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Checking in with the trends and tastes of teens via MTV Charts.

As mentioned, ATG took on the flu last week and spent many hazed mornings alternating between news, sports and eventually, music videos.

On weekdays, MTV programs their top ten videos of the day in the early morning. Like 7 a.m. CST. I don't know what the criterion is, but I'm sure it has to do with sponsors, popularity, sales, imminent contractual appearances. I'd heard few of these songs and seen none of these videos.

Took some notes on what is most popular right now. The freshest. The latest. Feel old and out of touch after the jump.

I've been battling the flu fiercer than the '07 World Rap Championships and arguing with one oddly knowledgeable, ominous commenter.

Steady winning, however, and here are some new, blog-worthy songs I've been enjoying during days at home. Jump man.

The writing is on the wall for XXL's Freshman Class of 2010 and we're happy report this year's crop in the wake of this hilarious post from one of XXL's former staffers. Before we drop names, it should be noted that three of 2010's bigger break out acts -- Drake, Jay Electronica, Nicki Minaj -- all reportedly declined participating; as Andrew Noz observed in the above, hyperlinked piece, this marks the first XXL Freshman cluster of rappers without a token New York City representative.

As of today, your Freshman 10 will be, in specific order of tolerability:

1. Freddie Gibbs, the rapid-fire gangster out of Gary, Indiana who raps like a way better Young Buck
   
2. J. Cole, Jay-Z's golden boy who pissed off hip-hop when he got to rap on the Blueprint motherfucking III, though truthfully he's hardkworking and nice with the skills despite fact he's one of thousands of rappers with a mixtape called The Come Up
   
3. Pill, clearly a fill-in
   
4. Jay Rock, a West Coast gangster with snarling delivery and talent
   
5. Nipsey Hu$$le, a former Crip
   
6. Big Sean, Kanye West signed the Detroit emcee in heartwarming fashion (Sean reportedly rapped passionately to 'Ye at a radio station), has since been protected by G.O.O.D. umbrella
   
7. Fashawn, the indie conscious guy who will never be famous
   
8. Donnis, what Atlantic came up with when label bosses ordered a Drake
   
9. Wiz Khalifa, the hipster
   
10. OJ Da Juiceman, southern caricature who inspired General Larry Platt's "Pants On the Ground"
    

To commemorate what is still a significant hip-hop happening, we've decided to introduce you to the unfamiliar names (it's pronounced Ka-LEE-Fa) in mixtape fashion wherein each dude gets two songs to creep into your rotation. Why Social Justice Committee? If you went to UT, that was the freshman orientation branch in charge of programming well-intentioned, heavy-handed skits about campus issues like binge drinking and date rape. It was adorable. 

Tracklist + link after the jump.

All original artwork by our favorite evil genius, Joseph Devens.

Update: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5

All original artwork by our favorite evil genius, Joseph Devens.

At the halfway point of the countdown, it's time to spotlight our patient contributors. We'll use classical AP style (brief bios with "Anchorman" quotes):

Writers

• Josh Bradshaw - The recently engaged (congrats) Bradshaw is one of those smart flex players any office can plug in for instant output. He's worked with various libraries that have many leather-bound books and smell of rich mahogany, and minored in music history.
• Patrick Caldwell - Newly appointed staff writer (congrats) for the Austin-American Statesman, ATG has shared many a winding, bar-soaked conversation about existence with Caldwell. The intimate times? Outta sight, my man.
• Natalia Ciolko - A recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Natalia runs libelous liberal rags and enjoys traveling through Asia. She actually likes Le Tigre. I thought you were kidding. I thought it was a joke. I even wrote it down in my diary - Natalia had a very funny joke today. I laughed about it later that night.
• Evan Daniels - Representing Farmington Hills, Michigan, a Grand Valley State big fish ATG met on a summer internship. There was an inordinate amount of shopping in SoHo at the, uh, pants store.
• Joseph Devens - The project's luminary creative director, Devens is also an easy writer to edit and an impossible man to reach by cell phone during working hours. A man of mystery, I tried to get an interview with him, but they said no, you can't do that he's a live bear, he will literally rip your face off.
• Michal Durham - A talented artist and ardent supporter of Radiohead's failed bid for number one, Durham is Brazilian, or Chinese, or something weird.
• Tom Hardy - Another delegate from the Michigan coalition, ATG knows Hardy through Evan. They have a saying in Michigan: the coyote of the desert likes to eat the heart of the young and the blood drips down to his children for breakfast, lunch and dinner and only the ribs will be broken.
• Ben Heath - A powerful, mentoring force for ATG editors, Heath used to rule The Daily Texan with an iron fist and enjoys working with the United Nations, guitars and law school in his spare time. When John Kerry capped an atrocious campaign with a crushing defeat, Heath pissed off a lot of people by running Mapquest directions to Canada as the next morning's editorial. It's science. 
• Bryant Howell - One of the panel's three business school grads, Howell is a well-traveled renaissance man who shockingly prefers playing bass in bands to bottom lines. Great Odin's raven!
• Jeremy Hurd - Fun facts about ATG's web guru: he went to Ohio State, he can dunk a basketball, he's an aspiring novelist, he organizes the team pancake breakfast.
• TJ Finley - Did you know that undergrads have to camp out for an entire school year just to be in a lottery for Duke basketball tickets? With tents and shit. Luckily for Finley, he's at Duke Law. His hass a formidable scent that stings the nostrils...in a good way.
  
• John Meller - Coming off a banner year wherein he directed the campus concert committee and programmed shows with Saul Williams and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Meller stands at the edge of tomorrow. The contributors met months ago to discern list at an undisclosed restaurant and Meller ordered three fingers of Glenlivet with a little bit of pepper, and, uh, some cheese.
• Andy O'Connor - Starting graduate studies at Northwestern next semester, there's going to be flutes playing and trombones and flowers and garlands of fresh herbs greeting O'Connor upon arrival in Chicago.
  
• Robert Rich - The arsonist has oddly shaped feet.
• Eddie Strait - ATG's life-long best friend, people seem to like Eddie because he's polite and rarely late.
• Harrison Yeager - The guy that ran the concert committee before Meller. ATG regrettably is tired of the quotes bit, but seriously, Harrison is a really nice dude.I will tell tales of his compassion.
  

Consultants

John Bradley
Ejede
Scott Loewen
Cass Luskin
Austin Powell
Jess Williamson
Update: Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 Part 5

All original artwork by our favorite evil genius, Joseph Devens.

Other things worth putting on lists: The Wire (2002-2006), the U.S. occupation of Fallujah (2003), Tree of Smoke (2007), "What You Know" (2006), the fall of Touch and Go Records (2008), the creepy detuned voice on Napster downloads of "Treefingers" that said something like "This voice was placed here to protect against piracy; it will be removed before the official release" (2000), The Downing Street Memo (2002, 2005), the reappearance of Henry Grimes (2003), Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the moment everyone realized that the band Stars was actually pretty boring (c. 2005), the Freedom Tower (whenever), Rihanna's remarkably disturbing and ill-advised new single (2009).


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