By Daniel Montalto

All right, we admit it: We may have been cheating just a little bit when we picked Kevin Rudolf as one of our Rock Rookies to look out for in 2009. Of course, we knew he’s already worked alongside the likes of Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, T.I. and Timbaland. And there’s that top-10 hit he had in 2008 with “Let It Rock”, featuring Lil Wayne. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s signed to Wayne’s Cash Money Records, either. It’s just that we’re pretty sure that “Let It Rock” won’t be the last we hear of Kevin Rudolf.

In fact, when we spoke to Rudolf recently, he told MTV News that he’s already got lots in store for ‘09. In the coming months, he’ll be performing in Europe, at Sundance and for the NBA All-Star Weekend. He’ll appear in a new Rhapsody commercial, and his “Let It Rock” is now the official song for WWE’s “Royal Rumble.” Rudolf also told us that Trekkies can look forward to hearing “Let It Rock” in a soon-to-be released trailer for the new “Star Trek” movie.

And just because Rudolf has established himself as a solo artist doesn’t mean that he won’t still be working behind the scenes with other artists. He’s currently writing material for Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Birdman and is seeking to work with the likes of Toni Braxton and Cobra Starship.

Although Kevin may have made his name in the world of hip-hop and has tasted newfound solo success as a rocker, we found out that Rudolf’s tastes as of late are a little more indie. His favorites right now are M83 (especially “Kim and Jesse”), as well as the acoustic indie fave Bon Iver.

Read about our first batch of Rock Rookies of 2009 here, and check back all week for more Rock Week stories.