Hottest: MC's in the game 2010

We're way beyond a trilogy! If 50-plus-year-old Bruce Willis can come back a fourth time and kick butt all summer as John McClane, then three times is just not good enough for us either.

After "The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time," "The Greatest MCs of All Time" and "The Greatest Hip-Hop Groups Of All Time," the MTV News hip-hop brain trust — hate 'em or love 'em — went back to the infamous round table and decided upon another list. Yes, the same type of list that our pick for the #1 MC of all time, Jay-Z, told you not to get mad at him about in Beyoncé's "Deja Vu"! This time is way different from the previous adventures: Rather than analyzing the "Greatest of All Time," we decided to break down what's going on today — as in not now, but right now! We looked at the work of the most prominent MCs of the past year or so and factored in the following: straight-up skills, success (both musical and entrepreneurial), impact on the game and — new to our decision-making — swagger: an MC's cool factor and how they carry themselves on and off recordings.

Just like every other time, prior to convening, all nine brain trustees came up with their own lists, choosing who they felt were the MCs keeping things steamy these days. Once all nine lists were in, we mathematically tallied a master list. Each rapper got 10 points for every time they were ranked #1, nine points for #2 and so forth. Once that was accomplished, we sat down at the table and fought it out. Some people who were originally on the master list were taken off and replaced with MCs from outside the mathematical top 10; others rose or fell within the top 10. It was crazy!

Well, here we go again. In the end we came up with a list that we can all be proud of. And if you don't agree or think you've got a better list — Tell Us!

After "The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time," "The Greatest MCs of All Time" and "The Greatest Hip-Hop Groups Of All Time," the MTV News hip-hop brain trust — hate 'em or love 'em — went back to the infamous round table and decided upon another list. Yes, the same type of list that our pick for the #1 MC of all time, Jay-Z, told you not to get mad at him about in Beyoncé's "Deja Vu"! This time is way different from the previous adventures: Rather than analyzing the "Greatest of All Time," we decided to break down what's going on today — as in not now, but right now!