Chi-Town hero claims the Throne and Hottest MCs in the Game VII’s top 3 with a Twisted Fantasy and a groundbreaking joint album.
By MTV News staff
Kanye West
Photo: Getty Images
To be considered one of the Hottest MCs in the Game, a rapper has to build a solid case with lyrics and album sales, but buzz is just as important, and few artists can stir up a frenzy quite like Kanye West, who happens to have the verses and plaques to back it up. But that’s just touching the surface when it comes to why the Hip-Hop Brain Trust gave ‘Ye the #3 spot on our Hottest MCs in the Game VII list.
The Chicago native set tongues wagging back on New Year’s Eve 2010, when he announced at a party in Las Vegas that his joint album with Jay-Z would arrive at the top of ’11. Although Watch the Throne didn’t actually drop until August 8, 2011, anticipation in the months leading up to its release was palpable.
“Kanye came off of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010, and just the hype from that album rolled over into 2011, as he started prepping us for WTT,” said Nadeska Alexis, MTV News’ RapFix blog editor. “Kanye was the only thing people could talk about for the first few months of the year.”
Want to join the debate? Just hit us on Twitter using the hashtag #HottestMC!
West and Jay teased fans with the single “H.A.M.” — later relegated to a bonus track — all while Kanye continued to push songs from his Grammy-winning solo LP. A flashy video for “All of the Lights” featured an appearance from Rihanna and generated plenty of chatter, and that folded right into the Watch the Throne hype.
HOT STREAK
Album: Watch the Throne with Jay-Z; My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Selected Mixtapes: None
Singles: “All of the Lights” (with Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie); “H.A.M,” “N—as in Paris” and “Otis” (all with Jay-Z)
Street Bangers: “Paris” remix (with Jay-Z and T.I.)
Key Guest Appearances: Big Sean’s “Marvin & Chardonnay”
Meteoric Metrics: Watch the Throne debuted at #1 on the album charts and has sold approximately 1.3 million copies to date, while West’s Grammy-winning solo single “All of the Lights” was certified platinum
Business Ventures: Inked an official distribution deal with Def Jam Records for G.O.O.D. Music imprint; launched DW by Kanye West line at Paris Fashion Week
Tours: Along with Jay-Z, West put on one of the most anticipated hip-hop tours to date in support of Watch the Throne. They grossed $48.3 million across 26 dates.
Monumental Moment: Not only did Kanye add “cray” to the rap vernacular, he joined Jay in performing “Paris” a record 11 times at one of their live shows
Forecast: After picking up Grammys for Best Rap Album (MBDTF) and Best Rap Performance (“Otis”), Kanye is currently at work on the highly anticipated G.O.O.D. album. And, of course, the second incarnation of his fashion line is getting plenty of advance buzz.
In the weeks before the album debuted, Throne fans were treated to more tidbits from the project, much of which had the indelible Kanye West stamp. Animal-inspired cover art designed by Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci? The brainchild of Kanye West, certainly.
“Jay-Z has really stood alone over the course of his career and he never really let somebody else get in the front,” said Rahman Dukes, MTV News’ director of hip-hop news, about the collaboration. “This is the one time [he let someone take control] and that’s a huge nod to Kanye’s genius.”
One of the key elements in building anticipation for the album was that the Throne successfully avoided a leak. The duo even threw a grand listening session at the Museum of Natural History in New York City — select music journalists and A-list insiders from Beyoncé to Lyor Cohen attended — that helped make the project an unbelievable spectacle right up until its drop date.
Post-release, the two rap titans began prepping for their monumental Watch the Throne Tour, a jaunt that ultimately grossed more than $48 million. Somehow, in the midst of all this, Kanye found time to debut his fashion line, DW by Kanye West, at Paris Fashion Week.
“Kanye is interesting even when it’s a side project,” noted Rebecca Thomas, editor/writer at MTV News. “He debuted a fashion line in Paris and people cared — people who arguably wouldn’t even care about that stuff.”
“He did the fashion show the same weekend as the BET Hip-Hop Awards and people were giving them an equal amount of attention,” Dukes added.
The tour finally ended and Kanye jetted off to London to work on the second incarnation of his fashion line and the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music album, but the world continued to pay close attention. All it took was one night and one legendary Twitter rant for ‘Ye to capture the headlines on seemingly every blog and magazine.
“He just had such a big presence this year, even on Twitter,” Alexis said. “Kanye gets on Twitter and ‘DONDA’ is trending for hours and every magazine is writing about him.”
Kanye’s buzz was undeniable in 2011. Couple that with sales of Watch the Throne and its spectacular tour, and he was just unstoppable, winning a majority vote to land at #3 on the list.
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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Young Money Barbie had that ‘Super Bass,’ conquering pop and rap landscapes to land on Hottest MCs in the Game list.
By MTV News staff
Nicki Minaj
Photo: MTV News / Getty Images
A few months before the release of his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West took to Hot 97′s Angie Martinez-hosted radio show to promote his G.O.O.D. Friday series, but also to make a seemingly odd proclamation. “The scariest artist in the game right now … the scariest artist is definitely Nicki Minaj,” West said. “I think she has the most potential out of everyone to be the #2 rapper of all time.”
While we won’t even wade into a “hottest MCs of all time” debate, MTV News’ Hip-Hop Brain Trust eventually voted Nicki into the plum #4 spot on the Hottest MCs in the Game VII list.
In the summer of 2010, Minaj was the acid-tongued “two” to Drake’s “one” in Lil Wayne’s Young Money one-two punch. With her debut album still on the way, she was murdering features left and right.
“When she hit the scene, she was just like the pretty girl alongside Wayne,” said Rahman Dukes, MTV News’ director of hip-hop news. “Drake was really the next one that everyone was looking out for.”
Want to join the debate? Just hit us on Twitter using the hashtag #HottestMC!
HOT STREAK
Album: Pink Friday
Selected Mixtapes: None
Singles: “Super Bass,” “Fly” (featuring Rihanna) and “Starships”
Street Bangers: “Did it on Em,” “Roman in Moscow,” “Stupid Hoe”
Key Guest Appearances: Big Sean’s “Dance (A$$)” remix, Birdman’s “Y.U. Mad” and Drake’s “Make Me Proud”
Meteoric Metrics: Nicki continued to dominate the singles chart thanks to “Super Bass,” which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Business Ventures: The Barbie starred in Mac’s Viva Glam campaign and linked with OPI to launch her own nail polish.
Tours: She hit the road with Lil Wayne on his I Am Still Music Tour and Britney Spears on the Femme Fatale Tour.
Monumental Moment: Nicki took home the Best Hip-Hop Video VMA for “Super Bass.”
Forecast: With Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded on the way, Nicki should once again rule the airwaves in 2012, but Roman is a different story …
But by the time she dropped her Pink Friday debut last November, the world was on notice. Now, Nicki’s success spans the pop and hip-hop worlds, and her fanbase is just as eclectic, with young girls and “Kens” all riding for the Young Money Barbie. Minaj’s song “Super Bass” was just a bonus track on the album, but it won over fans including squeaky-clean Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, both of whom jumped on the record, rapping along line for line to the infectious track. “Bass” may have even helped Nicki score a spot opening for Britney Spears on her Femme Fatale Tour.
As far as our Hottest MCs criteria, Nicki meets them all. Her impact is undeniable and, lyrically, she holds her own when she’s playing with the boys: She stole the show on Big Sean’s “Dance (A$$)” remix and declared herself the Female Weezy on Birdman’s “Y.U. Mad.” Need more proof? Minaj shut down New York Fashion Week in September 2011. And she has conquered hip-hop’s digital landscape.
“Recently, she broke the record for the most followed hip-hop artist on Twitter; her social media following is incredible,” said Nadeska Alexis, MTV’s RapFix blog editor. “She dropped the song ‘Stupid Hoe’ — people didn’t necessarily love the song [but] a week later it’s at 15 million views on YouTube.”
While her songs may not always appeal to “the streets,” millions of her fans have bought into Nicki’s sound. And her performance at the 2012 Grammys, while controversial, was a huge honor and a testament to the lane she’s carved for herself.
After the roundtable votes were tallied, Nicki was initially slotted at #5 with Young Money boss Wayne clocking in at #4, but several members of the Brain Trust felt strongly enough about Nicki’s accomplishments that her position warranted a second look. Hottest MCs moderator Sway Calloway called for a vote and in the end, six of the nine experts elected to move Nicki up to the #4 spot, sending Weezy down to #5.
“Nicki Minaj doesn’t have to be Meek Mill, but at the same time she’s not Britney Spears,” said Steven Roberts, a segment producer/writer at MTV News. “I think Nicki Minaj is something special where she can be in the middle and she can be pop and hip-hop because I think hip-hop at this point is pop.”
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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