THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED MTV BASE: HOTTEST MC’S ’22 LIST HAS DROPPED AND THE COUNTRY IS TALKING !

This year, the MTV Base Hottest MC’s list, considered rappers who beat the pandemic frenzy with excellence in reinventing their brand offering looking at musical bars and lyrics, sales, buzz, and a globally recognisable x-factor in overall presentation and market relevance. South African emcees who have not released any music in the past twelve months struggled to rise to the top of the list, however those who have consciously decided to release music really took their artistic genius to the next level.

Taking into consideration that the Hip-Hop genre is constantly evolving and receiving much deserved international attention, the idea of a traditional emcee is also advancing. These are the MTV Base: Hottest MC’s who are leaving a massive print this year in SA hip-hop culture and tracking on with some international steadfastness, could these be our next EMA nominees? Let’s have look…

MTV BASE Hottest MC Top 10 Countdown Results

Number 10: LUCASRAPS
After the release of his second album, 031 to The World 2.0, as the first signee of Def Jam Recordings Africa, the album feature heavy-weights such as AKA, Nasty C, Nadia Nakai, Blxckie, YoungstaCPT and Geek Fam. 031 to The World 2.0 scored three nods at the SA Hip-Hop Awards including best album of the year, male of the year, and freshman of the year.
Number 09: BIG ZULU
Riding on the success of his long-awaited album, Ichwane Lenyoka, which bagged him seven awards at the SA Hip-Hop Awards 2021, Big Zulu continue to make an impressive impact to the Nkabi Nation and radio charts.
Number 08: PRIDDY UGLY
To celebrate the first anniversary of his sophomore album SOIL, Priddy Ugly dropped his new EP, MUD, which led him to score four nominations at the South African Hip-Hop Awards 2022. The EP features lordkez, Marcus Harvey, Blxckie, Zoocci Coke Dope, Lady Du, Maglera Doe Boy + more.
Number 07: EMTEE
With the release of his third studio album, Logan, which carries a number of radio hits including “Waves”, “Brand New Day” and “Long way”, which were certified gold. Making 2022 his good year, the SA hip-hop hitmaker bagged two nods at this year’s 28th SA Music Awards in the best hip-hop album and Artist of the Year category. He was also named Hip-Hop Artist of The Year at the Global Music Awards Africa 2022.
Number 06: 25K
25K comes a long way since the release of his Culture Vulture hit in 2018, dominating the airwaves with more hits featuring Emtee, AKA, A-Reece, Boity, and many more. The South African trap rapper went on to solidify his mark going from winning an SA Hip-Hop Award to being nominated for the coveted best hip-hop album for his debut studio album PheliMakaveli at the SA Music Awards 2022, competing against Kid-X, A-Reece, Emtee, and Blxckie.
Number 05: AREECE
Making his annual return with his seven-track mixtape, DEADLINES: FREE P2, delivery that features a stellar line-up of artists including amapiano king, DJ Maphorisa, prince of South African hip-hop Emtee, Marcus Harvey, Yolophonik and Atlanta based rapper Quentin Miller. DEADLINE: FREE P2 unsurprisingly topped the charts
Number 04: MAGLERA DOE BOY
With his strata-kingdon reigning supreme, Maglera Doe Boy released his official debut album Diaspora through Universal Music Group, with the careful curated features from 25K, Focalistic and KayGizm.
Number 03: NASTY C
Following his successful fusion of music and gaming tour with some of the biggest names in the SA hip-hop such as Blxckie, AKA, and Emtee. Nasty C also secured his first gaming deal with an American mobile gaming publisher - ‘Call of Duty. Not forgetting making history as the first SA hip-hop act to perform at the MTV EMAs.
Number 02: KO
Bagging yet another record with his hit “SETE”, KO smashed radio-monitor’s record by being the first son by a local and international artist to occupy the number one spot for 12 consecutive week. His latest album “SR3” debuting number one in local hip-hop charts.
Number 01: BLXCKIE
Early this year Blxckie dropped his well-anticipated EP 4LUV, which followed the success of his 2021 debut album B4NOW. Securing his first BET Hip-Hop Awards nomination this year, Blxckie also led the South Africa Hip-Hop Awards with 13 nods, with 6 songs up for Song of the Year.
Before we get heated up with the list not featuring your favourite emcee, or not happy with the ranking, it’s important to note that the Hottest MC discourse is not the same as the GOAT discussion. Being the ‘Hottest’ emcee does not suggest that you are the most successful or biggest emcee, it implies that you are the ‘Hottest’ during that period. Obviously, in the hip-hop world being the hottest is organically associated with being GOAT. So to our beloved hip-hop emcees and hip-hip supporters, if feeling as if your hottest MC was eclipsed by someone else, well, there’s always next year to drop those sick bars that create undeniable impact.
"Considering the recent global pandemic, MCs who made the MTV Base Top 10 list also had to stay relevant in a difficult globalized digital culture that includes fresh talents in local and international marketplaces. The local music industry for Hip Hop genres is fiercely competitive. With that being stated, a hearty congratulations to the artists who made the MTV Base Hottest MC Top 10 count down and a shout-out to the local Hip Hop industry as a whole, who are unquestionably withstanding the test of time in the age of the evolution of the local Hip Hop culture,” concluded Monde Twala, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Paramount Africa.

For more MTV Base music countdowns, be sure to tune in to MTV Base Channel 322 on December 31st at 20:00 CAT to watch the MVP Top 50 featuring the biggest hits and the dopest live performances, as well as the highly anticipated music special 22 of 22 on December 16th counting down to the 22 biggest music highlights of 2022. Follow the conversation on social media by following @MTVBaseSouth on IG and Twitter, or just follow #MTVBaseHottestMCs and keep winning.