Hip hop is, today, without any doubt, in top 3 of the most popular music genres. Just take a look at the music charts to see that this fact is correct. Those powerful beats, those rap lyrics, the funky artists in trendy clothes, the dynamic videos and the danceable tunes - what makes this kind of music that popular? In any case, there isn't a single chart that doesn't include the rap hits. And the music industry is full of hip hop beats and hits. But who makes them? Who sings them? Who will be the most popular rap artists in 2007?

It seems that nowadays, male hip hop artists tend to associate with hot, young and popular female artists that sing either pop or R&B, in order to release hits and only hits. For example, it seems that Jay Z is still making combos with Beyonce and we all know that everything that Beyonce touches turns into a hit - and this is the case of her latest song that features Jay Z. Then of course, there is Ludacris, who, in combination with Fergie, managed to release a great spring 2007 hit that topped the charts.

But in order to establish the hottest rap artists for 2007, we might look further than the actual music charts - let's take a look at the music awards, for example. MTV Video Music Awards 2006 (and who else promotes hip hop music, if not MTV?) awarded a wide range of such artists. The hip hop artists were not simply awarded in their specific category, since the best song and best male artist also featured highly known artists such as Busta Rhymes or 50 Cent.

But besides them, there were many new names: T.I. with his hit What You Know, young Joc, Kayne West or Daddy Yankee. Considering their success in 2006, we might guess that they will make it into the charts in 2007, as well - unless they are all one hit wonders. And many music critics would place their bets on Kayne West and, obviously, on the winner of the best rap category, namely Chamillionaire (featuring Krayzie Bone).

But we couldn't possibly talk about hiphop artists without mentioning Black Eyed Peas - after all, they won numerous hip hop awards, even if some say that they lean more towards a hyperactive dance style than to the more aggressive hip hop. In any case, they release hit after hit and most definitely, they will hit the charts in 2007, too.

Well, the above artists might not be Run DMC (who were on top of numerous charts as the best of the best in rap music - after all, they were the first ones), but they seem to promise offering a great number of hits this year.