You can count record sales, concert tickets, the spins on a single, how many diamonds your favorite rapper has in his change, but one thing you can't mathematically measure is an artist's passion for the game. That's why DJ Drama still does for the streets despite his arrest in a mixtape raid last year. That's why Rick Ross and Young Jeezy still do it, alongside their quests for multi-platinum plaques. That's why 50 Cent and the G-Unit still do it, despite all their fame and wealth. Even the legends with nothing left to prove -- such as Nas and LL Cool J, who are heralded as two of the greatest rappers ever -- still catered to the streets this year. It's all for the love of the game.

Earlier, we highlighted some our favorite mixtapes and Mixtape Monday segments from 2008, and our awards, which gave props to people we felt were the standard bearers in hip-hop, from the underground circuit to the mainstream. Of course, as much as we wanted to, we couldn't shout every single person who did their thing. You had questions and comments about the awards, and so did our big homie Sway.

Swizzy (we can call Sway that -- that's our fam!) gathered us together, and we had one of those family talks about the awards, and where we see hip-hop going in '09. Check it out!

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