eminem

Well isn’t this convenient. Just as MTV’s much maligned list of the hottest MC’s for 2009 was ending it’s buzz cycle, they decided to try and breathe life into by justifying why Eminem wasn’t included. So Shyheim Reid was given the envious job of quelling the disgruntled masses.

The 2009 Hottest MCs in the Game list is based on an MC’s achievements of the moment, not an entire career. The criteria are based on a combination of mic skills, buzz, commercial success (sales and airplay), business ventures, Web presence, and impact.

Each member of the Brain Trust compiles his or her list based on those criteria. The fan list is factored as an 11th judge. Each ranked artist is then awarded a number (number 10 is worth one point, and so on). Those 11 lists and their respective values are combined to form a final list, which is then discussed and debated at the Roundtable.

Eminem’s ranking was one of the most discussed topics at the Roundtable. His hotly anticipated return to hip-hop after a long absence drove first-week sales of over 600,000 — the highest first-week sales of the year so far. He granted a handful of select interviews here and abroad, and was part of a massive moment with Sacha Baron Cohen at the MTV Movie Awards.

But then Em retreated to the lab, where he spent the summer crafting Relapse 2. From June to September, Em all but took himself out of the public eye, while other MCs generated week-to-week heat with mixtapes, guest appearances, performances and Web activity.

Oh really? So a critically and commercially acclaimed LP, which is still one of the best selling albums of the year regardless of genre, doesn’t hold the same weight as releasing a mixtape and keeping up a web presence? I’m sorry but two years from now I’d like to believe that Relapse will be remembered more than random web vlogs and skits. Besides he didn’t technically disappear until “Forever” came out.  I seem to recall a little back and forth with the Carey’s and a cameo in a Judd Apatow flick.

Because truthfully, your list is as relevant as the AP Top 25 College Football Poll. Sure it’s official just because you say it is. But what it really boils down to it, it’s not worth the paper it’s written on film it’s presented on. Where you guys messed up, though, was allowing fans to vote and believe they had a say in the process. When it’s a private affair, you can do whatever you want.  But you mislead the people who actually cared about the list into believing their voice made a difference. Combining  millions of people’s votes to count as a singular vote is idiotic. I’m willing to bet that Eminem would have easily secured a spot in the top 10 had more weight been given to fan votes.

I do have a suggestion though. Either release the actual results or let this fade away. Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t © Jay-Z.  Let us see the “Brain Trust’s” score sheets and the results for the fan voting and how many people actually voted.

Your explanation for how the list was derived didn’t work the first time… so why do you think it’ll work now?


Why Isn’t Eminem In The Hottest MCs Top 10? [MTV]