Kanye West Blasts MTV's Hottest MCs List
Kanye West is not happy. The outspoken rapper has refrained from doing interviews, but he called into “The Angie Martinez Show” on Hot 97 to blast MTV for his placement at #7 on their “Hottest MCs in the Game” list.
“Number 7 bothers me,” admitted Kanye, while weighing in on who deserves the No. 1 spot. “I think that [Lil] Wayne is the number one rapper in the world.”
He also defended his G.O.O.D. Music protégé Big Sean, who ranked at #6. “I’m happy for Sean, but I feel like he should be on top 5,” said ‘Ye. “He’s bodying records, like the way he started off that ‘Mercy.'”
However, Sean was happy with his placement on the list, tweeting, “Wow thanks to @MTV 4 saying I was a star on Cruel Summer n My Detroit mixtape n features were crazy last year. #6 hottest MC is awesome.”
Read the full transcription below.
DJ Enuff: I saw you on the list. You came at #7 on the MTV list. That’s wassup.
Kanye: That was cool and everything. More than anything, I’m happy for Sean, but I feel like he should be on top 5. He’s bodying records, like the way he started off that “Mercy.”
So you think you and Sean should be top 5 definitely? Maybe top 3? I know you, ‘Ye. To me, you’re gonna say you’re the number one rapper in the world. Number 7, does this bother you?
Yeah, #7 bothers me. I think that [Lil] Wayne is the number one rapper in the world.
You think Wayne is the number one rapper in the world?
Yeah, I just think he’s like, you know, him and Jay and Em and certain people are just the greatest rappers of all time. For me I feel that in order for them to put me as #7, they had to bring up things that they didn’t like.
Like what?
They didn’t like the Cruel Summer album. And I’m like, “That’s a compilation. It ain’t all rappers on G.O.O.D. Music.” Cruel Summer got “Don’t Like (Remix),” “Mercy,” “Cold,” “New God Flow” all on one joint, you know. And “Clique,” and “Clique!” You can’t name five records like that on no album. But they wanna diss me and be like, “He did Cruel Summer and he can’t say he ain’t part of it ’cause he’s on eight records…” Like they wanna try to—ain’t nobody bringin’ up that “Diamonds” remix verse. There wasn’t no verse in a year that’s fuckin’ with that verse. It’s definitely not based on a body of work, but possibly could just be overall rap, MC swag. Sean is a great rapper, period. It checks all the boxes. What happens is with them, with these types of judges and people who review it, when you come in, I had like the pink polo and the backpack and I’m checkin’ all the boxes of that Tribe Called Quest era and J. Dilla and all that, so they wanna champion it. They don’t like Givenchy Kanye. They don’t like Kanye in a kilt. They don’t like Kanye in a relationship.
So you think this is what puts you at #7 as opposed to number five, four, three, two, one?
I don’t think it’s them really going bar for bar. I said, “Lucky I ain’t had Jay drop him from the team.” Ain’t no bar, ain’t no bar in the entire past 12 months that’s hotter than that bar. That’s one bar! I come from this battle rap, that’s how I grew up in Chicago. I couldn’t believe it. I gave [MTV News reporter] Sway his first TV. He came over to my crib in Newark, NJ. I was living in Newark doing beats for Jay and Beans and all them and I was getting a new TV and I gave Sway his first TV. And really I didn’t really wanna even like call to talk about the #7 list, I just wanna tell everybody that I gave Sway his first TV. And he need to remember that.