Drake is in the zone, and if we’re being honest, the Boy has been there for quite some time. Remember when he bragged on “Draft Day” that he has “just hits, no misses”? Yeah, well he wasn’t really lying.

This past weekend, Drizzy dropped three new tracks (“Heat of the Moment,” “6 God” and the previously-leaked “How Bout Now”) and it all got me to thinking: Drake doesn’t ever drop a bad song, just songs with varying degrees of Drakeness.

What’s Drakeness you ask? Well, Drakeness is the ability to rap, sing, flirt with women, subliminally shoot at other MCs, create hashtaggable lyrics and #1 hits, all in the confines of a three-minute-and-30-second song.

Yeah, it’s kind of difficult to grasp, so let me give you some examples using a few songs Drizzy has dropped this year.

“How Bout Now”

Here, Drake mostly uses melody, a slow flow and a choice Jodeci sample to express his heartbreak. He even manages to recount his past tiff with Ludacris and then puts his Drakeness on full display when he spits: “Remember when you had to take the bar exam, I drove in the snow for ya.”
DRAKENESS LEVEL: 8

“6 God”

There’s levels to this Drake sh– and on “6 God” Drizzy explores one of the newer facets of his Drakeness. Like on “Worst Behavior” and “Started From the Bottom,” here Drake uses an aggressive southern flow to plant his Canadian flag. There’s nothing sweet on here, but even when downing his competition, the Boy ...

Young Thug has built up a serious catalog of hits in a short time, but the Rich Gang rapper and harmonizer isn’t all business all the time. He knows when to cut loose too.

When we aren’t listening to Thugger’s hits, we’re on his Instagram page helping him rack up likes. And what’s not to like?

In addition to mastering the art of catchy hooks, Thug has also mastered the art of the funny faces. Here are 28 times that Young Thugger made us laugh with his silly selfies.

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Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life!

@RobMarkman

The Rich Gang: Tha Tour, Part 1 mixtape has a number of standout tracks, but if Young Thug had to pick one that tops them all, it would be “Flava.”

“This is my favorite song,” Thugger told MTV News, when we crashed Rich Gang’s Atlanta “Flava” video shoot back in September.

Related: That Moment You Realize The Rich Gang Mixtape Is Really Romantic

Thug and Rich Homie Quan trade harmonious verses on the London on da Track-produced song, while Birdman adds his patented O.G. bark. “When you got Thug and Quan, that’s what they bring to the table, their melodies,” the Cash Money Records CEO told us.

On the song RHQ and Young Thugger sing about their favorite girls and their respective rap rises in almost the same breath.

“She’s on the cover of Fader and she say it’s my time like Flavor,” they sing in a duet on the song’s hook.

For the video, Rich Gang took over an Atlanta warehouse and performed in front of vintage Rolls Royces, in an effort to bring an old mafia vibe to their latest vid. “You know I’m the Godfather’s child, I’m the wild one,” YT said, drawing comparisons to the 1972 film “the Godfather.”

Birdman, of course, plays the Godfather, though he says he isn’t calling the shots on this one. “Really this on them, the vision, the videos, the songs, whatever they pick,” he said. “I just put my input, but it’s about what they want to ...

Dej Loaf is one of rap’s hottest rookies, and on Tuesday night, during her performance in New York City, the Detroit, Michigan native got support from some well-respected rap veterans.

Jadakiss, Styles P and the recently-freed Remy Ma took the stage at Santos Party House last night to perform their “Try Me” remix — and popular hip-hop site RealTalkNY caught it all on video.

It’s been an eventful week for Dej after it was revealed that she signed a major label deal with Columbia Records. On Tuesday, Loaf also dropped her new mixtape Sell Sole, which features guest appearances from Young Thug, Birdman, Remy Ma and Ty Dolla $ign.

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life!

@RobMarkman

When Migos dropped their “Fight Night” single earlier this year, we didn’t think the Atlanta trio would take the lyrics seriously.

During a performance in Springfield, Massachusetts on Saturday, Migos member Offset jumped into the crowd, punched a concertgoer and started a melee, which was then brought under control.

We don’t know what prompted the attack, but VladTV has it all on video.

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life!

@RobMarkman

Cuffing season is that time of year when the summer fun is done and men and women start forming more committed relationships during the cold winter months. Brooklyn rapper Fabolous is an expert on this time of year, and laid out the do’s and don’ts on his 2103 single “Cuffin’ Season.”

While the change of weather may lead us to the arms of our significant other, the Brooklyn MC has informed MTV News exclusively that cuffing season will be delayed in 2014.

“I don’t know, the cuffing season might’ve been a little pushed back, might be a little delayed, the Ebola season is out here. Sh– is real, so I don’t know if I want to touch no ladies yet,” Fab told us on Thursday night (October 16) after he performed at the Def Jam 30th anniversary concert at Brooklyn, New York’s Barclays Center.

Related: 99 Things More Likely To Kill You Than Ebola

The Ebola disease has everyone in the country on alert and has garnered ’round the clock news coverage over the past few weeks. Loso is ready to take the proper precautions.

“Ladies be traveling a little bit; you gotta push the cuffing season back a month or two, let the vaccine settle in and then we’ll see about cuffing,” he said.

Related: Everything You Need To Know About The Science Behind Cuffing Season

Fab realizes that he may be breaking protocol with his public service announcement and that his impromptu speech may be more suited for the president, ...

At its very core, hip-hop is competitive. In the late-1970s, pioneering MCs started out boasting about their DJs’ supremacy during park jams, before developing their own (alter)egos and rivalries among each other.

These days, battle rap has reached new heights with fans paying big bucks to watch their favorite matches in a Pay-Per-View-style format. And network and music executives have fed the beast, booking lyrical titans for awards show performances, right alongside their platinum-selling counterparts.

Related: Happy Birthday, Eminem! Here’s What We Got You

Guys like Murda Mook, Loaded Lux, Arsonal, Daylyt, Charlie Clips and the organizers of the Smack and URL battle leagues deserve all the credit; but when it’s all said and done, it’s Eminem who reigns as battle rap’s best.

Marshall’s 2002 film “8 Mile” was partly-based on real-life events, and the battle scenes vividly captured Em’s come-up. In fact, it was Eminem’s second-place finish finish at the 1997 Rap Olympics that helped land him on Interscope and, eventually, Dr. Dre’s radar. And we all know what happened after that.

Eminem dropped his major-label debut album, The Slim Shady LP, in 1999 and never looked back. He’s sold more records than any other hip-hop artist, thanks to his classic albums and unforgettable singles like “Lose Yourself,” “Not Afraid” and “Love the Way You Lie.” For the most successful rapper in the world to be birthed from an underground battle circuit speaks volumes.

The game’s top rap-battle stars have been trying to figure out ...

When T.I. dropped his debut LP, I’m Serious, way back in 2001, a 14-year, nine album career wasn’t promised for the fresh-faced trap star. Though most of that first project went unnoticed by casual rap fans, Tip captivated audiences the second time out on Trap Muzik.

Since then, the King of the South has been on quite the run. He’s amassed 9 albums in almost 15 years — and that’s not counting his mixtapes and P.$.C. group album.

On October 21, Tip will return with Paperwork, and while the LP is a gem on it’s own, we couldn’t help but think about how it stacked against the rest of his dope boy discography.

So here’s all of T.I.’s albums ranked in order of greatness, from I’m Serious to Paperwork.

9. No Mercy

2010 was a rough year for T.I., but the King of the South looked to reclaim his spot after his prison bid. There were some dope moments on No Mercy (“Welcome to the World”), but it was clear he was still trying to find his footing with songs like “Get Back Up.”

8. T.I. vs T.I.P.

The conceptual T.I. vs T.I.P. sounded like a good idea at first, but ended up a schizophrenic effort. The Wyclef-produced “You Know What It Is” and “My Swag” just didn’t fit, but we have to thank the rap Gods for “Hurt” — that track still bangs.

7. I’m Serious

T.I.’s 2001 debut didn’t showcase his full potential. The LP’s single and title track “I’m Serious” found T.I. rapping ...

The 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards was the ultimate rap party, but not every moment was dedicated to the turn up.

Common and Vince Staples surprised fans at the Civic Center in Atlanta when they brought out Jay Electronica to perform the remix for their track “Kingdom,” and then brought everyone to their feet when they welcomed the parents of slain Ferguson, Missouri teen Mike Brown to the stage.

Common started his set, which aired on television on Tuesday night (October 14), backed by a church choir, before bringing out Vince Stapes and Jay Elec to rap their verses.

It wasn’t until the end when he welcomed Brown’s parents to the stage to salute all the “fallen soldiers.” Without a prompt, the crowd put their hands up in support of the Ferguson protests and held a moment of silence and reflection.

Powerful.

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life!

@RobMarkman

Usher is the life of the party — every party. Throughout his entire career, the superstar singer has given us timeless dance hits and supplied us with the moves to go with them, so for his 36th birthday we decided to send those good vibes right back.

Happy birthday, Usher — today we’re throwing you the ultimate UR dance party, because it’s your special day and no one else can cut a rug quite like you.

Go shawty, it’s my birthday.

And I’m getting ready for my party.

I’ll be there soon, keep your shirt on.

I just know bae is gonna be there.

And Beyoncé.

And the Biebs.

Tell Chilli to come, too. It’s all good.

Who’s bringing the cake?

Oooooh, presents.

Lots and lots of presents.

Now, somebody get me a drink.

So I can get up out my seat.

While the DJ plays my song.

Because I came to get down tonight.

That was a great party man!

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life!

@RobMarkman