Hip-Hop March Madness

Rappers are always claiming that they're the best, but who really holds the throne as the rap game's greatest? Here we've taken 32 of today's hottest rappers and put them in head to head battles to see who will come out on top. As March and its madness come to a conclusion, so have we — with the champion baller in the current hip-hop game.

Round 1

EAST

1 – Jay-Z vs. 8 – Asher Roth

Sorry, Asher. You may love college as much as the rest of us, but Jay-Z wins this battle hands down.

2 – 50 Cent vs. 7 – Red Café

50 Cent is a seasoned vet in the rap game and continues to put out solid tracks. Red Café, take a seat.

3 – Wiz Khalifa vs. 6 – Mac Miller

Two new boys from the same town of Pittsburgh are both fairly new to the game, but Wiz wins this one for more fan recognition and a better first mixtape than Mac.

4 – P. Diddy vs. 5 – Lloyd Banks

It's a close match but Banks beats Diddy by a hair. Banks' Hunger For More 2 proves to be better than Diddy's most recent release Last Train To Paris.

SOUTH EAST

1 - Eminem vs. 8 – Rick Ross

The white guy can rap — he's one of the best storytelling rappers in the game, hence the No. 1 seed. Rick Ross didn't stand a chance in this battle. Haven't you seen 8 Mile?

2 – Drake vs. 7 – Cassidy

Cassidy has been around for a while, but his most recent album, C.A.S.H., doesn't quite measure up to Drake's latest album, Thank Me Later.

3 – Wale vs. 7 – Big Sean

Wale may have been nominated for BET's "Best New Artist" Award, but Big Sean is the up-and-coming talent that is making moves fast. Don't worry, though, these two are still destined to do more tracks together.

4 – J. Cole vs. 5 - Nicki Minaj

Minaj, being the only rapper to represent the X chromosome, gracefully falls to the lyrical talent of the intellectual J. Cole.

WEST

1 – Lil Wayne vs. 8 – Big K.R.I.T.

Big K.R.I.T. is too new to the game to even touch Lil Wayne's intense lyrical quirkiness.

2 – Game vs. 7 – Tyga

Young Money's Tyga falls short in his battle against Game. Game's R.E.D. is undoubtedly more anticipated than Tyga's Careless World mixtape.

3 – Snoop Dogg vs. 6 – Kendrick Lamar

This is the biggest upset in the tournament. Snoop Dogg is definitely a true O.G., but Kendrick beat him out in this battle because of his flourishing promise. His viable lyrics give him an edge in his battle.

4 – Dr. Dre vs. 5 – T.I.

Dr. Dre has been promising Detox to his fans for years, and he's finally given fans some insight to the album. His song "Kush" is enough to keep him atop of T.I. in this battle.

SOUTH WEST

1 – Kanye West vs. 8 – Yelawolf

Mr. West is in the building. Yelawolf is too inexperienced and new to the game to beat the mastermind of Kanye. Yelawolf hasn't even publically embarrassed anyone yet, how could he possibly beat Kanye?

2 – Lupe Fiasco vs. 7 – Curren$y

Lupe's unique flow and lyrical brilliance beats out the seven-seeded Curren$y in this brawl.

3 – Kid Cudi vs. 6 – Jeezy

Jeezy hasn't done anything too impressive lately, and Cudi's mellow flow but heartfelt lyrics give him the edge to win it.

4 – B.o.B vs 5 – Ludacris

A tough match-up here, but B.o.B's relentless feature appearances, ranging from artists like Bruno Mars to Hayley Williams, give him the win over Luda here.

Round 2 – Sweet Sixteen

EAST

1 - Jay-Z vs. 5 – Lloyd Banks

Lloyd Banks last hit was "Beamer, Benz or Bentley" when he was signed with Interscope Records. He's since been dropped from the label and has signed with EMI. Unfortunately for him, despite his efforts he can't beat Jay-Z's work ethic or boss verses for that matter.

2 – 50 Cent vs. 3 – Wiz Khalifa

Wiz beats out 50 in the sweet 16 because, simply put, he's got more going on right now. 50 might have the upper hand in experience, but Wiz is hot right now and though his album Rolling Papers may not measure up to 50's debut album Get Rich Or Die Tryin', he still is making more moves right now then 50 Cent.

SOUTH EAST

1 – Eminem vs. 2 – Drake

Eminem lost himself for a bit and took the time to reunite himself with sobriety. In the meantime, others picked up the slack in hip-hop game — Drake being one of them. However, now Eminem is hotter than ever. After releasing Recovery and continuously releasing tracks, he beats Drake out in their match-up right now.

4- J. Cole vs. 7 – Big Sean

Cole's meaningful lyrics and relentless work ethic beats Big Sean out in this battle, but Big Sean doesn't get bumped out without a fight. His most recent album and performances at SXSW prove that he is far from a rapper who should be overlooked. Don't sleep on Big Sean, but Cole wins this close one. Like Cole says, "the mind-state of a winner/you're thinking about breakfast I'm heating up my dinner."