Introducing the King of Hip-Hop

Now more than three decades old as a recorded medium, hip-hop is deeply embedded in popular culture – to the point where its stars seem not only larger than life but also, as Rick Ross once put it, "deeper than rap." But even as they sell out arenas and top the pop charts, rappers still court the respect and esteem of their hip-hop peers. The title King of Hip-Hop still means something.

In that spirit, just as we did in June with the Queen of Pop, we've crunched a pile of data to try to determine who is the current King of Hip-Hop.

We're not looking for the all-time greatest, although many of our contenders would vie for that crown. Some of them have only been recording a couple of years; others have been in the game since the 1990s. But that's what makes hip-hop exciting – it's plausible for someone who was watching cartoons when Jay-Z dropped his debut album to emerge as a contender for the title.

As with our Queen of Pop tally, in naming the King of Hip-Hop we focused on the very recent past: from 2009 through the first seven months of 2011. We ranked 20 solo rappers (no groups – sorry, Beasties) who have dropped an album during that time. We looked at album sales, rankings on the R&B/hip-hop and rap charts, YouTube views, social media, concert grosses, industry awards and critics' ratings. In alphabetical order, our contenders are: Big Boi, B.o.B, Diddy, Drake, Eminem, Fabolous, Lupe Fiasco, Gucci Mane, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, T.I., Waka Flocka Flame, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa.

All of our contenders are men except for Minaj, who reappears from our Queen of Pop survey. We like to think of "King" as a gender-neutral term, and the fact is that Minaj has earned the right to compete in this arena. It would feel strange to leave her out – as a rapper, she's had a world-beating couple of years, with a chart-topping album, block-rocking singles and a slew of killer guest appearances. Frankly, she deserves to be called a hip-hop king just for her giant-killing appearance on West's hit "Monster," in which she crushed West and fellow guests Rick Ross and Jay-Z with one blow.

Fans of the rappers, and the acts themselves, take these sorts of rankings pretty seriously. (We learned that firsthand in the comments section of Queens of Pop.) We stand by our data, but of course we know that no King of Hip-Hop index can capture swagger or flow – if it could, the all-time title might go to Q-Tip or Rakim. As you'll see, it turned out to be a fairly exciting contest. Our top overall contenders were pretty evenly matched, with five different rappers leading at least one tally each.

Let's start with the tally that comes with the biggest bragging rights: album sales.

9 pages of FACTS By ---> Rolling Stone

T.I. Promises New Single

Rapper T.I. is due to be released from prison on September 29th, and while the incarcerated superstar issued a statement to his fans days ago, he has also revealed that he will release a new single sometime in the next couple of weeks.

"I’ll be releasing a record in the near future (couple of weeks tops) to hold y’all over til I get back in action," T.I. said in his blog post.

T.I. Issues Prison Statement

T.I. has issued a statement from prison. The rapper has about four months remaining on an 11 month sentence for violating his probation in 2010. In the statement, T.I. thanks his fans for their continued support.

"What up world? Been a minute. I'd like to thank you all for the thousands of letters, cards, books, pictures and words of encouragement," T.I. says in the statement. "I'm truly grateful. I'm sure you already know I'm nearing the end of this chapter of my life, and looking forward to taking all of the things I've learned with me while leaving all the rest of the "BS" behind. I've been tuned in somewhat to what's been happening out there. I can't even begin to tell y'all how much being on the outside looking in, having to witness all that's going on (and not going on) in the game affects me. Not being able to do what I love especially. It's like a whole other sentence within itself."

"But I really do appreciate all the love, respect, shout outs and salutations during this very difficult period in my life," T.I. continued. "Everybody from da homies Weezy, Killa Mike, R. Rozay my lil bruh B.o.B, Terrence J (106 & Park) and my "durty" Nelly."

"I'll be releasing a record in the near future (couple of weeks tops) to hold y'all over til I get back in action," he added. "During this time of seclusion I have developed a mind full of thoughts, ideas, plans and strategies of change to incorporate into my professional endeavors, as well as my personal lifestyle. But none of them is as strong as my determination to conquer my own imperfections and my will to WIN NO MATTER WHAT!!! I love, respect and appreciate all those who have stood beside me and I have accepted those you didn't. But one things for sure and two for certain. As long as the Most High blesses me with the ability to live and breathe....My campaign will continue!!! Stronger, smarter, bigger and better than ever. For those that doubt that...See me when they free me."

Trina On Southern Hip Hop

Trina hit the hip hop scene just as southern hip hop was beginning to cross over into the mainstream. The Miami femcee has a unique perspective on the subgenre's transformation over the years and points out that regional biases kept southern hip hop bubbling below the surface for years.

"At first, people really did not take the South that seriously," Trina says. "It wasn't considered real hip-hop - just fast music, a lot of up-tempo, booty-shaking dance music. Over the years, it has gotten stronger, and there are some Southern artists - Trick [Daddy], T.I., Ludacris, Lil' Wayne, Rick Ross - that took what they believed in and turned it into a whole hip-hop genre. I'm really honored to be a part of that movement. There are so many different artists from different parts of the South that have different types of music. And now it's taking over - and at first it wasn't even considered!"