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Who rules the world of hip-hop?

Is one of these rappers the King of Hip-Hop? From left: Lil Wayne, Eminem and Jay-Z.
Is one of these rappers the King of Hip-Hop? From left: Lil Wayne, Eminem and Jay-Z.Getty Images (2), AP

In a manner similar to the data-crunching analysis Rolling Stone used to determine its Queen of Pop, the magazine has crowned a King of Hip-Hop.

Focusing only on the recent past (2009 through the first seven months of 2011), Rolling Stone looked at album sales, rankings on the R&B/hip-hop and rap charts, YouTube views, social media, concert grosses, industry awards and critics' ratings to determine which solo rapper can be considered the King of Hip-Hop. 

In alphabetical order, the contenders were: Big Boi, B.o.B, Diddy, Drake, Eminem, Fabolous, Lupe Fiasco, Gucci Mane, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, T.I., Waka Flocka Flame, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa.

Click here to scroll through Rolling Stone's piece to check out their master rankings. And then, weigh in with our vote to see if you agree with the numbers.

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