at 11:56 am Jamie Foxx's Penis responded with...

    What’s a Gucci Mane?

  8. On October 5, 2009 at 12:26 pm jminor01 responded with...

    ok they got some of it right i guess. the only problem for me is that em isn’t even on the list! and wayne isn’t number one!

  9. On October 5, 2009 at 12:37 pm lolo responded with...

    IN YOUR FUCKIN FACE 50 !!
    WEEZY NUMBER 1 FOR ME THO. !

  10. On October 5, 2009 at 1:12 pm from AZ responded with...

    Fresh King Says:
    October 5th, 2009 at 11:54 am

    Eminem has released an album this year

    50 Cent, Drake, Lil Wayne and Kanye West haven’t

    Is this a racist thing?

    drake-so far gone?

  11. On October 5, 2009 at 1:36 pm Mr Carter responded with...

    @Mrs Carter, 50 cent is #9. Learn to read.

  12. On October 5, 2009 at 1:40 pm asser responded with...

    they’re just sucking jay’s dick.. cuz honestly he aint that hot anymore.. but he’s definitely one of the greatest.. but his album is fucking trash..

    but its cool… congrats weezy

    btw if no ceilings was out weezy number 1 no doubt

  13. On October 5, 2009 at 1:45 pm WeezyF09 responded with...

    Congratulations Lil Wayne ^^ Is The Best Rapper Alive…..

    But What’s The Music Has 1:46Min…Give Me Name Song Please ^^ Lil Wayne Rock Beautiful… , Lollipop Remix ? Or Other….Thanks

  14. On October 5, 2009 at 1:54 pm letmesee responded with...

    em?¿?¿?¿?¿ Fu*ck Mtv

  15. On October 5, 2009 at 1:54 pm PurpleKing responded with...

    y aint lil wayne number 1

  16. On October 5, 2009 at 2:00 pm Lil Zly responded with...

    ha
    I have nothing to say about it
    Jay-Z is absolutely the hottest MC in the game this year!
    BUT!!
    Weezy WILL BE BACK TO THE hottest MC NEXT YEAR!

  17. On October 5, 2009 at 2:02 pm Karu responded with...

    I say the same thing i said last year: Weezy shoulda been fuckin #1. But i’m really surprised Em wasn’t on the list. I don’t actually care for him though.

  18. On October 5, 2009 at 2:03 pm yungnitto responded with...

    Jay definitely deserves the top spot BP3 is hot. Weezy at number 2 I have no problem with he still releases mad songs discovered Drake and Young Money only gets better with time. Em should have made the list but anyone who says hes number one is ignorant. Relapse was not good

  19. On October 5, 2009 at 2:31 pm WeezyC responded with...

    @ WeezyF09
    YEah that’s Lollipop;)
    Weezy should be #1!

  20. On October 5, 2009 at 2:34 pm Exquisite responded with...

    congrats Weezy! but he’s #1 in my eyes… :)

  21. On October 5, 2009 at 3:19 pm zoe pound responded with...

    wat the FUCK 50 cent doing on the list…. FUCK DAT NIGGA100 times…. my nigga Eminem should take his place, and i dont think jay z should be number 1 cuz he aint sold a lot of records like my nigga weezy did, i dnt feel his album…

  22. On October 5, 2009 at 4:02 pm weezy responded with...

    Jay-Z is number one cause of his album u know
    but after carter VI there won’t be even a discussion
    everybody will know wayne alone on #1
    50 should be on #90 he is so fuckin’ weak !

  23. On October 5, 2009 at 4:08 pm mandem responded with...

    Weezy should share that spot with Jay but you have to know that jay with the blueprint he is back, Plus he is now representing Hip hop Around the world so that have to be considered, however Wayne should be the hottest no matter what!
    Shout out to my nigga WFB YMCM B

  24. On October 5, 2009 at 4:10 pm WTF responded with...

    congrats to weezy love him :D
    but where the fuck is t.i?
    to jay-z he doesnt deserve it to be number one he was good back in the days but now come on
    this run this town record was just ridicilous the only good thing on it was kanye west

  25. On October 5, 2009 at 4:38 pm Antoine Wayne responded with...

    What a fuck !
    What is the fuckin’ remix of wayne’s lollipop single at 01:50 ???

    THAT IS SO SICK!!

  26. On October 5, 2009 at 5:25 pm WeezyF09 responded with...

    @ WeezyC

    You Have One Link For This Song? Thx

  27. On October 5, 2009 at 5:43 pm Lilweezyfan1 responded with...

    nice that’s tight. yeah and in 2010 weezy should be number #1

  28. On October 5, 2009 at 6:14 pm BrewCityYM responded with...

    Wayne not number 1? wtf this must be cause he aint put out a CD or Official Mixtape this year

    but Gucci one Spot Over Jeezy.! lol Its bout tobe more drama in those to camps now

  29. On October 5, 2009 at 6:16 pm missweezy responded with...

    Weezy should be 1 !!!!!!!!! Hes the f*cking BESTTT!!! luvvvvvv uuuuu

  30. On October 5, 2009 at 6:56 pm D.R.A responded with...

    the list is guud i guess but i think it should have been like this

    #10-Rick Ross
    #9- Gucci Mane
    #8- Fabolous
    #7- Young Jeezy
    #6- Eminem
    #5- Jay-Z
    #4- KiD CuDi
    #3- Drake
    #2- Kanye West
    #1- Lil Wayne

  31. On October 5, 2009 at 6:57 pm SwayYME responded with...

    His shit never gets old. Weezy F Is The Best! WhyMe All Day!!!

  32. On October 5, 2009 at 6:57 pm D.R.A responded with...

    oh but if T.I wasnt in jail right now, and he would have been top 5, he’s deff better than jay-z

  33. On October 5, 2009 at 7:32 pm the real shit responded with...

    bullshit weezy number i thik the man himself (JAy-z) gotta be saying right now neh weezy at #1 there aint no ceiling for weezy man

  34. On October 5, 2009 at 7:47 pm Myerz responded with...

    Weezy should have been #1 but I need some good new shit from him like for real. I seriously hope no ceilings has NO auto and he actully spits and the Carter 4 is better then the Carter 3 and I hope D4 is better then D3, Weezy just needs to try and get back to his 07 shit

  35. On October 5, 2009 at 7:50 pm iRamon responded with...

    Weezy is number 1!!! And number two is Rick Ross))

  36. On October 5, 2009 at 8:00 pm m002231991 responded with...

    wayne is the fuckin best he sould of been number one hands down…

  37. On October 5, 2009 at 8:19 pm kaycee responded with...

    congrats to weezy! top 3 three years goin!

  38. On October 5, 2009 at 9:16 pm younqqmula responded with...

    eminemm shoulda beeesn on theree instead of rick rosssss. && wtff, wayne should be numberrrr onee.

  39. On October 5, 2009 at 9:30 pm luiseezy responded with...

    no dought weezy should of been num.1

  40. On October 5, 2009 at 10:02 pm mwee responded with...

    you guyz fkn crazy!! weezy number 1, jay 2

  41. On October 5, 2009 at 10:28 pm itsthemartian responded with...

    Why do the continue to put the apostrophe after lil’? its Lil Wayne. Not Lil’ Wayne

  42. On October 5, 2009 at 10:59 pm Krock247 responded with...

    #1 Jay-z
    #2 Lil Wayne
    #3 Drake
    #4 Kanye West
    #5 Fabolous
    #6 Eminem
    #7 Young Jeezy
    #8 T.I.
    #9Raekwon
    #10 Ludacris
    in my opinion that’s how the list shudve went its all good though MTV will get it riiight sooner or later

  43. On October 5, 2009 at 11:01 pm Krock247 responded with...

    how is eminem not on the real list like fooreallls though!!!!! EVERYbody who is anybody wants to do a track with em! if thats not hott MC then i dont know what is

  44. On October 6, 2009 at 12:26 am weezyfbaby responded with...

    missin eminem..

  45. On October 6, 2009 at 12:54 am iFreshhh responded with...

    This list is a little wack to me…cmon Drizzy Drake dope, but he ain’t got nothin on KanYe yet, I mean Ye been settin this rap game on fire waayyy longer.
    Rick Ross should definately not be up that high. He’s pretty good but he plenty of other emcees would kill Ross.

    Eminem should’ve definately been in here, so should have newcomer Kid Cudi he is ILL. You’re forgetting legendary emcees like Nas, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube, KRS-One, and all them too who should be on that list…

  46. On October 6, 2009 at 12:58 am iFreshhh responded with...

    and 50 Cent is WACK now. Move up Raekwon and add Rakim to the list, take off Gucci and Fab they are okay but more like top 30.

  47. On October 6, 2009 at 12:59 am iFreshhh responded with...

    but i agree T.i. should also make the cut.

  48. On October 6, 2009 at 1:07 am iFreshhh responded with...

    Lil Wayne is my favorite new school rapper, but get real…he ain’t got nothin on the old school legends that still in the game but if you talkin about new school then he the best rapper. But not alive.

  49. On October 6, 2009 at 1:22 am shaquita responded with...

    something had to go wrong because wayne is THE BEST THE #1 rapper, then the rest is behind him so fix that

  50. On October 6, 2009 at 5:55 pm Antoine Wayne responded with...

    Upup WeezyC please !
    A link for this fuckin remix! :)

  51. On October 6, 2009 at 9:14 pm ItS JuS mE responded with...

    OoMdZ… y is Jay Z even on ddat list? & da worse part of it is dat he is number 1! how does he do it doe? he shud jus get out of here man but reali & truely hu listens 2 Jay Z doe? he is shit! i dnt even no ani of his songs cuz dey r so f**kin borin! & yea by da way jus cuz eminem aint dey dnt mean dat its sum rascist ting cuz T.I aint der either & he’s been going on HARD 2. AND GOD PLZ TELL ME WHY LIL WAYNE AINT NUMBER 1! seriously cum on now lets be real:

    (1)LIL WAYNE (one gudd Stuff>”potentially the best”)
    (2)Kanye West
    (3)Drake> yea its true. Drake is going on HARD.
    (4)T.I >
    (5)Eminem>only cuz he started to fade into the background
    (6)Gucci Mane> jheeze. i love Gucci Mane.
    (7)Fabolous
    (8)Young Jeezy
    Rick Ross is such a loser man. he shudn’t even be on da list. Boooooo.
    yea dats all i ave 2 say soooo SAY NAYYY.

  52. On October 6, 2009 at 10:28 pm WeezyF09 responded with...

    Antoine Wayne Says:
    October 6th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
    Upup WeezyC please !
    A link for this fuckin remix!

    +10000000000000000000

    Up Up Lollipop Remix ! Thx

  53. On October 7, 2009 at 2:42 am Swaggerboy100%Real responded with...

    i say jay-z,wayne ,and gucci mane

  54. On October 7, 2009 at 3:10 am connor responded with...

    that list goes pretty good except for rick ross ugh i hate him lil wayne was in a good place at number 2 only because jay z was number 1 but i wish they could have put tech n9ne on that… hes number 1 then jay the weezy etc

  55. On October 7, 2009 at 3:54 am troy responded with...

    aye i know alot of people like gucci i like the trap shit 2 but if this is a list bout mc’s then he aint got no reason be on the list he cnt rap sorry gucci fans and jay-z should not be number 1 but to each is on it should be wayne drizzy and put whoever else man im sorry but bp3 aint what a mafucka wanna hear is it just me but jay is loosin it ymob all day everyday young mula baby !!!!!

  56. On October 7, 2009 at 4:14 am X-CON responded with...

    man on some real nigga shit wayne should of been #1 no questions ask, point blank. Look of what he has accomplish, da game speaks 4 its self.
    But no pressure though, Lil’ Wayne – Weezy F. Baby – Mr. Carter –
    Young Money – Young Moula – Birdamn Jr. – Iz Stll Da Best Rapper Alive!!!!!!
    “Like it Or Love It” – “Hate Me Or Love”

    Forver: Lil’ Wayne —-

    “Why should I scream for dis iz my theme park”

    “Lil’ Wayne dats wat they gotta say or mention”

    “I’m like navada in the middle of da summer, I’m restin in da lead, I need a pillow and cover”

    “Shhh…. my foot sleepin on da gas, no breakpass, no such thing as last”

    come on man, fuck wat ya’ll haterz say, man Weezy “The BEST”

    —– yea ….. yea ——

    Dats wat it iz

    I aint gonn lie though Drake iz extremely good and got high quality sklllz too.
    He also killed it on

  57. On October 7, 2009 at 5:54 am Muneeb responded with...

    Kanye should be #1

  58. On October 9, 2009 at 2:03 am FMTV responded with...

    Fuck MTV! They don’t know music! I mean when was the last time you say a video on MTV! Have a top 10 reality show countdown you fucking losers! No eminem! Are you fucking stupid! Most anticipated! Number one selling! Beautiful was the most anticipated video! Best hip hop video! He’s all over blogs and web comments! The warning! He should write a warning to MTV! I mean WTF! Relapse 2! 2 CDs one year! Both most anticipated! BOYCOTT MTV! BOYCOTT MTV! BOYCOTT MTV!

  59. On October 10, 2009 at 12:45 pm black racists responded with...

    pffff

    I´ll tell you why there s no eminem

    there are only black people in the judge
    and when did black people start giving love to white artist ?

    of course a group of black people
    aint gonna pick a white mc to be the best or even on the list

    and what the hell is drake doing at 3 ?
    this guy is so fcking overrated its ridiculous get of his dick
    ‘hes just new and all of sudden in everyones top 5 ?

    yall tasteless as fuck

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Drake Is MTV’s #3 Hottest MC In The Game [Videos] | Young Money HQ - October 5, 2009

    [...] — Fabolous, #7 — Young Jeezy, #6 — Gucci Mane, #5 — Rick Ross, #4 — Kanye West, #3 — Drake, #2 — Lil Wayne, #1 — [...]

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