Image via Complex Original
On Tuesday night, an irate Kanye West called Hot 97 to vent about his placement on MTV's much discussed "Hottest MCs" list. Bigger news than West's frustrations with his own No. 7 ranking on the list, however, was his adulation of fellow rapper Lil Wayne:
"I think that Wayne is the No. 1 rapper in the world."
Soon after, Lil Wayne tweeted his thanks to Kanye West for the compliment. But it appears that the superstar MC from Chicago might be the only one in Weezy's corner.
Tonight at 10 p.m. EST, MTV will reveal the No. 1 and No. 2 rappers on their "Hottest MCs" list, and most of Rap Internet agrees: Those spots will go to Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz. Debate concerning those picks (and Drake's questionable No. 5 placement when he's releasing songs like "5AM in Toronto," on which he props Wayne, no less) aside—there's one glaring omission:
Lil Wayne isn't on the list.
Yes, we're being a bit presumptuous, seeing as to how the top two positions aren't public yet, but after a week of reveals, it's really beginning to look like Tunechi won't get a spot.
This isn't a case like Jay-Z, whom many suspect also won't make the list because of his limited musical output over the past year. Even without releasing a proper album, Lil Wayne has been everywhere for the last twelve months, and there's an argument to be made for his inclusion on the list, and well, we're going to make that argument.
The way things look, Lil Wayne Won't Make the "Hottest MCs" List but Here's Why He Should. We know he has no worries, but still. Let's think about this for a second.
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He's the most commercially successful rapper making music right now.
"Hotness" is more a measure of popularity than talent, and regardless of how you feel about his music, Lil Wayne is the most popular rapper working today—by virtue of Soundscan statistics alone. We all know how much Tha Carter III sold first week and Weezy's other sales feats, and MTV's list is about current accomplishments, not past, but even then, Wayne still stands as the most successful MC in many ways.
Tha Carter IV, went double platinum, in an era where it's increasingly difficult for rappers to sell that much. He also just broke Elvis Presley's for most songs to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Elvis! If that's not hot, what is?
He's consistently relevant.
For what's been close to a decade, you'd be hard-pressed to find a year, month, or week in which Lil Wayne hasn't done something headline-worthy. Even while incarcerated, his output never slowed thanks to a pre-prison schedule that included shooting several music videos a day, on top of his already prolific recording habits.
Wayne's work ethic is a different beast than the Struggle Rapper's "I'm going to keep making music even though no one's checking for it" persistence. People are checking for Lil Wayne's music, even if it's just to trash it. When Wayne releases material, it matters, and despite how jaded the rap community's become towards his omnipresence, there are still plenty who appreciate what he brings to the conversation, and use their hard-earned dollars to support that.
It's difficult to deny a guy who's always all over the radio and other artists songs as anything but "hot." Which brings us to the next point...
He's the most in-demand featured artist.
Here's a sampling of who Lil Wayne has worked with recently:
Future, 2 Chainz, Juicy J, Chris Brown, Fat Joe, Gucci Mane, Britney Spears, Wiz Khalifa, Joe Budden, Bruno Mars, Jeremih, Kelly Rowland, Juelz Santana, B.o.B, T.I., Eminem, Rick Ross, Game, French Montana, David Guetta, Robin Thicke, Young Jeezy, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole, Mike Posner, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, and Diddy.
Any questions?
Drake and Nicki Minaj make him "hot" by default.
This has the least to do with Wayne's personal talent, but simply put, the fact that his artists, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and to a lesser extent, Tyga, are all among the most successful in hip-hop does contribute to his "hotness."
Lil Wayne is handed the opportunity to be on platinum songs like "The Motto" and "Faded," and it's not just a favor. Let's be real: He brings a lot to those records. You might make fun of "almost drowned in the pussy so I swam to her butt" on Twitter, but you rap along to when you hear it. This could turn into a whole tangent about how Wayne's entire charm is that he raps inane things like that, but that's not the point. The point is: Even if Lil Wayne hate reached such a fever pitch that all of his solo work from this point forward wasn't well-received, you'd still be forced to contend with him because a number of his artists are popping.
Call it the "We Gon Be Alright If We Put Drake on Every Hook" Theory.
He takes a lot of risks for someone so mainstream.
It's more fun to root for a rapper who lives outside of the traditional confines of what's expected from hip-hop artists. That's why (some) people love Kanye West for wearing leather kilts. That's why people love Jay-Z for owning part of a professional basketball team. There's a punk rock aesthetic to doing something different, even if it's just what you wear or invest in.
When it comes to music, Lil Wayne is the most experimental rap artist operating in the mainstream. He sings, he (kind of) plays guitar, he mingles with Paris Hilton and DJ Khaled in the same breath. That type of diversity should be rewarded, not shunned. Even if you don't dig his endeavors outside of hip-hop, it can't be denied that transcending cultural boundaries plays a massive role in an artists visibility and "hotness."
But maybe they don't like Skateboard Wayne the same way "they don't like Givenchy Kanye."
He fathered what's arguably the most popular style in rap right now.
Future is awesome, but he's also largely derivative of the music Lil Wayne was making five years ago. That Auto-Tune wail that's become the Atlanta rapper's signature? Wayne invented that. Listen to "Prostitute Flange," listen to "Me and My Drank," listen to The Drought Is Over 4, and listen to all of the weird leaks that popped up right before Tha Carter III dropped. He used bad vocals to convey emotion, as opposed to the digital crispness of T-Pain, and now the style's been lifted by everyone from Lil Durk to Meek Mill. Wayne deserves some kudos for its ubiquity.
He still makes great music.
We've established that it's extremely fashionable to hate Lil Wayne these days, but the same people talking down on him on Twitter know every word of his "terrible" verse on "Pop That." There's a reason why his latest single, "Love Me," was just in the top 10 on the Billboard pop charts. He also helped take "The Motto" and "Bandz A Make Her Dance" to the top of the rap charts. Even singles like "No Worries" and "My Homies Still," that eventually cooled off, broke the into the Top 40.
Some might argue that chart statistics are useless and don't actually speak to the quality of his music, but come on. There's one reason why all of these songs are so successful: They're good. The millions of people buying Lil Wayne's music on iTunes, streaming it on Spotify and YouTube, and requesting it on the radio can't all be wrong.
