"Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010" Candidate: Travis Porter

Travis Porter say the key to their success is following their own self-imposed mandates: Stay in the streets. Stay in the public's face. Build relationships. And don't be afraid to be a group.

Those are just a few of the ATL collective's rules. Like so many of our [article id="1642015"]"Hottest Breakthrough MCs of 2010"[/article] candidates -- including [article id="1642973"]Jay Electronica[/article], [article id="1643087"]Freddie Gibbs[/article] and [article id="1643183"]Wiz Khalifa[/article] -- Travis are gaining momentum independently.

"Nothing like great competition," said Quez, the tallest member of the trio, about standing out from the crowded field of hip-hop newcomers. "We're not saying we're better than anyone; we're just saying competition."

TP3 have been pushing their mixtape Proud to Be a Problem and buzz singles such as "Feetball," "Mighty Mighty" and "Get Naked" to their loyal followers, nicknamed the Differenter Gang. The fans have helped the group thrive on the Internet and supported their live shows. Porter have also quickly earned the rep for being one of the livest live acts in rap. Now they are fielding offers from majors.

"It's very marketable," Quez said of their moniker.

"We was sitting in the basement. In the studio," Ali said about how they came up with their name. "We was throwing names out there like 'Heat the Flame.' We threw out 'Travis Porter.' Thought about it. It's very marketable."

"Travis Porter is a conversation piece," Strap, the third member, said. "They hear it on the radio and think it's one person. But it's all three of us."

Travis Porter and 19 other up-and-coming MCs are in the running to become MTV News' [article id="1642015"]"Hottest Breakthrough MCs of 2010"[/article] -- and the winner will be decided by you!

Cast your vote for the "Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010" right here. The top five will be revealed beginning on July 19, and the winner will be announced on the "Sucker Free Summit" July 25.