Watching the ridiculous Maybach Music Group press conference last week, I had the rare and disconcerting experience of agreeing with something that Sean "Puffy" Combs said. He said that MMG founder Rick Ross has "the best ears in the game." I think that's right, as exemplified by the huge, wonderful beats he chooses for his records, and by the fact that he discovered Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill a couple years ago. Meek, I think, is the most talented rapper on the label's roster—his "Tupac Back" and "I'm a Boss" were highlights on last year's showcase album, MMG Presents, Self-Made Vol. 1. And judging from his recent single, "[...]

"I'm gettin' money ballin'/But never played sports/I'm so hot, in the winter/I can wear shorts…" —Juicy J weighs in on the great shorts debate. Having found his low-tech rhyme style (which often doesn't much rhyme at all) particularly at home with the thwomping, orchestral Lex Luger sound that has taken over the southern side of the genre over the past year, the 35-year-old Three 6 Mafia rapper is on a hot streak. He signed with Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Records in December, and declared himself the game's "No. 1 Get-High Rapper." And while there's lots of good stuff on his latest mixtape, Blue Dream and [...]