'Hottest MCs in the Game': Snoop Dogg, Game, Busta Rhymes, Common, Others Tell Us Who Should Make the List
We're less than a week away from revealing the 2008 "Hottest MCs in the Game," which airs Friday night on MTV at 10 p.m. ET. Readers are already voting in our poll and anticipation is building fast but as we found out last year, your favorite artists are huge fans themselves. We reached out to a number of acts and asked them the simple question: Who should be on this year's list?
"I think Lil Wayne," Game told us last week on the set of his video for "Pain." "Kanye," he continued, "Lupe Fiasco had a good year. And ... me at #5 again. I'm just that good!"
"Lil Wayne is hot with his metaphors," Keyshia Cole, who was also on the set, said about last year's reigning #1 Hottest MC. "His delivery is hot. All he has to do is stay at it. Kanye could be a Hottest MC this year. He puts a lot into his craft performance-wise and in the studio. He delivers. So does Lil Wayne."
Jermaine Dupri said Jay-Z or Andre 3000 has to be #1. "I don't know my full top 10, but I feel like Andre ... Of course, Wayne is in there, Jay-Z is going to always be in the top five I just worked with him on Usher's album. He's still #1. If we got to say people putting out new music, I got to say Andre's number is one right now. I would have to think about it, though it's kind of hard, there aren't a lot of MCs right now."
Power 106's Power House will be on June 21, 2008 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, with the lineup so far being The Game, Ice Cube, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, T-Pain, and Colby O'Donis. More information coming soon.
Once again, the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust members are picking, sorting and battling over their choices for the top 10 Hottest MCs in the Game. They are considering everyone who has been active from the time of the highly controversial first “Hottest MCs in the Game” which published in July of last year up until now.
The artists are being judged on lyrics, flow, swagger and overall impact. You’ll get to see the Brain Trust go at it again on Friday, May 16, at 10 p.m. ET on MTV, when MTV News Presents the second edition of “The Hottest MCs in the Game.”
Obviously, true hip-hop fans will have more than a mouthful to say after the results are in but why wait? We’re giving you the chance to have your say right now: While we encourage you to send in your full top 10, right now we want you to participate in this poll and tell us your pick for the #1 Hottest MC in the Game right now.
Young Buck Explains Problems from 50 Cent Fued, Says The Game, Snoop Have Showed Support
Ever since 50 Cent went public about booting Young Buck from the G-Unit group, the Tennessee rapper has been kind of quiet outside of his response record "My Interview."
On Friday (May 9), Buck resurfaced on XM Radio's Raw with Mz. Kitti for a special Cashville Radio show, and spoke his mind on several situations. In particular, the rift between himself and 50 Cent.
"A lot of this sh** that 50's doing towards my situation, I'm just not used to," he said on the air. "I'm a street n****, I'm ain't used to n****'s just saying sh** and just doing any of this sh**. I'm like 'Hold up.' ... I'm focused at this point and I'mma stay this way. I'm more happier than I've ever been in my career. I ain't lying."
While Buck wasn't clear about whether or not he's spoken to 50 since then, he did reveal that it caused problems for him across the board. One problem he pointed out, specificly, was with his longtime manager, Sha Money XL.
"The minute that 50 went public and said 'Yo Buck, you kicked out of G-Unit,' Sha Money pretty much disappeared from me for like two, three weeks. No contact at all," he admitted. "After that situation, I went to calling Sha, because he's my manager, and Sha just disappeared."
Join The Game on the set of his new video "Pain" featuring Keyshia Cole.
Show: Access Granted Episode: The Game feat. Keyshia Cole Network: (BET) Black Entertainment Television Date: Wednesday - May 14, 2008 Time: 7:30 PM Duration: 30 minutes
The Game, Ice Cube, Raekwon, NYOil & Clyde Carson Speak on the Sean Bell Verdict
The Game & Clyde Carson discuss their response record to the Sean Bell verdict, "911 Is A Joke." Ice Cube, Raekwon and NYOil also give their thoughts on the outcome of the case.
Your new album L.A.X. was pushed back until July. Is that a good move?
You know how that's how it goes, man. When the album gets pushed back, it's usually because they need more time to breathe or somebody's scared of dropping on the same date as somebody. I don't have no problem with dropping on the same date as Hannah Montana, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson...You know.
Did you do anything differently on L.A.X. than what you did on your previous two albums?
Every album I'm going to change the concept. I'm going to stick to the concept, whatever concept we set for that album, I'm going to go around and get the beats and the producers and do all that stuff and bring the movie to light.
Did being a new father affect the music you made for L.A.X?
Oh, man, being a father just has a snowball effect on my life. My kids, man, they push me to grind, man. And every time I come through, I gotta make the biggest and the best album for them so their future is financially secure.
Game Pays Tribute To His Hip-Hop Inspirations In 'Pain' Video With Keyshia Cole
Through his statements in recent interviews like the one in last month's XXL magazine, in which he spoke of his suicidal thoughts ("There's some good days, some bad days," he said. "Sometimes I'm beat down by my demons, sometimes I beat down my demons") you would think The Game made his next LP, L.A.X., with a heavy heart. The ferocious Compton MC said he felt quite the opposite. He told MTV News he made his record "free-spirited," with a "free mind and free conscience."
"It's my third album," he said on the L.A. set of his video for "Pain." Keyshia Cole is featured in the clip and on the song. "I dropped the first album, classic. Came back with Doctor's Advocate, classic. [Now] its number three on my road to being a hip-hop legend. All my favorite rappers are legends, and I want nothing more than to be considered among the top, elite MCs.
"I decided on [the title] L.A.X. because that's the major airport here," he added. "I figured people fly into LAX coming and going. I consider myself like that airport, because anything coming through and leaving California gotta come through me."
"Pain" shows Game's undying love for hip-hop, as he references everyone from New Edition to Nas.
The Game Follows 50 Cent's Lead with New Site, Plans Retirement
The Game is eyeing retirement after he drops his third album, L.A.X. in July. In this SOHH exclusive the west coast emcee reveals his post-rap plans and the motivation behind his 50 Cent-inspired website, ThisIzGame.com.
Despite his well documented conflict with G-Unit, The Game can admit when 50 does something smart. In fact, the former G-Unit member was so impressed with 50 Cent's website, ThisIs50.com that he decided to launch a similar site called ThisIzGame.com.
"I wanted to create a website and I wanted to use that name because I thought what 50 did was pretty creative," he told SOHH. "I think that Garth Brooks should have ThisIsGarthBrooks and maybe Oprah should have ThisIsOprah because we are who we are. If you're looking at me, this is Game so [put] dot com behind it and you got a hit."
In addition to his new foray into the web game, the rapper plans to spend his retirement time developing the artists and producers signed to his label, Black Wall Street. Also, "dive head first into scripts" since he had such a good experience on the set of the movie Street Kings, which starred Forrest Whittaker and Keanu Reeves.
Certainly, you didn’t think The Game was going to do an interview and NOT diss his arch rivals, 50 Cent and G-Unit? See...read, how it all when down. And, true believer, if you didn’t get it yet, a rejuvenated G-Unit has dissed their Compton counterpart as well. Game specifically mentioned Banks, who responds here.
AllHipHop.com: You dissed G-Unit again, why go after them again?
The Game: ‘Cause I felt like it that day and I don’t feel like it today so no diss record’s coming out on G-Unit tonight but that day I felt like it. I mean I picked up the XXL and I see my name in a line so I just felt obligated that night. I’m still doing what I want, n***a you’re still wearing socks and shoes ain’t you? Stop wearing socks n***a. Stop wearing shoes. I just do what I want to do I don’t care about what people think. If you don’t like what I’m doing then don’t go on AllHipHop and don’t comment on my s**t. When n***a’s stop talking about me when I go on AllHipHop and see zero comments then I'mma go sit my old a** down somewhere but when I go on there and there’s 300 people on there talking about my one record that means everybody’s listening to the s**t man, so it’s all good.
Game Says He Refuses To Die, Calls Lloyd Banks "50 Cent's Puppet"
After The Game went public with his desire to commit suicide, Lloyd Banks urged the former G-Unit member to pull the trigger. SOHH caught up with The Game to discuss his suicidal thoughts and Banks' harsh comments.
Game revealed that there are times when he wishes himself off of the earth in a recent XXL magazine interview. However, he says, he doesn't always feel that way. "Sometimes I gotta fight off my demons myself and get lonely and sometimes [I] feel bad. That [was] how I was feeling at that point and that time," he told SOHH exclusively. "This day is a different day. I feel better on this day. I'm happier on this day."
The Game Calls Out NYers Over Sean Bell Verdict, ''I Don't Know Why NY Is So Quiet''
The Game's hard-hitting track, "911 Is A Joke," has been widely circulating the net over last few days, recorded in direct response to the recent Sean Bell verdict. The controversial West Coast rapper hit the airwaves yesterday (April 30) to talk about how people in L.A. would have reacted differently to the verdict, how he wanted to get other rappers to join him on the song, and his talks with the Reverend Al Sharpton.
As SOHH previously reported, three New York detectives were acquitted last week after fatally shooting at an unarmed Sean Bell 50 times, back in 2006. The 23 year-old man was shot, along with two friends, after leaving his bachelor party at a Queens strip club. He was set to get married to his fiancι, with whom he has a son, the following day.
Though the rapper said his website, ThisIzGame.com - where fans can go to download the track for free - features a disclaimer saying he does not support or encourage cop killing, he's prepared for the negative hype anyway.
"I'm pretty sure that people are gon' do whatever they can to keep this song from circulating and keep it off my album," he said on Sirius Satellite's After Hours Spot radio show. "The government or whoever is probably gon' have people on the Internet taking this song off the Internet. It's gon' be black ninjas swingin thru trees at night at my house."
Listen to The Game's street single "Big Dreams" off of his third album, titled L.A.X., which stands for Los Angeles Times. The song was produced by Cool and Dre.
Movie: Street Kings
Character: Grill
Release: April 11, 2008
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Your new album L.A.X. was pushed back until July. Is that a good move?
Through his statements in recent interviews like the one in last month's XXL magazine, in which he spoke of his suicidal thoughts ("There's some good days, some bad days," he said. "Sometimes I'm beat down by my demons, sometimes I beat down my demons") you would think The Game made his next LP, L.A.X., with a heavy heart. The ferocious Compton MC said he felt quite the opposite. He told MTV News he made his record "free-spirited," with a "free mind and free conscience."
The Game is eyeing retirement after he drops his third album, L.A.X. in July. In this SOHH exclusive the west coast emcee reveals his post-rap plans and the motivation behind his 50 Cent-inspired website, 
Certainly, you didn’t think The Game was going to do an interview and NOT diss his arch rivals, 50 Cent and G-Unit? See...read, how it all when down. And, true believer, if you didn’t get it yet, a rejuvenated G-Unit has dissed their Compton counterpart as well. Game specifically mentioned Banks, who responds here.
The Game's hard-hitting track, "911 Is A Joke," has been widely circulating the net over last few days, recorded in direct response to the recent Sean Bell verdict. The controversial West Coast rapper hit the airwaves yesterday (April 30) to talk about how people in L.A. would have reacted differently to the verdict, how he wanted to get other rappers to join him on the song, and his talks with the Reverend Al Sharpton.
