MTV's Hottest MCs #10: Raekwon

Why He's Hot: They've got him behind the pot again! Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon the Chef came back to cook up one of the most potent offerings of 2009 with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, which is the hottest album in the streets right now. And no, the Brain Trust isn't just overcome with nostalgia -- the conceptual Cuban Linx II picks up where its timeless predecessor left off a decade and a half ago. Rae articulates his calm anger and heavy-handed, at times unmerciful underworld regulation with a compellingly clear yet callous delivery. Production-wise, he went for the best: RZA, Dr. Dre, the late J Dilla.

The Chef has been able to do what few in his age bracket have accomplished: maintain respect and excitement with their more mature core audience, yet stay current and appeal to newer, younger fans. Chef came off a very low-profile hiatus late last year and reintroduced himself through one of his biggest venues to generate interests, the Internet. He's tweeted close to 3,000 times on his @raekwonicewater page and he's been a mainstay on YouTube and hip-hop blogs this year. Rae's moment of Net infamy came late in the summer, when he and his crew had a physical altercation with Joe Budden while Budden was live-streaming from his dressing room.

Rae has not released the videotaped footage of the incident he has in his possession, but instead has let his music grab the headlines. And with all the critical acclaim he's gotten, the Chef's notoriety won't be stopping any time soon: Cuban Linx more than 60,000 albums in its first week of release, another testament to his popularity.

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