RapFix › Hottest Mcs in the Game 2010

Yes, Queens-born Atlanta-bred rapper Waka Flocka Flame is our #8 Hottest MC in the Game. *shakes locs* Not everyone agrees, but everyone gets an opinion, right?

“He's very well deserving I think, he’s definitely rookie of the year,” said A-town’s DJ Holiday. “He’s worked hard, I remember him playing me his joints on the bus. He’s got that emotion like an Onyx or a Wu-Tang, he’s bringing that feeling to the game.”

After dropping his mixtape Salute Me or Shoot Me Vol. 1 in January 2009, many were introduced to the energetic rapper through his breakout record "O Let's Do It." The rowdy club track quickly became a fan favorite, and one year later, after he peppered the streets with more mixtapes and a guest verse on "Bingo," from Gucci Mane's 2009 LP, The State vs. Radric Davis, "O Let's Do It" got an official remix featuring  official remix featuring Diddy, Rick Ross and Gucci Mane featuring furs and the A’s Central Station club. Then “Hard In The Paint” took over the clubs in early 2010 followed by “No Hands” featuring Roscoe Dash and Wale, the latter of which currently sits at no. 6 on both Billboard’s Rap Songs and R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

"While it's more rap to me than traditional hip-hop, Waka's ranking as a hot MC is justified,” says John Gotty of The Smoking Section. “Being from the South and involved with age groups ranging from adolescents to adults, his name is often mentioned as if he were more of a cultural phenomenon than a musician. Sure, his time in the spotlight may be limited, but he's shining bright and doing it with simplicity and honesty. Although it's contrary to what some members of the music community believe, they should be glad he didn't get the higher ranking he deserves."

But everyone isn’t so impressed.

“Now unfollowing @mtvrapfix <--Waka Flaka flacka number 8 ? You killin hiphop,” tweeted PhillyBoiSWP.

“It's a joke, right? Do lyrics just not matter anymore?” added Kobe42085.

While we know Waka isn’t the most lyrical dude, his power in the clubs is undeniable and even New York’s Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex agrees.

“What’s very important when you talk about Hot is that you gotta listen to the people and what the people say, is where it’s moving,” Flex told RapFix. “My man Waka Flocka is one of the hottest people [and he's] been doing his thing the last couple of months, not just from the first records, from all his records man up until now ... hot. When this boy touches in the club? Mean.”

“How can they leave out Waka? He’s killing it right now!” agreed Mauriciogarcia3 via Twitter.

The kid’s so mean in fact, that his last mixtape became a full-fledged album. No Drake.

“Flockaveli was a mixtape was originally, and when we put up the cover online it got like 500,000 views in a day, so for the label to actually take it and make it an album, that’s speaks for itself and my body of work,” said DJ Holiday, who hosted the mixtape. “The album has actually got three successful singles on it and there are other little joints like “Grove Street” that I like and, of course, “Bussin’ At Em.” He’s creating a fan base and his own lane, a lot of people are gonna coat tail but he’s got his lane sewn up. I’m proud of him.”

Think Waka Flocka Flame should rank #8? Think he should be higher or ... even omitted? Tweet us at @MTVRapFix or tell us in a comment below!

Tags 2010, hottest mcs, waka flocka flame

Waka ... Flocka ... Flame! Waka ... Flame! Waka ... Flocka ... Flame!

The Northside Queens-born, Atlanta-bred rapper first nabbed the street's attention with his mixtape Salute Me or Shoot Me Vol. 1 in January 2009 featuring his breakout record "O Let's Do It." The rowdy club track quickly became a fan favorite, and a year later, after he peppered the streets with more mixtapes and a guest verse on "Bingo," from Gucci Mane's 2009 LP, The State vs. Radric Davis, "O Let's Do It" got an official remix featuring Diddy, Rick Ross and Gucci Mane featuring furs and the A's Central Station club.

Then the singles "Hard in Da Paint" and "No Hands," from his debut LP Flockaveli (released October 5) which began as a DJ Holiday-assisted mixtape but was upstreamed and fashioned by Asylum into an official album, garnered him enough buzz to be voted the #8 Hottest MC in the Game, his first time making the list.

"[Waka] put out three consistent records in a row," MTV senior producer Rahman Dukes said during the Hottest MCs roundtable. "He's coming out a region that's known for putting out one great record."

Still, there are many in hip-hop who question the upstart's talent. Critics have derided him, claiming he's more flash and rowdiness (witness his shouted ad lib above) than lyrical substance.

"He's not the most lyrical dude," MTV News senior writer Jayson Rodriguez admitted, defending Waka's place on the list. "But these joints, they're ubiquitous. You can't go places without hearing 'O Let's Do It.' You hear it everywhere."

"There's always been a lane for different artists who just control that 'get drunk, get crunk, just go hard' ... and those artists usually haven't always been the most lyrical," said MTV News supervising producer Sean Lee. "Right now, he's owning that lane."

MTV News' Shaheem Reid agreed. "When I listen to Waka, it just takes me back to the audacity when Onyx came out, that spirit," he said. "You put the song on, you go into the club, and you just gotta be prepared for anything."

But MTV Jams' Tuma Basa wasn't as easily convinced that having a handful of hot records in the club was enough to warrant the attention Waka is currently receiving. "Does Waka have the lasting power?" he questioned. "Does he have the ability to sustain, where a year from now everybody's going to admit that they liked the song?"

These proved to be questions that opened up a great deal of debate among the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust, and Waka ultimately found himself pitted against eventual #9 selection B.o.B for his slot at #8.

"I feel like that's a question of commercialism versus what's hot in the streets," said RapFix editor Hillary Crosley. Dukes added: "Waka, he has the soul of the streets right now."

Lee felt that Waka's music, because it's so hard and so raw, hits listeners in a way that B.o.B's shimmery pop tunes can't. "You hear the B.o.B records, and you're like, 'I like that. It's cool,' " he said. "But it doesn't bring out the passion."

MTV News associate producer Steven Roberts strongly disagreed, claiming that hip-hop music reaches more than just a street audience, and that another audience, perhaps one not being spoken for at the roundtable, felt just as strongly about B.o.B's music as Waka's.

"It's definitely a different crowd," Roberts said. "You have a song like 'Nothin' on You,' which girls can gravitate towards; you have a song like 'Airplanes,' where it's inspirational. You have to look at the hip-hop circle as bigger than just the streets. In hip-hop, there is a pop circle. [And] you got a lot of dudes in hip-hop who just don't mess with Waka Flocka; who are like, 'This is just ignorant.' "

"Waka's charting," MTV Jams' Sheila Grullon countered. "Not on top 40 [radio], but he's charting. And the urban charts are crazy right now. You go to the clubs, and nobody's gonna play 'Airplanes.' "

Grullon is right: "O Let's Do It" hit #7 on the Billboard Rap Songs chart, while "No Hands" hit #6.

In the end, the Brain Trust kept Waka at #8, because he's on the rise at the moment, his songs are continuing to get hotter, and the spotlight is definitely on him.

The 2010 Hottest MCs in the Game rollout is now under way! As in 2008 and 2009, the criteria is based on a combination of rhyme skill, flow, buzz, commercial success, business ventures, Web presence and cultural influence. Upload your comments, reactions, arguments and/or your own list to Your.MTV.com or send tweets with the hashtag #hottestmcs — the best responses could be on RapFix!

Stay locked in each day as we count down #10 to #6 on our MCs list. Then tune in to MTV2 for the entire one-hour "Hottest MCs in the Game" special on Sunday, October 24, at 1:30 p.m. ET, where we'll reveal who will be crowned 2010's Hottest MC.

Think Waka Flocka Flame should rank #8? Think he should be higher or ... even omitted? Tweet us at @MTVRapFix or tell us in a comment below!

Tags 2010, hottest mcs, waka flocka flame