Ask most Hip-Hop fans who’s been running the rap game the past three years, and the answers would mostly be the same; Kendrick Lamar…Drake…maybe some J. Cole. Even with somewhat of an agreement, there’s no science to this. There’s no exact formula of determining who is on top. Is it record sales? Some would say that, and that would justify the belief that Kendrick, Drake, or Cole are on top of the game. Using that logic however would leave justification of our culture up to whoever is buying music…whoever.

Machine Gun Kelly spoke to RESPECT about a variety of topics, including working with DMX, Mac Miller topping the charts, his upcoming album and Drake.

On His Album "Lace Up":

RESPECT: You said it’s going to be timeless. What did you do differently in the process to really ensure the music lasts?

As Jay-Z celebrates the release of his new book, 'Decoded,' the Brooklyn MC is also shedding some emotional weight hanging over him by disclosing details about the childhood shooting of his brother. Jay, born Shaun Carter, opened fire on his drug-addicted brother at the age of 12, reports The Guardian.



In The Guardian's 'Weekend' magazine, the Roc Nation head honcho admits he pulled the gun's trigger after his older sibling stole a ring from him. "I thought my life was over," Jay-Z reveals. "I thought I'd go to jail forever."

Hate it or love it, the underdog is on top! Since he first began to make noise with his 2010 mixtape Lace Up, Machine Gun Kelly has worked his way into hip-hop's collective consciousness. It wasn't always pretty (see MGK's August flash-mob arrest or his tiff with Yelawolf), but it's always been passionate.



Now, thanks to that passion, Machine Gun Kelly can stand alone as MTV News' Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2011, it was revealed on "RapFix Live."