As I flipped through the channels trying to find something to watch on a rainy Saturday night, I came across MTV’s Hottest MC’s In The Game special. The same show that bruised more than a few egos last year by declaring Lil’ Wayne the hottest rapper in the game at that time was back with a second installment to give all the ‘so-called’ elite of the elite another reality check.

The group of musical experts once again weighed in on a field of hopefuls based on body of work, influence, originality, etc. Some of the same names were back, and probably wishing to make strides in their position, but instead a lot of them faired better in the previous edition. André 3000 and T.I. who made the list last year at the mid level point, now found themselves on the brink of elimination with T.I. coming in at #10 and the other half of Outkast, André 3000 ahead of him at #9.

Young Jeezy managed to edge his way to the #8 spot with everybody agreeing that he’s become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the remix game by providing his services wherever they’re needed. For some odd reason, Lupe Fiasco didn’t make the list last year. And the explanation for that was the panel thought his debut album Food And Liquor was all over the place. Are you kidding? Al l you had to do is actually ‘listen’ to the record, and you would’ve fell onto an array of endless content. But to make up for that debauchery of last year, they put the son of Chi-City at #7. That kind of reminded me of when an official overseeing a basketball or football game makes a horrendous call against one team, he waits awhile and then evens it out by making an equally bad judgment call on the opposing team.

After voicing his thoughts on why he wasn’t ranked higher on the previous list, Curtis “Fiddy Cent” Jackson moved from #8 to #6. Everybody’s favorite Hip-Hop uncle Snoop Dogg claimed the mid-spot at #5 despite admitting he didn’t write a lot of the material for his latest offering Ego Trippin. I thought one of the criteria’s for being a great or hot MC was the ability to pen your own lyrics? Hmmm…

Rick Ross grabbed the #4 slot, which was well deserved. The decision makers cited him not sounding like anybody but himself, and capped it off by acknowledging his ode to Biggie’s ‘Warning’ video by having a shirtless in-bed scene with females in his ‘The Boss’ video. But during the arrangement of 3-1, favoritism seemed to play a bigger role than the facts. At first, most of the committee wanted [Lil’] Wayne to reclaim the throne, and then a valid point was made: “How is a song like ‘Lolly Pop’ teaching me anything?” “Plus he hasn’t even put an album out yet, and he’s not selling out shows at venues like The Staples Center and Madison Square Garden!” Thus dropping him down to #3, with the new 150 million dollar man in Jay-Z taking #2; and Kanye [West] proving how much ‘stronger’ he’s gotten by snatching #1.

Now some of the choices you may agree with, and others you may not. For instance, last year Common was placed at #9, and this year when he should’ve moved up in rank; he was moved off the list entirely. Also T.I. was listed at #2 on the prior run-down, and most likely the platinum status of his T.I. vs T.I.P is what kept him in contention this time around. But besides that, he really didn’t accomplish anything else but having his personal life scrutinized due to bad choices in judgment that landed him community service.

While Common quietly dropped another certified gold album in Finding Forever, had movie roles in American Gangster with Denzel Washington, Street King with Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker, Wanted with Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie, while landing a role in the latest Terminator movie. If common sense (no pun intended) is applied in the third segment of the show, all those factors ought to come into play, and he should make another appearance with a greater stock value.

Compiling a list such as this one will always leave a bad taste in mouths of some; it’s just like when you buy a “Best Of…” album. Once you pop it in, you realize how many songs were left off, and then you’re forced to construct your own version. If you had an opportunity to be a part of selected few that decided on all the artists, would you have chosen the same way? Or would you have been a little more bias, and chose more of the MCs that you have an interest in? But before you curse-out the people that placed those particular rappers in that precarious format with vulgar epithets and throw your remote control at the TV, just remember: “Opinions are like assholes, because everybody’s got one.”