De 10 beste rappers van nú!
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- De 10 beste rappers van nú!
Zou Drake in de Top 3 staan? Jazeker. Achter Lil' Wayne en koploper Jay-Z. Kanye West (4), Rick Ross (5), Gucci Mane (6) en Young Jeezy (7) completeren de lijst. Lees verder voor een samenvatting van de uitleg van de laatste zeven rappers die MTV in de Top 10 plaatste, op basis van hun prestaties en ontwikkelingen in de afgelopen 12 maanden.
| »10. Raekwon | ||
| »9. 50 Cent |
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| »8. Fabolous |
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| »7. Young Jeezy |
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| »6. Gucci Mane |
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| »5. Rick Ross |
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| »4.Kanye West |
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| »3. Drake |
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| »2. Lil Wayne |
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| »1. Jay-Z |
7. Young Jeezy
Previous rankings: 2007 (#6); 2008 (#8)
Why He's Hot: Young Jeezy may not yet have a mainstream, marquee name like some of his platinum peers, but the Snowman is an undeniable rap goliath. In hip-hop, his moniker holds just as much weight as the other big dogs. How else could he bring out Kanye West and Usher during the big Birthday Bash concert in his hometown of Atlanta last summer, and then turn around in 2009 and usher out surprise guests Mary J. Blige and Lil Wayne? And by the way, when Jay-Z decided to perform his earthshaking "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" in concert for the first time anywhere on the globe, he came out during Jeezy's set at the "Summer Jam" show in New Jersey. And he followed that with a prominent slot on Lil Wayne's "America's Most Wanted" tour last summer, which ran for six weeks and was one of the most successful tours of the year thus far.
MySpace Friends: 363,847
Web Site Members: 34,485
Business Ventures: 8732 clothing; endorsement deals with Adidas and Grey Goose.
Monumental Moment: The release of "My President"
Forecast: Young Jeezy is on the trajectory of sky rocketing into an even more elite class of MC, the pantheon of the greatest career artists. The streets are his kingdom; he'll rule there for as long as he wants. What is going to make him even more dangerous is that the early word on his next album, Thug Motivation 103, is that he has a few hits that will shake up the mainstream.
6. Gucci Mane
Previous Rankings: 2007 (not ranked); 2008 (not ranked)
Why He's Hot: It's been in the air for a couple of years now. Gucci Mane's name has been bubbling — no, boiling over — in the underground scene, and he's been inching his way closer and closer to cracking into the top 10 Hottest MCs in the Game since '07. The Gucc didn't just break through this year; he's been able to leapfrog all the to way to the middle of the pack by having a cult following of pavement dwellers in the 'hood and charming Middle America with a gold-tooth grin and a gaggle of guest spots on high-charting pop hits.
The Atlanta native will never get spoken about in the conversation of great wordsmiths, like a Royce Da 5'9" or a Jadakiss. His subject matter is great, but his wordplay is sometimes criticized for being elementary. So if it isn't his rhyme schemes that have been winning him new fans and accolades and keeping his core satisfied, what is it? Simply put, Gucci is a character. Gaudy jewelry, his own humorous slang such as "burrr" — you may not be able to tell by his shy demeanor in interviews, but the ATL native has a lot of personality on the mic, with his muddy Southern drawl. Also, to put it bluntly, Gucc is extra believable in the eyes of fans. They a see a person who has overcome murder and drug charges to still make it to stardom. They just don't relate to his raps; they see themselves in his music.
MySpace Friends: 292,322
Facebook Fans: 360,116
Unofficial Gucci Mixtapes Released This Year: More than 40
New Gucci Mane Songs To Hit The Mixtape Circuit This Year: Around 150, according to various Atlanta DJs
Monumental Moment: Appearing in the video for the "Obsessed" remix with Mariah Carey — Gucci was already good in the 'hood, but now the mainstream knows his name.
Forecast: Nothing is going to derail Gucci's breakthrough year. He's clearly shown that he can find the balance between the charts and the trap. Look for more of a mixture of mainstream cameos and at least one more official mixtape before '09 is done. Then there's that album that's just about guaranteed to put him in the conversation for the 2010 Hottest MCs list.
5. Rick Ross
Previous rankings: 2007 (not ranked); 2008 (#4)
Why He's Hot: How did Rick Ross make it to the Hottest MC List's top five in back-to-back years? Because this top-tier word assassin released what seven of Roundtable members consider the preeminent hip-hop release of the year, Deeper Than Rap. Deeper ceaselessly and seamlessly did its job, entertaining throughout with Ross' lithe lyrical delivery, which forms a mesmeric marriage with soulfully melodic tracks that play like the score to an Oscar-winning film.
"Magnificent" mixed Ross' sophisticated thuggin' with John Legend's Grammy-winning starpower and vocal luster to make for one of the most heavily spun hits this year. The striking "Mafia Music" was strong enough to ignite a musical and Internet war with G-Unit. While "Maybach Music 2" — featuring T-Pain, Kanye West and Lil' Wayne — was one of the preeminent posse cuts of the year. Despite all the controversy surrounding his past as a corrections officer, most of rap's elite not only kept their embrace of Ross, but they worked with him on mixtapes as well as on his LP. The fans, for the most part, didn't seem to care either. Deeper Than Rap sold more than 150,000 copies in its first week of release. Although those numbers didn't quite match the quality of the work, the album did top the Billboard albums chart — a feat all three of Ross' albums have accomplished.
MySpace Friends: 435,678
9: the number of viral videos Ross released for songs from Deeper Than Rap.
Business Ventures: Mayback Music Group Record Label (featuring Triple C's, Masspike Miles, Magazeen)
Monumental Moment: Releasing the classic Deeper Than Rap while withstanding his beef with 50 Cent and controversy over his previous employment as a prison guard.
Forecast: Ross knows that with the tide in his favor, he'd be a fool to take any breaks. The Bawse is going to keeping riding his wave, with the Triple C's' debut coming on October 27 and his next solo LP, Teflon Don, due next year.
4. Kanye West
Previous rankings: 2007 (#4); 2008 (#1)
Why He's Hot: Kanye West is a force larger than hip-hop. He's turned himself into a global megastar, producing and collaborating with the biggest names in the game, influencing art and fashion, discovering and growing new talent, and consistently pushing musical boundaries with his own albums such as 808s & Heartbreak.
Of course, 'Ye's occasionally brash behavior -- particularly his interruption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at last month's Video Music Awards -- sometimes distracts from the genius in his music, but he's always been able to endure because of just how much he elevates hip-hop and pop culture.
Just a few months after being named the #1 Hottest MC in the Game by the MTV News Brain Trust last year, Kanye West pulled a 180 on everyone when he debuted his single "Love Lockdown" at the 2008 VMAs. Kanye singing took a lot of people by surprise, but it was tough to front on the vivacious thump of the beat and the zeal in his performances.
With 808s, Yeezy triumphed through heartache and personal tragedy, pouring the emotion into his songs. His breakup with fiancée Alexis Phifer is reflected in "Love Lockdown, " and the sudden death of his mother, Dr. Donda West, in "Coldest Winter." The raw emotion was enthralling on the album's live bonus track (nicknamed "Pinocchio's Story"), where he poured his emotions out. 808s debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart and went platinum in five weeks. The collection might have been too Auto-Tune heavy for some, but there were still plenty of rhymes.
When you look at Kanye's position on the Hottest MCs list, he has all the traits that you want for the criteria -- but the most important thing is that he's deadly in the booth.
808s & Heartbreak's first-week albums sales: more than 450,000
Kanye West University Web site's page views: Approximately 500,00 monthly, according to comScore
Cost of Louis Vuitton Dons: $695.00 (low end) Cost of Air Yeezys: $215.00
Business Ventures: G.O.O.D. Music label (featuring Kid Cudi, Common, Consequence, and Really Doe), Nike sneakers line ("Air Yeezys"), Louis Vuitton sneaker line ("Louis Vuitton Dons")
Monumental Moment: 808s & Heartbreak and a flawless string of guest appearances reinforced West's status as one of the most tremendously lyrically gifted mic Gods today.
Forecast: Kanye West has been catching heat recently for comments some thought were rude, and we've seen that from him before (a few times). Granted, 'Ye has probably felt the biggest backlash of his career in the wake of the VMAs, but he's always been able to transform that adversity into art and win back fans. West is as resilient as he is talented, and we fully expect for his next LP to be the premier album of his life. Yeezy is a strong contender to be the first-ever repeat Hottest MC in 2010.
Check Lijn5.com voor de gehele lijst incl. de Top 3!
