I can't rap about being broke and selling drugs no more, 'cause I'm not broke and I'm not selling drugs no more - The Notorious B.I.G.
Just recently rapper Rick Ross was named the hottest MC in the game according to MTV, with little dispute from the masses. In the past two years Ross has not only risen to the top of the rap game with singles such as "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" and "MC Hammer", but has also made one of the strongest label stables with his Maybach Music Group with fellow rappers Wale, Meek Mill,
Hip hop has always defined itself with trends; rather it be gangsta rap, conscious hip hop, or trap music. Recently a new wave of rap stars have brought a more positive vibe into music, straying away from gangsta personas their predecessors developed. Some of the leaders of this new movement have never led street lives, and don't pretend to either. Big Sean kept a 3.7 GPA before graduating from Detroit's Cass Tech High School. J. Cole (who was excluded from the hottest MC list) received his bachelor's degree from St. John's University. Wale (who had been called the white/black rapper before signing to Rick Ross' MMG label) boasts that "I never spent a minute up in the streets" from the title track from his 2011 release Ambition. YMCMB rapper Drake recently said in a Complex interview that you have a better chance finding girls than thugs at his concerts. Drake, who has been known to be brutally honest in his music, received major backlash for claiming that he may catch a body one day in his single "Headlines". Even one of the most respected artists of the decade Kanye West stated in his first album that his style is more spoken word, rather than coke and birds. With that being said, all of these rappers were ranked lower than Rick Ross.
When it comes down to it, when keeping it real two things must be done. Either you have to fake it until you're exposed, or you have to keep it real when real life happens. In 2007 when indictments were made against the Black Mafia Family drug ring kingpins Big Meech and Southwest T pled guilty and were sentenced to more than 30 years. Rapper Bleu DaVinci chose to remain loyal and go down with the BMF ship and received 5 years. Young Jeezy, who affiliated himself with Big Meech and BMF, distanced himself from the gang during the indictments. This led to Bleu DaVinci questoining his realness in a recent interview. Now who knows if Jeezy really did the things he says he did in his lyrics, but everyone saw how he turned the real switch off when the heat was turned up. It seems like a lot of rappers turn the real switch on in the studio, then turn it off when the police come around.
Now first let me say that I haven't watched MTV in more than five years, and there's no way in hell I'm going to let them have a say in anything hip hop related. As much as I hate MTV, they do have right with Rick Ross at the top. Now you can't possibly believe that Ross was selling cocaine with a cartel connect while working as a correctional officer, but you can believe that Rick Ross is one of the most talented rappers out right now who knows how to entertain. Ross knows what sells, and he knows how to make good music that makes a lot of money. The rap game is similar to reality television now. Yes, VH1 could make a series showcasing how elegant wives of basketball players interact with each other, which would probably consists of them just staying at home most of the time. As exciting as that sounds, VH1 can make the highest rated show by showing B-list players' ex-girlfriends fighting every week. So as with everything, the dollar has the last say. Everyone wants to be entertained when they listen to music, and unfortunately fiction sells more than talent.
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