Why Didn't Lil Wayne Or Jay-Z Make 'Hottest MCs' List?

In order to determine this year's Hottest MC, the seven members of MTV's Hip-Hop Brain Trust were asked to come up with their own individual lists based on a set of criteria that takes into account lyrics, sales and impact. The panelists' solo lists were then tallied and combined into one master ranking that was debated during an extensive roundtable discussion. Eventually, with MTV News' Sway Calloway moderating, the top 10 were cemented.

On the way to crowning Kendrick Lamar the Hottest MC in the Game, though, tough decisions had to be made. In the end, some of the Brain Trust's personal favorites, including Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, were left off of the list. These hugely important MCs didn't meet enough of the specified criteria, which focused on the calendar year, from February 2012 to February 2013.

Jay-ZJay, for one, stayed plenty busy last year, helping to welcome the NBA's Nets to Brooklyn by selling out a string of solo shows at the Barclays Center. There were a number of guest features, too, like G.O.O.D. Music's "Clique" and Rick Ross' "3 Kings," but when it came down to his own material, Hov only dropped one single in 2012, and that was the Blue Ivy dedication "Glory," released right before our penultimate roundtable,