Lil Boosie
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

A Louisiana judge sentenced rapper Lil Boosie (born Torrence Hatch) to prison for four years on Monday for violating the terms of his probation. According to WAFB News, District Court Judge Chip Moore revoked Boosie's probation after an ankle monitor indicated that the MC had violated the terms of his release more than once by leaving his home during house arrest.

After taking a plea deal to a third-offense marijuana-possession charge in September, Boosie, 25, was expected to receive a 10-year sentence with all but the first two years suspended, likely keeping him behind bars for a year or so.

Boosie was convicted on drug and gun charges in September in connection with an October 2008 arrest when police found a bag of marijuana, a blunt and a gun in a vehicle he was driving. The pot charge along could have landed him in prison for 20 years, with a mandatory minimum of five years for the gun charge. After the plea, Moore ordered Boosie to be electronically monitored and to clear all concert dates with the court while awaiting sentencing, according to Louisiana newspaper The Advocate. But when the judge found out that the rapper had violated his terms, Moore ordered him to spend four years in prison, meaning he will likely do at least two full years, his lawyer said.

Boosie was ordered to report to prison immediately after Monday's hearing, and he will be on probation for five years following his release. The firearm charge will be dropped if Boosie successfully completes his probation.

Before his sentencing, Boosie appeared at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta last month and told MTV News that the prison stretch was just a "minor setback," predicting that he would only be gone for a year at most.

"I gotta go away for, like, 10 months to a year," Boosie said at the time. "It's just a minor setback for a major comeback. I was gonna take 'em to trial, but I'm not gonna take them to trial. They offered me a deal. In Louisiana, you can't really win, bruh. So I'm gonna do my year, come back home, step it up even more. I leave on November 9."

Though his latest album, Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz, has failed to make much of a dent on the charts since its release in September, the MC said he's already got his next one in the pipe.

"I turned in the album this Tuesday to Warner Bros. It's gonna be called Free at Last," he said at the time. "It'll drop the week I come home. It's gonna be crazy. Crazy, man."

That album features cameos from B.G. and Young Jeezy. Boosie said he's already shot four or five videos for the effort.

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• Lil Boosie

Lil Boosie
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive
Lil Boosie had a chance to get out and promote himself as well as party with his friends Webbie and Young Jeezy during BET Hip-Hop Awards weekend in Atlanta a few days ago.

Boosie doesn't have too much time left before he goes to prison. As part of plea bargain stemming from weapons-possession and drug charges, the Louisiana MC has to take a break from the limelight.

"I gotta go away for, like, 10 months to a year," Boosie said in ATL. "It's just a minor setback for a major comeback. I was gonna take 'em to trial, but I'm not gonna take them to trial. They offered me a deal. In Louisiana, you can't really win, bruh. So I'm gonna do my year, come back home, step it up even more. I leave on November 9."

Although Boosie's latest LP, Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz, was just released last month, he's already finished his next LP.

"I turned in the album this Tuesday to Warner Bros. It's gonna be called Free at Last," he said. "It'll drop the week I come home. It's gonna be crazy. Crazy, man."

Young Jeezy and B.G. appear on the album, but Boosie said most of the tracks feature just him. "I done shot four or five videos already," he revealed. "We're gonna pace them as I go in. It's official."

Before Free at Last's run, Superbad is getting its just due. "Missing You" is a strong contender to be that album's next single.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily Video: Lil Boosie, Big Gates, Young Jeezy More

• Lil Boosie

Lil Boosie
Photo: Asylum

Louisiana rapper Lil Boosie (born Torrence Hatch) pleaded guilty to a third-offense marijuana possession charge on Tuesday and was sentenced to two years in prison. The plea deal came just one day before it was announced that the MC's latest album, Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz, will debut in the top 10 on next week's Billboard albums chart.

According to Baton Rouge station WBRZ, Boosie will serve at least one year in prison after prosecutors reached an agreement with his lawyers in which all but two years of a 10-year sentence were suspended. The rapper will also be on active supervised probation for two to five years after his release from prison. If he completes his probation, the gun charge will be dropped.

"I'm ready to get this behind me," Boosie, 25, told Judge Chip Moore one week before he was scheduled to stand trial in connection with his October 22 arrest. During the incident, East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputies found a bag of marijuana, a cigar loaded with weed and another unspecified drug and a gun in a car driven by Boosie. At the time, he was charged with third-offense possession of marijuana, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, as well as possession of a firearm with a controlled dangerous substance, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum five-year prison term.

The judge set a November 9 sentencing date and strongly warned Boosie to stay out of trouble and away from drugs, guns and convicted felons between now and his sentencing, according to WBRZ. If the rapper is rearrested, tests positive for drugs or fails to show up for his November sentencing date, the judge warned the consequences will be harsh.

"When I do catch up with you, I can assure you I will not abide by this agreement of 10 years. It will be much more," Moore said.

• Lil Boosie

Lil Boosie
Photo: Trill Ent.

This Week's Main Pick

Street King: Lil Boosie

Holding It Down For: Baton Rouge

Indie Album: SuperBad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz

Real Spit: The police say Boosie Bad Azz is a little too bad — he's facing a trial for drug and gun charges in the near future. "It's making me more focused on my music. I got a big trial coming up," he says. "Police putting false statements in reports, trying to corrupt the judge. It's just getting me more focused. The more you go through, the more gonna come out. I'm just worrying about the music."

Boosie's long-awaited SuperBad comes out next Tuesday (September 15). He said the title reflects his evolution as a performer and lyricist.

"I got a big following. My fans love me so much," he noted. "I get that 'hood love, 20 [thousand] to 25 [thousand] a show every weekend. I'm a big factor down South."

Bobby Valentino, Young Jeezy and, of course, Webbie are all featured on the LP.

Joints to Check For

» "Miss Kissin' on You" (featuring Trina and KaDe). "It's going out to a couple of girls I miss back in the game," Boosie said. "It's one of the songs the women gonna love. They need to check out for that. I'm talking about how I miss a girl and all that. I reach out to them. They even call me on holidays. They be trying to reach back out to me. Look at me now. Those be the ones who were acting funny back then. It's gonna be a classic record. I like to put people on my record who will fit in with me. I like thug girls like Trina who look good and talk nasty. I like to go with who I think my fanbase would prefer me with."

» "Mind of a Maniac." "It's the last song on the album," Boosie said of the record, on which he admits that some people will think his thoughts are deranged. "In 'Mind of a Maniac,' that's what I be thinking. Stuff like, 'Why is the judge mad at [Michael] Vick for killing dogs, but [people] kill deer and put 'em on their walls? Why can't we kill a dog and put a pit bull head on the wall? We eat dog too. Y'all eat deer?' Stuff like that that make you think, 'This n---a is kinda odd.' Mind of a maniac is going hard. It's touching on racism and all them things."

» "Bullsh--." "It's rapping about how a lot of bull is going on in the world from the rap game to playa hatas. I'm just spitting on that. Check that record out. It's number eight on the album. '90 percent is your business, 10 percent is your talent,' " Boosie added about what he thinks is the biggest B.S. he encounters. The Louisiana native wants it to be more about the art. "I'm supposed to be on top of a lot of people who are past me, but their business is better than my business. It ain't the raps."

Don't Sleep: Necessary Notables

Headliner: Quan

Independent Album: Walking Testimony

Songs We Can't Stop Playing: "Just Believe," "Getting Money" (featuring Nas), "G Call" and "Mommaz Prayer" (featuring Zoe)

Essential Info: Quan, it's been too long. Five years ago, the VA native made an appearance on Nas' Street's Disciple on the thought-provoking "Just a Moment." The guy was spitting hard lyrics and had harmonious singing in his repertoire as well (this was way before the likes of a Kid Cudi or Drake). Esco was billing him as hip-hop's "future" in every interview, and later, Quan inked a deal through Nas' record company, Ill Will, and Atlantic Records. But things didn't quite pan out as he had expected.

Quan went through management problems that eventually led to his parting ways with Nas, and he could not see eye to eye with Atlantic. Quan eventually asked for and received his release. Since then, he's been circulating on the underground scene while dealing with severe family issues.

"Just to wake up is a blessing," Quan said of his album title, Walking Testimony. "Some people are like, 'What happened?' For a minute, I actually had mad deaths in my family. My goddaughter died. Zoe's daughter. He's a talented artist. [Hip-Hop Editor's Note: The "Zoe" Quan is referring to is an up-and-coming singer from VA, not to be confused with Atlanta rapper Gorilla Zoe.] She was 12. Right before that, my grandmother died. After that, my little cousin died. My biological father got thrown out of a five-story window in the Bronx; he almost died. He was in the hospital for almost two months. In the process of him healing, my cousin Boogie died in a car accident. It kinda rocked me. Then two of my friends died; they got killed. I was like, 'Damn.' "

Quan said he sat back to reflect on life but was still working on music. He's released a handful of mixtapes over the past three years.

"You really have to love it," he said of the industry. "If it doesn't happen for you [quick], you really have to love it. The industry and the politics behind it will really put a strain on your passion for it. Either you gonna move it or lose it. Keep on grinding or fall by the wayside. The blessing is to just have music the people wanna hear and feed that. Whether it's 100 people, 5,000, 20,000 — to have as many people as I do come up to me and say, 'Your music helped me through hard times,' I appreciated it. 'I admire what you are saying and what you're trying to do.' What greater gift can you ask for?"

Quan's album was released recently through Amalgam Digital and iTunes, and he's currently in talks with some labels about future projects.

"I'm still a free agent. Amalgam gave me an opportunity to share my music with the world," he explained. "It's a blessing. Obviously, me and a whole lot of other people [expected] my career to go major. But it don't always work like that the first time going around. 50 went through it. Jay went through it. I feel it's my season, and however God wants it to go, it'll go. In the meantime, I released five mixtapes, the last one being digital: Carry the Tradition. All my mixtapes did real well. For a while, going through different negotiations with different labels, I was so set on going major. In the meantime, I tried to provide my fans with as much music as possible. I didn't want to become a 'mixtape rapper.' I tried to provide my fans with quality over quantity."

Other Heat This Week

» 50 Cent - 50th Law of Power

» Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II (independent album)

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily: 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, And More

• Lil Boosie

Lil Boosie
Photo: Asylum

Hottest MCs, Hottest MCs, Hottest MCs — we're going to be in full promo mode for our latest project. Don't forget, on Monday we start unveiling who made the list and on August 24, during Diddy's "Making His Band" on MTV, we'll show you who's holding down our top positions this year. But back to Mixtape Daily — we bring you news on a potential street collabo that will mean so much to the South.

The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive

Lil Boosie has made a bunch of music with fellow Louisiana MC Webbie, and he just dropped a mixtape with his homie Hurricane Chris. However, there's one more cat Boosie wants to lock in with: Young Jeezy. He thinks a mixtape with the Snowman is an excellent idea.

"Jeezy is my homie," Boosie told us on the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, set of his new "Better Believe It" video. "If we wasn't rapping, we'd still be click-clackin'. I wanted to get on that album bad. Jeezy put me on that Recession album. I owe him for that. Whatever he needs, I got him. Jeezy, I'm trying to get him to do a mixtape with me right now."

Jeezy was also on the set, as he guest-stars on the song, along with Webbie.

"It was no other person in my mind I would want on my single," Boosie said of getting Young to pop off on his record.

Boosie's new album, Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz, is due this fall.

"The last time was Boosie Bad Azz. This time, I feel I'm better, stronger, spitting better, have more money — if you was doing all this when you Boosie Bad Azz, that makes you superbad. That's my main concept for Superbad — I'm badder than I was from the last album.

"I want a gold record for sure," he added of his expectations for the new project. "I'd love a platinum record, but I want a gold record. I want a lot of ringtone money ... just to reach everybody. We been killing everybody with the mixtapes ... this is my second album. Our goal is to stay focused. I'm just trying to work hard."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily Video: Drake Ghostface, Joe Budden, More

• Lil Boosie
• Young Jeezy

Lil Boosie
Photo: Asylum

On the set of his "Better Believe It" video, Lil Boosie wore what looked to be every chain. Not all the chains he owns; all the chains in the state of Louisiana. With ice draped on his chest, Boosie began to rap.

"From the East to West Coast, I smoked on the best smoke," Boosie rapped along with his recorded voice. "We pushin' Lambos, Phantoms and Bentley coupes now/ People hollering out the window, 'Hey, Boosie, you got the juice now.' "

"We're trying to replicate the look of the Boosie Fader magazine cover throughout the video," said the clip's director, Edwin Decena (Plies and T-Pain's "Shawty," Webbie's "I Miss You"). "Hearing the song, it was not the typical Trill [Entertainment] song. Boosie was not rapping about dancing or none of that. The song spoke to current situations.

"He's going through a lot of stuff," Decena continued. "It felt like the song and the video needed to address the things they've gone through and shed light on the good they're doing. Giving back, he's being a positive guy. We go through the police harassing young males in the neighborhood. They arrest them under false pretenses. At the end, he ends up clearing his name."

Boosie just dropped a mixtape with Hurricane Chris called Bad Azz Hurricane, and Boosie's next album, Super Bad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz, is due September 15.

• Lil Boosie

50 Cent in his video for "I Get Money"
Photo: Universal

Like most of the media world, we here at MTV News obsess and argue relentlessly over our year-end top 10s. This year, we thought we'd share them! Our staff top 10s will be rolling out all this week, along with several less conventional lists we've come up with, like couples, guilty-pleasure songs, albums, hot messes, arrests and much more. Enjoy, and share your own top 10s in You Tell Us!

Shaheem Reid, hip-hop editor: Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums

1. Graduation by Kanye West
Consistent sonic excellence and a vastly improved lyrical artillery made West's third LP my numero uno. He smashed the game hard, and when he puts out a video for "Flashing Lights" in 2008, it'll be lights out for the comp (again).

2. American Gangster by Jay-Z
I'm not going to say too much about Hov that you don't already know. He's the Greatest MC of All Time, and AG is another classic. I know an album is a classic when my favorite track from it changes week to week. At first nobody could have told me that "Ignorant Sh--" wasn't the best joint, but my top pick varies every other time I hear the album: "Party Life," "Sweet," "Success." This is really a milestone for Jigga. L'chaim!

3. Back to Black by Amy Winehouse
Tortured excellence. I often hear Lauryn Hill in Amy's soul sound, but she reminds me so much of Mary J. Blige because the pain in her music obviously has no pretension. The album was my pleasant surprise of 2007. She dedicated a whole song to Nas, for goodness' sake.

The Best Of 2007 The Top Albums: MTV News Staffers Pick Their Top 10 Albums The Biggest Arrests: Paris Hilton, T.I. And More Had An Arrest-Ing 2007 The Hottest Couples: 50 Cent And Ciara And More Smoking-Hot Couples For the rest of MTV News' year-end top 10s, check out our Best of 2007 page, where you'll find the hottest hip-hop, catchiest singles and more.

4. Finding Forever by Common
I'm proud of Com and what he's become. The crazy thing is that he's always been talented and insightful ("Retrospect for Life" is still as stirring now as it was in the '90s), but those Kanye beats have finally placed Com in the upper echelon.

5. Curtis by 50 Cent
50 got so much flack for this album, but truth be told, if he would have cut a couple of songs off, his record would have been right in pocket. "I'll Still Kill" and "I Get Money" are unstoppable.

6. Timbaland Presents: Shock Value by Timbaland
Bow down to Timbo the King. He had so many hits on this album, how it hasn't gone platinum is one of the biggest question marks of the year. Hopefully he'll drop "Miscommunication" as his next single in 2008.

7. T.I. vs. T.I.P. by T.I.
The dual-personality thing threw some people off, but you have to really sit down and listen to what the King of the South is saying on his album. He does what a lot of MCs can't do right now: challenge the listener.

8. As I Am by Alicia Keys
The record is pretty new to me, but she's one of the most powerful voices out there right now. It's a one-listen showstopper.

9. Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman) by Styles P and The Big Doe Rehab by Ghostface Killah
I cheated. I'm sorry. Two albums for one spot. But yo, verbally, Ghost is as agile as I've ever heard him on his new album, and Styles P's effort is his most cohesive and best yet. SP would have had a classic had he left a couple of songs on the cutting-room floor.

10. Street Love by Lloyd
People slept on Irv Gotti's lil' homie, but I burned this album up so much at the top of the year. Lloyd had a great album and is definitely going to have a long career. He should have made videos for "I Don't Mind" and "Certified"!

Honorable Mentions

The Solution by Beanie Sigel
From Nothin' to Somethin' by Fabolous
Gangsta Grillz: The Album by DJ Drama

Jayson Rodriguez, hip-hop reporter: Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums

1. Graduation by Kanye West
His debut was all about proving himself as a lyricist, and his sophomore set upped the ante in terms of hip-hop production. So what did 'Ye do the third time around? He handily filled in all the blanks missing from his much-decorated résumé. Street banger? Check: "Can't Tell Me Nothing." Stadium anthem? Check: "Stronger." He made more than just a "Big Brother" proud.

2. American Gangster by Jay-Z
Say what you will about Kingdom Come, Hov's last proper set, but hand that album to any other Brooklyn, New York, hustler/rapper and accolades would rain down. Jay has set his own bar so high that his competition is his illustrious past. So for "American Gangster" he channeled his younger days and Young Hov reminded us all just how witty, charismatic and skillful he really is. Sweeeeet.

3. As I Am by Alicia Keys
From 'round-the-way girl to stunning young woman to one of the most important voices in music around the world, A. Keys as evolved into a passionate, thought-provoking songstress who is as comfortable rallying against injustice as she is doting over love lost. "Like You'll Never See Me Again" will make a thug turn teary-eyed.

4. Back to Black by Amy Winehouse
While most singers talk about it, Ms. Winehouse lives it. More than most rappers, her heart-wrenching songs about the trials of love are only amplified by her headline-grabbing antics with her boyfriend-turned-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Never did art come alive so vividly this year.

5. Finding Forever by Common
More compact, focused and condense than his previous effort with Kanye West, the 2005's heralded Be, Com Sense proved to be just as sharp on FF and brought just the right balance of his lyrical insight from the past coupled with his more recently developed global perspective.

6. Return of the Mac by Prodigy
P's bone-chilling rhymes over producer Alchemist's soul-drenched beats did as much as any album in the past five years to bring vintage New York rap back into consciousness. Big Apple upstarts, take notice.

7. Street Love by Lloyd
Little Lloyd proved his mettle to the Inc. camp with this one, temporarily (or maybe not?) becoming the top dog in Irv Gotti's house. Lush songs like his lead single, "You," with its saccharine-sweet melody hit big, but album cuts like "Hazel" and "Certified" bring depth to Lloyd's song catalog and show his light has only just begun to shine.

8. Just Like You by Keyshia Cole
The big-ticket lead single, "Let It Go" (featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim), didn't exactly pan out as a summertime smash, but the follow-up, "Shoulda Let You Go," has all the traits K. Cole fans love about the ghetto songbird: sassy, vulnerable and full of courage.

9. The Big Doe Rehab by Ghostface Killah
Tony Starks has been carrying the Wu-Tang legacy on his back for so long now, it's downright amazing he hasn't crumbled from the pressure. Instead, even amid some pretty blistering bickering going on between him and the rest of his Shaolin brethren, Ghost pulls out another classic.

10. Double Up by R. Kelly
He started out as an oversexed crooner who seemed to rely on that crutch like a one-legged man. But Kells has managed to reinvent himself more times than Madonna and Mary J. Blige combined. This collection of sensual, sexual, hillerical (if he can name a song "The Zoo," I can use the word "hillerical"), and hip-hop-heavy tracks only showcases his troubled genius more than ever.

Honorable Mentions

Da Drought 3 mixtape by Lil Wayne
T.I. vs. T.I.P. by T.I.
Eardrum by Talib Kweli
Young Jeezy Presents USDA: Cold Summer - The Authorized Mixtape by USDA
Rich Boy by Rich Boy

Rahman Dukes, senior producer

1. Graduation by Kanye West
During the taping of the Hottest MCs in the Game in July, I scolded my Hip-Hop Brain Trust peers for not bumping up Kanye higher on the list. And that was only based off "Can't Tell Me Nothing" — not to mention I wasn't even feeling "Stronger" like that. But sure enough, when Graduation leaked, it was a proven fact 'Ye would be beating out the rest of the competition — including his "Big Brother"! — for best hip-hop album of '07.

2. Finding Forever by Common
Hands-down, Common's best album to date. J Dilla's passing and Kanye's beats truly inspired Com on Finding. Common had a helluva year on the movies front too, appearing in both "Smokin' Aces" and "American Gangster." Any hip-hop head will agree the Chi-town lyricist is at the top of his game.

3. From Nothin' to Somethin' by Fabolous
Can I start by saying I was the first MTV employee to bring Fab into our offices? Back then, I told him he was a star. His move to Def Jam proved to be a smart one. Shout out to DJ Clue and Desert Storm. "Make Me Better" was undoubtedly one of the biggest hits of the year, but the rest of the album packed more heat than them young boys on an episode of "The Wire." "Gangsta Don't Play" (featuring Junior Reid), "Yep, I'm Back" and "Joke's on You" (featuring Pusha-T) ... I can go on. Kudos, Fab!

4. American Gangster by Jay-Z
Let the hate begin. At the first listen, I wasn't impressed with Jay's second "comeback" album. He was definitely spitting Reasonable Doubt-style, but the beats didn't quite match the content. But after taking one good listen to "Say Hello," where he goes: "And if Al Sharpton is speaking for me/ Somebody get him the word and tell him I don't approve/ Tell him I'll remove the curses/ If you tell me our schools gon' be perfect/ When Jena Six don't exist/ Tell him that's when I'll stop saying b---h — B---H!" Now that's what I'm talking about: hip-hop giants tackling more serious issues in their raps instead of telling me why they're flyer than kids. I was so impressed by that line that I sent it to Sharpton's VP of Communications.

5. The Big Doe Rehab by Ghostface Killah
Just when you thought Tony Starks was making a bad move by releasing another album, he showed us once again why he's the Wally Champ. With the major disappointment of Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams album, Ghost outlines exactly why he's needed in the rap game.

6. Curtis by 50 Cent
Queens all day! The Kanye vs. 50 battle clearly backfired on the controversy king, and his war of words with Cam'ron clouded things a bit leading up to his release. Whoever gave Curtis the green light to call his album Curtis should be served with a pink slip. But don't get it twisted: Fif had joints on Curtis, and the Sabrina's Baby Boy mixtape G-Unit put out filled the void of gutter hip-hop tracks that were missing on his studio release.

7. Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman) by Styles P
Anything associated with the LOX is a go as far as I'm concerned. I'm a die-hard New York hip-hop head. Artists like Styles don't come quite often. He shows up for interviews on time, his music actually has substance, and he spits. With the flood of hip-hop albums dropping this quarter, Styles' stands out by far. Rap artists could learn a thing or two from the Yonkers, New York, native (hello Jadakiss.)

8. Free at Last by Freeway
So what he didn't crack 50,000 units in his effort's first week. So what he decided to pull in 50 Cent to co-executive produce the album alongside Jay-Z. So what he didn't have a video to support the album. Freeway may have lacked the promotion for Free at Last, but it doesn't change the fact the Philadelphia rap monster hasn't missed a beat.

9. T.I. vs .T.I.P. by T.I.
T.I.'s latest album didn't sit too well with his cult following, but it raised my antennae for someone not that familiar with his body of work. Even more, so he went gold in a week at a time when music artists are giving away their albums for free. For that alone he deserves a spot on my list.

10. The Real Testament by Plies
Shout out to my dude Saigon on this one. When he tells you to listen to an album, you listen. It took a cold day in Brooklyn and advice from the Abandoned Nation Foundation member for me to realize Plies has a story to tell. If you're a fan of real hip-hop music, go get this album. Anyone who has witnessed one of Plies' live shows will tell ya the lil' homie has a movement behind him also.

Shaheem Reid, hip-hop editor: Top 10 Hip-Hop Singles

1. "I Get Money" by 50 Cent
The best beat of the year, unbridled stunting, endless riches and unplanned parenting to boot: "Have a baby by me, baby, be a millionaire/ I'll write the check before the baby comes, who the f--- cares."

2. "Can't Tell Me Nothing" by Kanye West
Easily the most relatable song of the year. Everybody needs to get their money right. Even A-Rod wanted more dough in 2007, and he was getting over $25 million a year. Kanye's hardest street anthem to date and, line by line, one of his most lyrical songs ever.

3. "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" by UGK (featuring Outkast)
Andre 3000's verse alone is worth the price of admission, although Pimp C probably rides the track the best (R.I.P. Sweet Jones!). Both legendary hip-hop pairs proved that skills and passion don't necessarily deteriorate over the years.

4. "Make Me Better" by Fabolous (featuring Ne-Yo)
It's fly to love your girl. Scratch that, it's fly to love your girl and not be ashamed to tell her and the world she has you open. At least, that's what Fab and Ne-Yo made everyone believe with their monster duet.

5. "It's Me B---hes" remix by Swizz Beatz (featuring Lil Wayne, Jadakiss and R. Kelly)
Arguably the best rapper (Wayne), producer (Swizz) and singer (Kelly) in 2007 are featured on this track. No way to lose on this one. Of all the millions of Lil Wayne verses this year, this had to be the most fun to listen to. Weezy rapped in different languages, vernaculars and switched flows in less than 30 seconds.

6. "We Takin' Over" by DJ Khaled (featuring T.I., Rick Ross, Akon, Lil Wayne, Baby and Fat Joe)
With a murderers'-row lineup like this, who dared dispute Khaled's claim that "We da besss!"? Each MC tried to outdo the other, but everyone kept the competition friendly. Also, with this song, Khaled kicked off a plethora of songs featuring a combination of all-star guests.

7. "Duffle Bag Boy" by Playaz Circle (featuring Lil Wayne)
So compelling, it almost felt biblical. Tity Boi and Dolla Boy's ode to corner couriers had the most legs on our list, terrorizing the underground for months until it recently erupted everywhere. Birdman Jr.'s hook captivated every club.

8. "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is ...)" by Jay-Z
He's in the howww, howww, howwwse! You know you have a hit on your hands when you have black kids from the 'hood yelling, "L'chaim!" Hov's celebratory second single from American Gangster was delivered with excitingly complicated wordplay and the Jigga's trademark royal swagger. That type of talk is reserved only for the bosses.

9. "My Drink N' My 2 Step" by Cassidy
Besides a dance partner, what else do you really need in a club besides what Cassidy called out in this song title? The Philadelphia MC snuck in a serious story about his downfall and comeback while drinking Patrón and enlisting Swizz Beatz for a simplistic but enlivening chorus.

10. "Wipe Me Down" by Lil Boosie, Webbie and Foxx
"Shoulders, chest, pants, shoes." Who knew you could get so clean being dirty? Down-bottom bravado and bracing bass help the Trill Fam fortify their spots as popular Southern young guns.

Shaheem Reid, hip-hop editor: Hip-Hop Catchphrases

1. "(Insert superhero's name here) that ho/ You'll!"
After Soulja Boy blew up with his "Crank That" lyric "Superman that ho," he spawned a nation of biters who made songs with choruses that replaced the Man of Steel with his day-saving peers such as Batman, Spider-man, Wolverine and the always-slept-on Aquaman.

2. "We da besssss!"
DJ Khaled once again proved that DJs don't have to stay in the background, wearing headphones while scratching records. He turned himself into a bona-fied hip-hop brand name this year. "We" is probably the most apropos thing he could have said, because he brought together so many artists for his singles "We Takin' Over," "Brown Paper Bag" and the remix to "I'm So Hood." He probably got offers to book talent for the Grammy Awards.

3. "Showwwtime"
Why? Well after the MTV News team shot a special segment called "A Day in the Life of Swizz Beatz," just about half the people in our newsroom started saying it. Plus, Swizz had so many hits this year, you really couldn't escape his slogan.

4. "Throw some D's on that b---h."
All praises go to Rich Boy for not only giving us a fresh song with a hot hook, but for giving us an instant LOL punch line whenever we talked about something that needed to be fixed or pimped out. Sometimes it didn't even have anything to do with a car. You got a bad perm from the hairdresser? "Throw some D's on that b---h." They put mustard on your sandwich instead of mayonnaise? "Throw some D's on That b---h." Equally nonsensical and humorous.

5. "Party like a rock star."
Kanye West, Lil Wayne, the Diplomats — a bunch of hip-hop acts were bringing that rock mentality and swagger to rap this year. And it didn't hurt that the Shop Boyz's hit record "Party Like a Rockstar" exploded, either.

6. "Currr-tisss"
Oh, the hilarity started by Cam'ron. He began dissing 50 Cent by starting an antagonizing name-calling campaign on the Internet. 50, ever the business-minded messiah, figured that there's no harm in people calling him by the name his momma gave him and turned it into the platinum-plus Curtis.

7. "This is why I'm hot."
Unfortunately MIMS' flame fizzled when his "This Is Why I'm Hot" single died down, but boy was he running with it when the record was at its peak. You could see the saying on T-shirts, blogs and coming out of the mouths of your favorite celebrities. Well, maybe you couldn't really see the words coming out of their mouths, but you catch our drift.

8. "A bay bay"
Originally we thought this was some crass-but-catchy pickup line, but after closer scrutiny — well, maybe just after a five-minute interview with Hurricane Chris — we found out it was just his way of paying homage to one of the Louisiana rapper's hometown DJs, Hollywood Bay Bay.

9. "L'chaim"
Cheers! Don't think for one second you had to stack your paper illegally to revel in Jay-Z's "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is ...)," which is colored with black bar mitzvahs, apples from a rare orchard, Britney Spears references and generous hustlers. At the height of the celebration, everybody in the club yells out, "L'chaim!"

10. "My Man"
Credit Denzel Washington for this one: He said he came up with his "American Gangster" character Frank Lucas' now-infamous two words. Although his smile can be as bright as all of Times Square, when you hear him say that in the movie — look out.

Shaheem Reid, hip-hop editor: Hip-Hop Dances

1. Every dance Beyoncé did in her "Get Me Bodied" video
We never heard of most of the dances before the video hit, but B was doing 'em and looked great. And shout-out to Solange for getting in there too. We see you!

2. The Superman
Soulja Boy's "Crank That" launched a laundry list of copycats, from the Army Boy to the Batman. But it was his thinly veiled line about the Superman that lit the Internet on fire like Tay Zonday.

3. Whatever Chris Brown was doing at the VMAs
He leaped onto tabletops in a single bound, channeled a young Mike Jack, and damn near burst out of viewers' TV sets with his electrifying moves. And he barely broke a sweat.

4. Toe Wop
Lil Mama brought this dance to life with her video for "Lip Gloss." Another dance fresh from the streets of Harlem, New York, this one is mixed with some hand movements from "Grease."

5. 2 Step
It ain't the same ol' two-step, that's for sure. The frenetic bounce number has more steps than the pyramids, but with DJ Unk's track of the same name, it doesn't look like this one is going away anytime soon.

6. The "I Get Money" Dance
It's official: Tony Yayo has replaced Dame Dash as hip-hop's top club/video shaker. Fif's success never made him feel more alive.

7. Pop, Lock and Drop It
Huey got love nationwide for this booty-bouncing, trunk-rattling (get it?) step.

8. Wipe Me Down
Brush that dirt off your shoulders. And your chest, pants and shoes while you're at it. Flossin' was never so much fun down South.

9. "Aunt Jackie"
Jason Fox and his Harlem crew brought the old-school boogie back for the kiddies with this kick-step.

10. The Wu-Tang
We're still not sure why in the world this crazy dance would be named after our favorite Shaolin soldiers, but trust us — these moves have nothing to do with the group. Take the funky chicken, the Pee Wee Herman, Hillbilly Jim's foot shuffles and you have half the dance down pat.

• 50 Cent
• Kanye West
• UGK
• OutKast
• Fabolous