So Jay Z comes in at #1, how surprising. I’m surprised Eminem didn’t make the list, but it is what it is. The rest of the list is after the jump.

Why He’s Hot: He’s had the most acclaimed career in rap history. But even with all that lore, all that respect, all that prestige and all that money, Jay-Z continues to add luster to his legacy with time-transcending music, multiple successful business ventures and his dominant influence over the game.

Co-Signer: Mary J. Blige “My favorite MC right now: Jay-Z. Forever more it will be Jay-Z. Jay-Z’s raised all these kids: the Drakes, the Lil Waynes. I love and respect them because they respect him for giving that gift. Jay-Z is definitely at the top of my list. That’s why we love him, he keeps going and elevating and blessing the new generation. You can’t lose like that.”

Why He’s Hot: 2007′s Hottest MC in the Game, Lil Wayne, has been in the top three of the Hottest MCs list three years running on account of his consistently powerful skills on the mic and perennially enormous impact.

Even without an album release in 2009, Weezy’s rep and influence continued to grow, owing to his status as rap’s most active and lucrative touring act, the rise of his Young Money crew of newcomers, and his armor-piercing punchlines on guest appearances.

Co-Signer: Diddy “I nod my head to Wayne, I tip my hat to him. I told him at the BET Awards. I said, ‘You doing the new generation of Bad Boy. You’re doing what we did back in ’94, that’s really creating a movement. I tip my hat to him, but now I gotta watch him because he’s competition. But he’s doing his thing. He’s gone from artist to label mogul, so you have to give him his respect.”

Why He’s Hot: Drake proclaims himself to be “the one, twice over/ The new 11.” He’s definitely one of kind. We haven’t seen a single mixtape as universally triumphant as his So Far Gone.

We’ve seen guys turn the street-music hustle into instant ‘hood-icon status and get record deals before, like Young Jeezy (who actually got two deals, one with the group Boyz N Da Hood as well as a solo deal), the Diplomats and of course 50 Cent and G-Unit.

Co-Signer: Lil Wayne “That kid is honestly almost to the respect [level] of talking about one of the greatest,” Lil Wayne said. “Like how we talk about Big, he’s almost that and he ain’t dropped. He don’t have an album. Then he’s singing — that takes away from the respect of an artist. So for him to do it and maintain that respect and maintain that popularity, I think that’s enough said. But I heard him a long time ago. When I heard him, I said, ‘He needs to be in my clique to make me stronger. Let’s go!’ “

Why He’s Hot: Kanye West is a force larger than hip-hop. He’s turned himself into a global megastar, producing and collaborating with the biggest names in the game, influencing art and fashion, discovering and growing new talent, and consistently pushing musical boundaries with his own albums such as 808s & Heartbreak.

Of course, ‘Ye’s occasionally brash behavior — particularly his interruption of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at last month’s Video Music Awards — sometimes distracts from the genius in his music, but he’s always been able to endure because of just how much he elevates hip-hop and pop culture.

Co-Signer: Drake “Kanye West, much like myself — I feel like he really knows emotion. Emotion is something you feel. It’s very hard to depict or verbalize emotion. Artists, when a painting can make you feel something, it’s a phenomenal piece of art. When a song can make you feel something, that’s a phenomenal creation. Kanye’s verses really resonate with me.”