When the MTV hip hop brain trust decided to head back to the round table and draw up the list for the Top 10 “Hottest MCs in the Game” - there was bound to be controversy. From who will take the coveted title, to who should make the top 5, to who should be left off the list completely - it was always going to be one hell of a debate.

Lil Wayne. Sure, he hasn’t dropped a solo LP in two years, but that doesn’t mean he’s not working hard. Quite the opposite. Wayne is in the studio every day. I mean, he must be. How else does he do it? Da Drought 3 mixtape boasted an incredible tracklist and there is no question that he is the most in demand hip-hop artist at the moment, having graced tracks from Ja Rule (the recent ‘Uh Oh’), Chris Brown, Lloyd, Robin Thicke, Mya, Rick Ross, Gym Class Heroes, Young Jeezy, Enrique Iglesias and more. And if you thought it was a case of quantity not quality - you would be wrong. Weezy has the skill, the dedication, the gift and bucketloads of swagger to accomplish both. In my mind, he is the man of the moment.

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Early on a Saturday morning is one of my favourite times in New York. There’s a certain calm about the city. A serene side to NY. If New York ever really slept,then this would be the time when the city is just waking up. But it doesn’t ever last long…especially today.

It’s 7-7-07, otherwise known as the day of Live Earth and MTV News is all over it. We couldn’t miss a music event of this scale — especially with its equally important message. Former Vice President Al Gore — the man that used to be “the next President of the United States” — wants to save the environment and combat global warming. But, to do this- he needs you! So, Al Gore decided the best way to save the planet from demise, combat climate change and curb global warming was to throw one mother of a party. 24 hours of music, across 7 continents (yes, even Antarctica), and 150 of the biggest artists from around the world all gathered to raise awareness and help fight climate change- well that was the PR line anyway. And from the very beginning, Al Gore had his doubters. From high profile do-gooders (Sir Bob Geldof, who dismissed the event as nothing more than just an “enormous pop concert”) to artists and critics alike - not everyone was convinced at the effectivness of Al Gore’s plan.

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