Ya Heard: MTV presents top 10 hottest in hip-hop

MTV's hip-hop braintrust recently released its second annual "Top 10 Hottest MCs" list, and as expected…there's controversy. Mind you, this is not an "all-time greatest" list, but rather its a list of the best for the past year. Here's who stacked up:

10. T.I. -- Believe it or not, but after being ranked No. 2 on last year's list, Sway and company were very close to giving this spot to Soulja Boy instead of Tip. Granted, Soulja Boy has had an incredible year, but it should be considered a sin to even contemplate ranking Soulja Boy over the King of the South.

9. Andre 3000 of Outkast -- Another eyebrow raiser here. I'm a huge fan of Outkast and would love to see Andre at the top of this list, but what has he put out besides a few cameo appearances?

Now, those few cameos were classics, however I have a hard time understanding how 3000 made this list (not to mention he was ranked No. 4 on last year's list). I love his work, but the No. 9 spot should have went to T.I.

8. Young Jeezy -- Jeezy fell two spots from last year but still received a fair position on the list. No quarrels here.

7. Lupe Fiasco -- Now a lot of fans are surely arguing Lupe's ranking here, but I completely agree with MTV on this one.

Lupe continues to rise above the hood inspired music and instead puts out music to inspire the hood. His swag is incredible and he's put out two solid albums thus far.

So, to all you Jeezy fans, Lupe has earned this spot, i.e. "Superstar."

6. 50 Cent -- 50 jumped up two spots from last year's ranking, and in my opinion, shouldn't have made this year's list at all. Following his "Curtis" album, and what is becoming a slow descent from superstardom, 50 experienced his worst year since becoming a household name in 2003.

Vitamin Water aside, 50 suffered quite a few losses this past year. Sway and company should have removed 50, bumped everyone up a spot, and given Joey Budden the No. 10 spot. Just my thoughts people, just my thoughts!

5. Snoop Dogg -- The braintrust saw fit to place Snoop on this year's list and I agree, but No. 5…that's a bit high for the Long Beach veteran. Snoop definitely broke the mold with "Sensual Seduction," but this ranking still doesn't sit right.

4. Rick Ross -- The Miami boss continues to build a respectable career brick by brick. I agree with this one.

3. Lil' Wayne -- The group did a very good job of pointing out the fact that Wayne has yet to drop another album. We've been hearing about the "Carter III" LP for the last three years, yet "Lollipop" just surfaced recently. Many may argue that Wayne deserves the No. 1 spot, but legacies are built on albums; and for that reason, there is a huge distance between Wayne and the No. 2 artist.

2. Jay Z -- "I know what y'all asking yourselves: is he gonna ever fall off?" No! National tour, "American Gangster" LP, Boss Status, not to mention Beyonce, Jay continues to be the coolest kid in the schoolyard. Twelve years after releasing his classic debut, Jay is still the greatest lyricist in the game, PERIOD.

1. Kanye West -- You really can't argue this one. Kanyeezy continues to creatively raise the bar in hip hop. He has taken his soul music formula from the streets to the world, all the while building perhaps the most diverse fanbase in hip-hop history. He crushed 50 Cent in the epic "Soundscan Showdown" and is currently blazing arenas across the country with his "Glow in the Dark" Tour. To put it short, the guy is on his twefth lap, waiting on the rest of us to catch up.

At the end of the day, I think MTV put together a brilliant group of people to make up this list. Aside from a few mishaps, this year's list can be tolerated…for now.

NAS DECIDES ON NO NAME FOR UPCOMING LP

Nasty Nas' upcoming album will no longer be titled "N***er." The Queensbridge emcee announced his new album, scheduled to drop July 1, will be untitled.

"It's important to me that this album gets to the fans," Nas stated. "It's been a long time coming. I want my fans to know that creatively and lyrically; they can expect the same content and the same messages. It's that important. The streets have been waiting for this for a long time. The people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it."

He also added, the N-word "kind of comes off as something that can be disrespectful. Our older black people can take it the wrong way. Some non-blacks can take it the wrong way, and it becomes a thing that's controversial in all the wrong ways. I accept that. I'm here to do music. I'm here to rap about what I feel and what makes sense to me."

Personally, I felt that the album title was great, especially for an introspective emcee such as Nas.

Instead of glorifying the word, Nas was sure to give a deeper experience regarding the word that has become a staple in not only hip-hop, but popular culture as well. I'm disappointed in the name change, but it's understandable.

"Record stores are gonna have a problem in this day and time selling a record with that title," he said. "Who knows what that title will be? It was important to me to let the fans know what the album would be musically. Everybody is trying to stop the title. It's just people being scared of what's real.

"Somebody is trying to open up dialogue for people to talk. People that's high up really [aren't] understanding what I'm doing, are scared. They're scared for reasons I understand, but the fans gotta know either way: This is the same album. The content is the same, the direction is the same, the message is gonna be everything I intended it to be musically."

Nas' last release gained enormous attention when he proclaimed "Hip Hop is Dead" and discussions and debates erupted when he announced that his next album would be titled "N***er."

It's plain to see the wiley rap legend has some clever marketing strategies up his sleeve.

HIP-HOP TRIVIA

On what album would you find the tracks "Cruisin'" "Show Discipline," and "Put Ya Hands Up?"

Be the ninth person to send me an e-mail with the correct answer and receive two free AMC movie tickets courtesy of the Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger … until next week, peace!

Dennis Winn can be reached at 703-400-8301 or YaHeard40@gmail.com.