Drake Says ‘Excitement Factor’ Put Nicki Minaj On Hottest MCs List.

The Thank Me Later star said Nicki Minaj is a worthy candidate for the 2010 MTV News’ Hottest MCs in the Game list, on which she landed at #6, despite not dropping an album yet. Last year, Drake scored the #3 position off the strength of his So Far Gone mixtape.

“I think Nicki should make it based off of excitement,” Drake told MTV News. “She’s one of, if not the most exciting rapper this year. Feature-wise, she’s on tracks with heavyweights killing; not holding her own, but killing. She’s controlling the radio. I think that’s grounds enough to make it. This year, who really? [Rick] Ross, Nicki. Everyone else hasn’t dropped yet. The excitement factor is there. I’m going off of excitement and buzz, ’cause I feel like that’s why I made it [last year]. A lot of it was off of the excitement I created for people. But Nicki has a lot to prove too. That album is a hump to get over, man. That’s a whole different monster — no pun intended.”

The Queens lyricist has made it a habit to outshine superstars on tracks from Trey Songz’s “Bottoms Up” to Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “Monster.” Minaj has also fared well on the charts with her material, landing a #1 Billboard hit with “Your Love.”

On Sunday, Nicki will appear on “RapFix Live” with MTV News correspondent Sway on MTV.com to answer fans’ questions about her ranking on the Hottest MCs list, her forthcoming debut album Pink Friday and anything else viewers want to ask.