What does it mean to be "Hot" in Hip-Hop? A dope single? Amazing videos? Bringing home major bread? Endorsement deals? Twitter & Instagram followers? The answer is all of the above, as today's Hip-Hop fan is no longer only concerned with mic skills, but the artist's overall impact on the culture itself, and their ability to transcend its confines.
That being said, skills SHOULD always take precedence over everything else, and hold more weight within the culture than all of those other aspects. However, when considering someone "hot" it would be naive to judge based strictly on lyrical prowess. Therefore, we bring you the 25 Hottest Rappers in the Game Right Now. Some are just starting out, and some have been running the game for years, but one thing can be sure, all of them have heads turning, eyes watching, and the culture listening.
25.Dej Loaf
Her one certified smash, "Try Me" has made enough noise this summer to gain the Detroit native entrance into the top 25, and with co-signs from Drake, Remy Ma, The Lox, Wiz Khalifa and more heavy hitters, she may be moving on up sooner than we think. That being said, she doesn't seem like the type to ride anyone's coattails, and recently dropped her potential next single, "We Good" and just signed to Columbia Records based on her own hustle and talent.
24. 2 Chainz
2 Chainz has been keeping busy this year hitting the road on tour and hitting one of Hip-Hop's biggest festivals, Atlanta's A3C. He was also featured on the smash "Turn Down 4 What" remix with Lil Jon and Juicy J. He'll soon be headlining Australia's Future Music Festival for 2015 and just dropped "Dikembe" with Jeezy and "Awwsome" remix with Shy Glizzy and A$AP Rocky.
23. Kid Ink
It's been an incredible year for Kid Ink, as the Cali representer broke the record for most weeks at #1 on rap radio with his smash single, "Show Me" featuring Chris Brown, and while his album dropped way back In January, he's still a go-to for club nights and inescapable on radio. His new single, "Body Language" featuring Usher and Tinashe, is also starting to make serious noise.
22. Schoolboy Q
SchoolBoy Q's album OxyMoron proved to be diverse compilation, while spawning several catchy singles such as "Collard Greens," "Man of the Year," and his latest offering, "Studio" featuring R&B crooner BJ the Chicago Kid on the hook. The track has gained favor with the public and SchoolBoy's peers, as Chris Brown, Trey Songz and Rihanna are all fans, with Breezy & Trigga recently making the song their own.
21. YG
Bompton's own YG is still riding high off the success of his debut album, My Krazy Life, and it's smash single, "My Hitta" (as well as its star-studded remix) and the Drake-assisted hit, "Who Do You Love." His latest single, "Do it To Ya" is a bit of a tribute to Cali's own fallen soldier Nate Dogg, and he's surely proud of the young Westside spitter for helping carry LA on his shoulders.
20.The Game
Game is definitely one of the most consistent MCs within the culture, dropping fire albums every 2-3 years while managing to stay relevant in-between with other projects as well as more than a few beefs, arguably winning all of them with his sharp wit, menacing tone and diverse flow. He's also built a reputation as one of the most charitable rappers in the game, heading up the Robin Hood Project and sponsoring youth basketball in the city of Los Angeles. His latest album, Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf, has also received critical acclaim, and while it's too soon to talk numbers, there's no doubt that fans appreciate the well rounded spitter's efforts both in and out the studio.
19. Kevin Gates
Kevin Gates has had a very good year, being named one of XXL's Hot freshman in February and since following up with tracks like "Arm & Hammer" and "Amnesia" His rumored tiff with Young Thug sparked more interest in the Baton Rouge native who calls himself a street reporter who "Doesn't get tired."
18.G - Eazy
G-Eazy is slowly rising in the ranks of Hip-Hop and Pop with his smash single "I Mean It," and with co-signs and collaborations from everyone from French Montana to Hoodie Allen to Iamsu! to Drake, he's clearly making a lane for himself and is showing no signs of slowing down.
17.Bobby Shmurda
While Shmurda fever has died down a bit, Bobby Shmurda's presence is still being felt in clubs around the country, while his Shmoney dance has fans around the world moving like the Flatbush native. After gaining fans in Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna, Chris Brown and others, the rest of us soon followed suit. There's no doubt that he's a "Hot Boy."
16. Tyga
Tyga has definitely been in the news for several reasons other than music lately, but make no mistake, the streets are talking about his upcoming LP to be executive produced by Kanye West and featuring his new drop, "40 Mill," also produced by the Chitown spitter.
15. Big Sean
Big Sean has slowly been creeping back on the radar, dropping one of the catchiest breakup anthems in Hip-Hop, "I Don't F*** Wit You" featuring Yay Area rhyme slinger E-40 and produced by Yeezy and DJ Mustard. The D-Town spitter also just spit some of his hottest bars ever during a freestyle for DJ Cosmic Kev in Philly, letting fellow MCs and fans alike know he's ready to take over once again.
14. Rae Sremmurd
Rae Sremmurd already had a banger with "No Flex Zone," but getting the stamp of approval via Nicki Minaj's remix really put the duo on our radar. They've since followed up with "No Type," another creeping banger featuring a Mike Will Made It beat and clever lines that has already picked up serious steam on the web and on radio.
13. Rich Homie Quan
Rich Homie Quan is one of the most unique voices in Hip-Hop and has been able to speak to the streets, the club and the charts with songs like "Walk Thru" and "Get the F*** Out My Face" featuring frequent collaborator, Young Thug. Speaking of Thugger, their highly anticipated collaborative effort with Baby for Rich Gang's second album is highly anticipated, with their single "Lifestyle" becoming an anthem in its own right.
12.Childish Gambino
In many ways, Childish Gambino has a bit of an advantage here, simply because he's so damn talented at so many things. It's hard to compare someone who only raps to someone who has proven themselves to be a brand both in and outside of the culture. Still, Donald Glover's rap alter-ego made some serious noise this year, dropping Because of the Internet and its infectious single, "3005," which has done quite well for an indie release. His latest mixtape, STN MTN/ Kauai, dropped to rave reviews and his Hot 97 freestyle with Peter Rosenberg is in contention for radio freestyle of the year. Not too shabby.
11.Meek Mill
Even while locked up, fans are eagerly awaiting the Philly native's sophomore release, Dreams Worth More Than Money. While his first album left many with something to be desired, tracks like "Off the Corner" and "I Don't Know" have fans hopeful that the new record will at the very least match the caliber of his Dreamchasers mixtape series, and at best far surpass them. #FreeMeek
10. Migos
Georgia trio Migos has been making a lot of noise over the last year, with Drake helping boost their fame from local to global by remixing their hit track, "Versace." Since then, the group has made it a point to prove themselves to be a self-sustained machine, with their current single "Fight Night" becoming their second track to hit anthem level. Not to mention the "Migos" flow has been adopted by countless other rappers, both seasoned and new, and even while they've been called out for not originating the style, they surely are the ones who popularized it for today's Hip-Hop listener.
9. Wiz Khalifa
While Wiz Khalifa may be still dealing with his separation from Amber Rose, the young rapper still has plenty to smile about, as his album, Blacc Hollywood, debuted at number one off of the strength of his summertime smash, "We Dem Boyz," a track that still gets plenty of burn in the club and on radio. His "Under the Influence" tour was a major success as well, silencing naysayers who've doubted the kid from Pittsburgh on more than one occasion.
8. T.I
It's true that early 2014 focused far more on T.I.'s personal life than his music, but that all changed with the drop of "No Mediocre" featuring his biggest Grand Hustle success story, Iggy Azalea. While the track got people warmed up, his Young Thug featured track, "About the Money," is what's getting people talking, as it's definitely one of the most infectious songs of 2014.
7.Young Jeezy
With the release of his latest album, Seen It All, ATL's own Jeezy solidified himself as one of the most respected MCs in the game, spitting everything from harsh realities to club anthems with an authenticity many rappers are lacking, not to mention he's also becoming one of Hip-Hop's best storytellers.
6.Iggy Azalea
Iggy Azalea may be one of the most polarizing artists on this list, as so many music fans either question her authenticity as an MC, while she also has a diehard fanbase that respects and admires the young spitter's talent. No matter where you fall on the line, to say she isn't one of the hottest rappers in the game would simply be a lie. She continues to break radio and single sales records and was even able to give Queen Nicki a run for her money this summer with her infectious tune, "Fancy," and her feature on Ariana Grande's "Problem."
5.kendrick lamar
With the recent release of his first single, "i" off of his upcoming and highly anticipated sophomore album, the young Compton MC easily makes the top 10. Not only is he dropping one of the most highly anticipated albums of the last five years soon, but his skills are still sharp as ever.
4.Young Thug
Say what you want about Young Thug on the mic, the ATL rapper knows how to write a hook, move a crowd and sell a record. His unique cadence and almost indecipherable delivery has somehow made him even more poppin' than some of our favorite wordsmiths. He's created a lane for himself and is taking full advantage, collaborating with both T.I. and Tyga on their own summer smashes while stealing the shine on both tracks. His Rich Gang collaboration with Birdman and Rich Homie Quan, "Lifestyle," has fans looking forward to the next album from the crew, and of course his eccentric style and lingo keep us talking about the "Stoner" rapper as well.
3.Lil Wayne
Weezy F. Baby may have just had the year every rapper wants. He was able to stay immensely relevant with minimal output, while continuing to build hype for his upcoming album. A fire feature on what could be song of the year (Chris Brown's "Loyal") got things off to an amazing start, and still bumps heavy today. He soon also dropped "D'usse" as a teaser for the new album, causing the Internet to go nuts, screaming that the Wayne we all grew to love for his high energy flow, creative wordplay and clever punches was back. "Krazy" and its crazy video soon followed and continues to impress. He also just finished touring with protege Drake on the "Drake vs Lil Wayne" tour, beating Drake most nights up until the end when the maple leaf caught up and tied the New Orleans MC, not to mention an impressive YMCMB stage show at this year's Summer Jam. All that's left is to drop Tha Carter V for the world to really remember why he was and still is considered one of the best rappers alive.
2.Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj's closest competition as far as females are concerned would be Iggy Azalea, and if this list were created just two months ago, Iggy may have been able to pull ahead. Nicki however dropped a bomb on the industry when she released the artwork, song and eventually the video for her current smash single, "Anaconda." All three got people talking and turned the track from a simple Sir-Mix-A-Lot remake to one of the biggest songs of the year. She also continues to prove she can hang with the fellas, garnering a "Best Lyricist" nomination at this year's BET Hip Hop Awards by dropping fire freestyles throughout the year. Her online presence is nothing short of intense, with one of the most loyal fan bases a celeb could ask for, and she continues to make business moves pushing her signature drink, Myx Moscato.
1.Drake
Drizzy has managed to damn near run 2014 without a hitch, as his last album, Nothing Was the Same, which dropped in 2013, has been able to ride out with most listeners for almost a year. In addition to his official release, freestyles like "2 On/Thotful" and songs like "0-100" and "Trophies" became summertime anthems that still have fans waiting for accompanying videos. Drake also hit the road with mentor Lil Wayne for their "Drake vs Lil Wayne" tour and has had a huge hand in pushing protégés PartyNextDoor and P. Reign to the forefront, directing the latter's latest video for "DnF" featuring Future and himself, spitting another fire verse. The Toronto native was also praised heavily this summer for his amazing job hosting the 2014 ESPYs. For all of these reasons and more, Drake is definitely the hottest in the game.
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