This document lists and describes the top 10 hottest MCs of 2010 according to MTV. Eminem is ranked #1 due to the commercial and critical success of his album Recovery and hit single "Not Afraid." Jay-Z comes in at #2, riding continued success from his 2009 album The Blueprint 3. Kanye West ranks #3 despite taking time away, with popular features and magazine covers. Drake and Rick Ross round out the top 5.

1. Hottest MCs In The Game
Juan Castro
11/04/10

2. Hottest in the Game.Hottest in the Game.
 So if you didn’t see the special on MTV then you
don’t know who’s on it obviously.
 And if you did then you should know.
 Well for those of you that are viewing this let me tell
you who’s on it.

3. #10#10
LudacrisLudacris
 In March, Ludacris released his seventh album, Battle
of the Sexes, and without seeming to try much at all
 Cris jumped on the U.S. version of Taio Cruz's
"Break Your Heart," and turned what was already a
smash in the U.K. into one of the biggest songs of
the summer in the States.

4. #9#9
B.o.BB.o.B
 B.o.B had a handful of minor looks over the years, yet never
one that catapulted him to stardom.
 There were countless mixtapes and a co-sign from T.I., who
signed B.o.B to his label, Grand Hustle, in 2008.

5. #8#8
Waka Flocka FlameWaka Flocka Flame
 Honestly I don’t Even know why this guy got on to
the top ten or even on to the 8th
spot.
 A lot of artists who make a name for themselves off
club records disappear as fast as they arrive. Right now,
though, Waka isn't just hot in the clubs he practically
owns them.

6. #7#7
Lil WayneLil Wayne
 Lil Wayne hasn’t been here for most of
2010 but he still held his spot at number 7
 I Am Not A Human Being, which sold
110,000 copies in its first week of release in
September
 Hillary Crosley said during this year's
roundtable discussion. "But I think he
certainly prepared for it ... so that he was
able to just keep it coming."

7. #6#6
Nicki MinajNicki Minaj
 In her first ever induction to the hottest MC’s she début
at #6 like the true pioneer she is, she's the first woman
to make the list.
 "She showed that not only is she the most talented
female right now, she's one of the most talented
rappers," MTV News' Shaheem Reid

8. #5#5
Rick RossRick Ross
 Teflon Don, debut at #2 on the Billboard albums chart
in July with 176,300 sold its first week.
 "B.M.F." was big at urban radio, hitting #6 on the
Billboard Hip-Hop Songs chart.
 He even starred in his very own Nike commercial,
proving that the rotund rapper is definitely throwing
his weight around outside of just music.

9. # 4# 4
DrakeDrake
 In 2009, Drake dropped the instant-classic mixtape So
Far Gone (which sold upward of 70,000 units its first
week when it was released as an EP last September)
and appeared on songs with Jay-Z, Fabolous and Mary
J. Blige, among others.
 "He's missing charisma," MTV Jams' Tuma Basa
said. "He's missing drama."

10. #3 Kanye West#3 Kanye West
 Some artists are so hot, they can make up for almost a
full year out of the spotlight in just a few short months.
Well, at least Kanye West can.
 Even though he was featured on popular songs like
"Forever," with Drake, Eminem and Lil Wayne, and
Jay-Z's "Run This Town," 'Ye essentially went into
hiding after his infamous run-in with Taylor Swift at the
2009 VMAs
 Kanye is so hot right now, XXL handed him the entire
magazine for the month of October, even letting him
write his own cover story. How's that for power?

11. #2#2
Jay-ZJay-Z
 The Roc Nation chief spent the better part of 2010
riding the wave of success from 2009's The Blueprint
3. Songs like "Empire State of Mind," "Forever
Young," "On to the Next One" and "Run This
Town" kept BP3 on the Billboard albums chart for
56 weeks, well into 2010.
 "Jay has legacy, which you can't ignore if you're just
talking about the last 12 months," MTV News senior
writer Jayson Rodriguez

12. #1#1
EminemEminem
 Everyone loves a comeback story, and in 2010, that's
what they got from Eminem. Even though Marshall
Mathers sold 608,000 copies of 2009's Relapse in its first
week, the project was panned by critics and longtime
Em fans.
 This year, however, was totally different. Eminem
pretty much dominated 2010 from start to finish
 It all led up to the release of the first single from
Recovery, "Not Afraid." The song was a turn of form
for Em that found him spitting motivational rhymes and
encouraging people to face their fears, for better or
worse.