Can I get a drum roll please? MTV has released the list of candidates for “Hottest Breakthrough Artist Of 2010”. The list is as follows:

Big Sean
One of Kanye West’s newest recruits to G.O.O.D. Music, Sean reps Detroit and has released a slew of underground mixtapes.

Curren$y
This New Orleans MC is known as “Spitta” for a reason: He has rhymes galore. Formerly signed with Lil Wayne, Curren$y now runs with Damon Dash and the new Roc-A-Fella Records.

Donnis
With his “Gone” single bubbling, this ATL native has a much-hyped mixtape, Fashionably Late, coming later this summer — and look out for his side gig in T.I.’s Akoo fashion ads.

Freddie Gibbs
Fred wants to be the biggest artist from Gary, Indiana, since Michael Jackson and his family — Gibbs’ “Ghetto” video was filmed in the city. Fred has been working out of L.A. and continuing to show his hometown love while recording his debut.

J. Cole
Cole is so cold on the mic that Jay-Z signed him to Roc Nation. His “Who Dat” single is making waves and his debut album is slated for an August release.

Jay Electronica
Jay is from New Orleans but his words are resonating all over the world. “Exhibit C” is one of the biggest street records of the year, and of course he and Erykah Badu observed their daughter Mars’ first birthday earlier this year. Diddy has been trying to lure Jay to Bad Boy, but nothing official has been signed yet.

Jay Rock
His flow is vicious, his content is insightful: Rock is part of the new wave of MCs repping Cali.

Nicki Minaj
The first lady of Young Money is the current face of female hip-hop. She’s a hit with the ladies because of fashion style and personality, and the guys love her because she’s sexy and can hang with the big dawgs lyrically. Even with Lil’ Kim calling her out, accusing her of copying her steez, Minaj has forged her own lane, stayed focused on continually killing guest appearances and building anticipation for her debut LP.

Nipsey Hussle
Hussle in the house! The young Cali MC reps the new generation of the west and has been co-signed by the likes of the Game and Snoop Dogg. His debut LP is expected later this year.

Pac Div
This Southern California group likes to gang up on the mic like a pack of wolves. Their Church League Champions mixtape made waves last year, and they’re bound to make a big splash when their Grown Kid Syndrome LP drops later this year.

Pill
The Atlanta MC’s medicinally themed mixtapes have earned him kudos from fans and peers such as Andre 3000. He dropped 1140: The Overdose, his first Gangsta Grillz mixtape, earlier this month, and his debut LP is in the pipeline.

Roscoe Dash
This ATL MC keeps a club anthem in his back pocket: First he struck with “All the Way Turnt Up” and came roaring back with his latest single, “Show Out.”

Diggy Simmons
With Run-DMC’s Rev Run as his dad, fly rhymes are in this upstart’s bloodstream. His First Flight mixtape got him love on the Internet, kudos from MCs such as Nas and Kanye West, and a record deal with Atlantic Records. The young’n is a fashion savant as well — just check his Life of a Jet Setter blog.

Trae Tha Truth
Trae might not get much airplay in his hometown of Houston but his music rules the streets — no lie. He currently has the “Inkredible” single with Lil Wayne and Rick Ross and his upcoming album Tha Truth features Jadakiss, the Game, Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, Ross, Wayne, Plies, Scarface and Gorilla Zoe.

Travis Porter
This unsigned trio from ATL are tearing it up with their Proud to Be a Problem mixtape. “At the moment we are an independent problem,” the group’s Quez told Mixtape Daily, but their music and energetic stage shows promise that won’t be the case for long.

Tyga
One of Lil Wayne’s Young Money artists, Tyga has been keeping busy on the mixtape scene with solo tapes and his Fan of a Fan team-up with Chris Brown.

Vado
Cam’ron’s latest find from Harlem recently dropped the Boss of All Bosses 2.5 mixtape with Cam and DJ Drama. He’s known for his energy and lyrics, and Vado is the cornerstone of Cam’s new clique of artists, the U.N.

Waka Flocka Flame
This Atlanta MC blew up with the street anthem “O Let’s Do It,” and currently has another monster with “Hard in the Pain.”

Wiz Khalifa
The biggest thing to hit Pittsburgh since Big Ben Roethlisberger crushed the Internet with his recent Kush & Orange Juice mixtape, and he’s got a swell of supporters called the Taylor Gang that love his laid-back music.

Yelawolf
This MC from smalltown Alabama (Gasden, actually) has a rapid-fire flow and an unlikely set of classic-rock influences on his latest mixtape, Trunk Music.

Please keep in mind that this poll is strictly limited to up-and-coming talent: artists cannot h.ave released a major-label album by June 21, 2010, or been voted into a previous “Hottest MCs in the Game” top 10. The poll is open until midnight on July 16, and the five MCs with the most votes will be unveiled starting on July 19. All five will be featured on the award show the “Sucker Free Summit” on July 25, and then the winner, chosen by you, will be announced.

Cast your vote at www.MTV.com

*Information courtesy of www.mtv.com

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