Kendrick Lamar Named MTV ‘Hottest MC’ 2013 — Does It Matter?

Kendrick Lamar has nabbed the number one spot on MTV's "Hottest MCs in the Game" list.

"We was looking at the years of different MCs and we all felt like, 'man, we gotta get on there.' We got to at least get on the list,'" he explained to MTV VJ Sway Calloway after being told of the news. "But to make it number one? That's a whole 'nother thing."

The Compton MC seemed pleased with his ranking as top dog in the rap race, but not outwardly overjoyed. All in all, his reaction just seemed like, "Oh, cool. Thanks." (ed. note: see the video below and let us know if you agree).

Maybe because despite all the hype, artists and critics are suffering rap list burnout. Don't let social media fool you; the fans -- remember, the people that really matter -- are too.

That's not to discredit lists like these completely. People care about the MTV list to some degree or another because they offer small sampling of what a specific audience in hip-hop cares about.

But that's not the only audience, and music critics -- stuck in our endless music industry feedback loop -- we often forget that.

So don't be mad if your favorite artist ranked lower than another on this list, or if that act you're really passionate about didn't make the list at all. This is not 2003 and really the only 'brain trust' that matters is you.

We'll hand it to MTV -- and anyone else that tries, including us -- to make sense of who's "hot" in hip-hop in 2013. As fans it feels good when someone you like is perhaps also liked, but public and private debate over the list aside, the only thing that matters is who's #1 in your book.

That said, Kendrick Lamar really is the hottest MC in the game right now. Ha!