Diddy Names Top Five Rookies and Rappers

Diddy has been keeping his ear to the street by recently co-signing Lil B and West Coast collective Odd Future, but he's got his eye on a few other upstarts in hip-hop. The media mogul called in to DJ Absolut's Hot 97 radio show to discuss his top five rookies and top five rappers in the game.

Of the newcomers, the Diddy-Dirty Money leader revealed that his rookie team consists of J. Cole, Drake, MGK, Wiz Khalifa and a tie betwee Lil B and Big Sean. Last month, the New York titan appeared on stage with the Based God and Odd Future at South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, introducing the eccentric MCs and deeming them "the future of the music industry."

He also laid out his favorite lyricists of the moment, naming Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Fabolous and Drake as part of his starting team. The Bad Boy executive justified the inclusion of Loso by stating that he would swap out Drake if it came down to it. "I would have to roll with Fab," he explained. "I would have to roll with the home team if I had to leave somebody out."

Diddy is currently touring with Kalenna and Dawn Richard on the Diddy-Dirty Money Coming Home tour, which is scheduled to continue through next month before wrapping in St. Louis on May 15.