VERY year, noted hip-hop critics lead by moderator Sway Calloway, construct the MTV Hottest MC list. This list is supposed to reflect the most buzzed about (not necessarily the most talented) rappers over the past 12 months. The 2013 released list has attracted much negative criticism due to the questionable rankings of rappers on the list.

See what all the buzz is about:

10 Meek Mill: His buzz was pretty lukewarm in 2012, as his debut album Dreams and Nightmares’ two most popular singles, Amen and Burn, were both earlier mixtape cuts leaks months prior. Despite this, Meek Mill still remains a popular rapper, and Hitlist agrees with the number 10 ranking of Meek Mill.

9 Future: Whenever one thinks that auto-tune is dead, the vocoder technology finds a new revivalist, and this time around that person is Future. Future had a slew of hit singles in 2012, which included Same Damn Time, Turn On The Lights, Neva End (Remix). In addition, he has been a feature on popular singles by Rihanna, Lil’ Wayne, Ace Hood, and Ciara within a relatively short timeframe, showcasing the drawing power of Future as a collaborator.

8 A$AP Rocky: He defied the odds when his debut album Long. Live. A$AP, still managed to top the Billboard Charts upon release, despite the fact that it had leaked a month prior.

7 Kanye West: The singles Mercy, Clique, New God Flow, Cold and Don’t Like Remix, off his G.O.O.D Music Compilation’s Cruel Summer, are enough to rubbish MTV’s Number 7 placing of Kanye West.

6 Big Sean: He dropped the popular Detroit mixtape, outperformed Meek Mill on his own Burn, and had the lead verses on Kanye West’s Mercy and Clique in 2012.

5 Drake: This ranking is a shock to teenAGE Hitlist. Meek Mill, Future, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, 2-Chainz, and Rick Ross, all rappers that made MTV’s cut, relied on a Drake guest appearance for their lead singles in 2012. In 2012, Drake also passed out Jay-Z and Diddy to have the World Record for the artiste with the most Number One Hip-Hop/ R&B singles.

4 Nas: Easily one the greatest artistes to emerge from the hip-hop genre, with regards to lyricism and subject matter. Despite that, however, a Number 4 placing for the living legend is ludicrous, as the Queens, New York native does not have the underground, Top 40, or blogosphere hype, to match this particular accolade. Nas would not have been in teenAGE Hitlist’s Hottest MC list.

3 Rick Ross: The head honcho of Maybach Music Group is hot because of persistence. Over the past 12 months he has dropped a label compilation, a mixtape, an album, and a slew of singles. Despite his obvious relevance, one cannot ignore that his traction has lost some steam. teenAGE Hitlist puts Rick Ross at Number 4.

2 2-Chainz: This 37-year-old rapper picked up where Plies left off, and infiltrated the marketplace with lewd lyricism in a manner fit for Top 40 airplay. As popular as he is, nothing 2 Chainz has achieved in the past 12 months makes him the second hottest MC at the moment.

1 Kendrick Lamar: This rapper was crowned as MTV Hottest MC of 2012 based upon the popularity of his album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. This album managed to sell over 500,000 copies without an outright commercial single, which is an amazing accomplishment for a rapper in the digital age. Despite these noteworthy accolades, one cannot dismiss the Drake factor, which assisted him immensely in 2012. Drake inserted a hidden Kendrick Lamar verse on his album Take Care, which has sold over two million copies worldwide, frequent Drake collaborator T-Minus, produced Lamar’s lead single Swimming Pool with Take Care-esque sounds, and Lamar was also Drake’s opening act on tour in 2012. Kendrick Lamar is without a doubt hot, but is not the hottest MC at the moment.