The economy is recovering slowly, but let's be honest: Times remain tough both on Wall Street and Main Street. But there are some people who clearly aren't feeling the pinch as much as the rest of us. Rapper Gucci Mane is one of those characters. It's not particularly shocking, as the Atlanta native has got plenty of caché behind him: He scored himself a high-profile guest spot on the remix of Mariah Carey's "Obsessed," landed on the list of the 10 Hottest MCs in the Game, has been killing it in the mixtape game and is looking forward to the release of his second full-length album The State vs. Radric Davis. So it's no surprise that in this wintry economic climate, Gucci is one of the few who can still sport (and afford) a solid piece of bling. It's not new (he's been sporting it for a few years), but 50 Cent just unveiled his new song "Crime Wave" (which features Gucci) and he included this photo of Mr. Mane.

Gucci told HHN that he "wanted to have a chain that was gonna shock the world and was gonna draw a lot of attention to me. So I thought about it while I was in jail. I was thinking about the colors and I wanted to have something crazy like the Big Cat chain, so I just went with Bart Simpson. I got a new one now though with a heart and an arrow going through it." Lately, Gucci has expanded his bling repetoire (including an Atlanta Falcons helmet and a ridiculous watch), but it's the Bart Simpson bling that gets us every time.

Meanwhile, "Crime Wave" is a crazy-good hardcore song that sounds grimy and cinematic at the same time. Between this and "Baby By Me," Before I Self Destruct is looking more and more like one of the top albums of the year.

The countdown is on for 50 Cent's hotly-anticipated, oft-delayed new album Before I Self Destruct, which is scheduled to finally be released on November 23. Though 50 promises that Before I Self Destruct will be more hardcore than any of his previous albums, first single "Baby By Me" is a smoother, R&B-inflected jam that features an assist from Ne-Yo. The video, which will premiere on MTV Jams on November 2, stars 50 in a domestic fantasy with former Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland and their two alternate-reality kids. It's a dreamy, cinematic clip from one of the most provocative artists in hip-hop.

2009 has been a career year for 50 Cent. He is about to release his fourth album, dropped two excellent mixtapes (the return-to-the-streets banger War Angel and the Michael Jackson tribute Forever King) and starred in the new British film "Dead Man Running." He also dropped his second video game ("50 Cent: Blood on the Sand") and popped up as himself on "Entourage." To top it all off, he took a spot on the Hottest MCs in the Game list a few weeks ago. He also recently hosted the latest ThisIs50 festival and recently redesigned his official Web site.

50 is also counting down to the release of Before I Self Destruct with various features on his site, including resurrecting some old clips. Today, for example, featured 50's recorded debut Onyx's "React," where he appeared as a hockey player in the video. An artist with a deep history, 50 Cent has built up some high expectations for Before I Self Destruct, but based on the preview of the "Baby By Me" video, it seems like he's off on the right foot.

Last week, MTV News unveiled its list of the Hottest MCs in the Game (topped, rightfully so, by none other than Jay-Z). This week marks a key moment in hip-hop history, as the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" — the first real hip-hop single — was unleashed a full 30 years ago. If you had described the concept of "Rapper's Delight" to somebody ("Hey, I've got this breakdown in the middle of a disco song — let me rhythmically recite poetry over it!") in the age before rap music, that person probably would have rolled his eyes at the very concept. But the concept certainly took off, and after "Rapper's Delight" impacted the pop charts, hip-hop as a commercial force was born and it has rarely relinquished its hold on pop music since.

Though the track consists of the same repetitive bass loop and the rhyming styles of Wonder Mike, Big Bank Hank and Master Gee all sound pretty pedestrian by today's standards, "Rapper's Delight" holds up amazingly well. It set an incredible precedent for everything that game after it, as the lyrics are full of boasting, comedy, personal stories and even a bit of danger — basically, the four core tenets of any decent rap song. (Champs like Jigga can do all four in the same line.) The Sugarhill Gang still dust off the lines from "Rapper's Delight" from time to time, but their indestructible legacy is forever cemented by the song and the vast influence they had on everybody who came after them.

It's a little embarrassing to admit, but even with both the gorgeous Eliza Dushku and Olivia Wilde passing through our office this week, the one person I was most excited to meet was a dude. With a total of 40 fights, 40 wins and 25 KOs, Floyd "Money" Mayweather is an undeniable force in the world of boxing, with an almost perfect combination of lightning quick speed, real knockout power and incredible showmanship. He's my favourite fighter in the world of boxing, and yesterday he stopped by the MTV News studios for the first time.

What's funny is that with all the rappers, pop stars, actors and actresses who drop in for interviews, the only time some of the fellas in the office (naming no names, except for Nick, Monty and Sean) get even slightly impressed is when an athlete (or Mr. T) walks into the building. Today was one of those occasions.

Floyd is in New York for the next few days on the grind looking to expand his ever-growing empire. With concert tours, boxing events, real estate and music, it's not difficult to see why they call him "Money." Floyd is a lot shorter than I expected (he stands at 5 feet, 7 inches), but made up for it with a big personality and an even bigger entourage (I counted 10), some of whom I recognised from one of my favourite shows: the HBO behind-the-fight documentary series "24/7."

Dressed in a brand new Gucci leather jacket (we saw him pop the tags), Floyd was game to answer pretty much every question I threw, from the ever-controversial Hottest MCs list to his thoughts on Rick Ross and Shane Mosley.

It was only last month when Ross dropped the track "War," which took a few jabs at Mayweather (who is a close ally of 50 Cent), so I had to ask Floyd about his thoughts on Ross. Someone else who would love to trade jabs with Mayweather is boxer "Sugar" Shane Mosley, who famously stepped into the ring to bait Mayweather into a match-up moments after Floyd's recent decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez. I asked the obvious question: Will they ever face off in the ring? Let's just say Floyd had some choice words for Shane.

For the boxing fans, we spoke about Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao, and for the hip-hop heads I asked Floyd who his favourites in the rap-game are. He named all of the top five on the list of Hottest MCs in the Game, gave extra props to Drake and said that Young Jeezy's album Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 is the pick before a big fight!

Look out for all of this and so much more coming soon, so stay tuned to MTV News for more from Floyd "Money" Mayweather.

By Elliott Wilson, Founder and CEO of RapRadar.com

You could almost guarantee Gucci Mane was gonna crack the Hottest MCs list this year, but you just weren't sure where he would place.

Truth be told, ATL's brightest new star is in plenty of folks' top fives. Yes, La Flare isn't your traditional master of ceremonies, but no artist this year has more effectively merged the underground with the mainstream. He's broken through in '09 and shined through the clouds of controversy that have continued to dampen his career.

A longtime presence in the mixtape playground, the People's Champ (sorry, Mr. Wall) continues to assault the streets ("Awesome" with Snoop Dogg, "Wasted" with Plies and it's remix with OJ da Juiceman) while loudly becoming the go-to guy for aiding R&B heavyweights back to the top of the charts. He brought punch to Mariah Carey's stalker tale ("Obsessed") and gave Mario his biggest hit since Ne-Yo shared his pen game ("Break Up"). At press time, he was even trying to save Omarion's career. Good luck with that one, Gucc!

50 Cent has certainly kept busy on his way to landing in spot number nine on the MTV Hottest MCs list. He put out two mixtapes, unleashed a couple of videos and even took the time to take a few shots at Fat Joe. But the main event for 50 is the release of Before I Self Destruct, his long-awaited and oft-delayed fourth album. It has had a number of release dates (it was even teased to come out the same day as Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3), and the most recent date — November 17 — just seemed like another guess.

Until today, because now Before I Self Destruct has an album cover, which 50 unveiled via his Twitter feed this afternoon.

As you can see, 50 has taken the "self-destruct" imagery very literally, as the cover shows him literally about to burst into flames. The imagery is consistent with 50's insistence that this album will be a departure for him and will set up the next series batch of records for him. It's as though he's doing away with his old persona in order to allow for a career rebirth. (Or perhaps Curtis is just a big fan of Spike's death scene on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"?)

So it looks like the hotly-anticipated Before I Self Destruct will actually hit stores on November 17. Album details are still unclear, though you can bet that it'll feature top-shelf production and intense guest spots from 50's many friends in the extended G-Unit family.

By Elliott Wilson, Founder and CEO of RapRadar.com

Here today and gone tomorrow is the fate of the average rapper. But Young Jeezy has proven to be something special, which is why without a new album he still made MTV's Hottest MCs list for the third year in row.

Armed with an ad-lib for every occasion, he's the undisputed voice of the struggle, and we're all still recovering from his musical recession. An unlikely candidate to conduct Obama's victory soundtrack, he did just that and never lost his street edge or credibility.

Witnessing his evolution from trap star to superstar has been fantastic. He can tour with Lil Wayne, drop mixtape heat ("Trappin' Ain't Dead"), battle ATL peer Gucci Mane ("24-23") and go toe-to-toe with Hov ("Real as it Gets"), all with sustained confidence and charisma. A man of respect you'd be hard pressed to not root for, his upcoming fourth release, TM103 has got us fiendin' like a classic Jodeci song.

Simply put, Da Snowman can do no wrong.

By Datwon Thomas, EIC/COO of Global Grind

Throw in an understated lyrical swag, witty word play, the penchant for murdering hip-hop soul features and the ability to start Twitter trending topics at the drop of a hashtag and you have Brooklyn's heir to the Hov throne in Def Jam's marquee playboy, Fabolous.

His ascent to the upper crust of the crafty MC list is a long time coming since the kid (in hip-hop years, anyway) already has nearly a decade under his belt. All of his albums can be categorized under the "LL Cool J School for the Rap Balladeer," yet the mixtape mainstay (in his earlier years) can whip up a mean 16 if you let him change out of his Fabolous attire into his Loso streetwear.

With the arrival of Loso's Way, Fab took a page out of the Big Homie's concept album book. He created his own gangsta paradise in which his well spun tales of Scarface-ish rags-to-riches-to-regret laid heavy on a personal journey to get closer to fans through creativity rather than cornball boasting. He nearly pulled off the feat, yet let the concept get away from him a bit.

There is no question that he has that thing that all MCs of his elite caliber would like to possess, which is the ability to make you catch their hot lines at a later date. If you are an occasional rap listener, it takes at least a few days for a Fab line to properly incubate. Yet, his slow, steady, never-in-a-rush flow makes him an easy target for the masses to enjoy. Rare vocal inflection may be a drawback as he continues forward, but judging from his most recent guest spot on Ghostface's new album Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry, Fab is ready to test new ground in story rhymes and humor tones he didn't try in his early years.

Personal style — which is a huge selling point for today's hottest MCs — is Fab's strong suit. Never one to spill his swag juice cup, you can find him asking his over 200,000 twitda-did-da fam which outfit he should rock on stage. A stark difference in approach to connecting with fans from almost anyone on the Hottest MCs list.

What about his realism and street cred factor, you ask? He's been shot! 'Nuff said.

By Elliott Wilson, Founder and CEO of RapRadar.com

They say persistence overcomes resistance, and never has that been more evident than in the case of Fabolous. BK's finest young rapper has spent most of his career being overshadowed by rap heavyweights like Jay-Z, but it's his consistency that has kept him in the conversation for the past eight years.

What did F-A-B-O do so special in 2009 to finally be recognized as one of the game's hottest MCs? Man, he just stuck to the script. Loso's Way is another solid album in the guest-spot master's catalogue. Street bangers ("Imma Do It", "Lullaby") merged with commercial muscle ("Throw it in the Bag," "Everything, Everyday, Everywhere") packed with personal tales of betrayal ("Pachanga") and fatherhood ("Stay"). And on top of all that, as far as rap artists goes, he's the Twitter king. Salute him.

By Elliott Wilson, Founder and CEO of RapRadar.com

While Raekwon was probably elated to be included on MTV's Hottest MCs list, I'm sure that 50 Cent is none too pleased with his placement in the nine spot. For him, the standards are way higher than that. As the former Editor-In-Chief of XXL magazine, I bore witness as the man born Curtis Jackson redefined hot in 2002 and 2003, revolutionizing the mixtape market along the way. His chokehold on the rap game culminated in the classic debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. That is the standard by which Fif lives in 2009.

So although his constantly delayed album Before I Self Destruct has had more false starts than an old DeSoto, 50 has kept himself omnipresent in the hip-hop scene. It's hard to argue with his enduring relevance. He returned to the mixtape game with equal parts fury (War Angel) and finesse (Forever King). He crafted an endlessly entertaining and oft-comedic battle with rap heavyweight Rick Ross. And, most importantly, despite my occasional issues with his peanut gallery of bloggers, ThisIs50.com has set the blueprint for artists planting their flag in the new media world. Hate him or love him, Curtis ain't goin' nowhere. Only God can judge him.