Jay-Z is continuing his reign as the King of Hip-Hop - he's been named the best rapper alive in a new poll by MTV.

The Run This Town superstar, real name Shawn Carter, landed the top spot on the annual Hottest MCs in the Game countdown, beating Lil Wayne and his protégé Drake into second and third place, respectively.

The MTV accolade comes just three months after Jay-Z was placed at number one on Forbes magazine's Hip-Hop Cash Kings list with his past year earnings of $35 million - and that was before he made history with his new release The Blueprint 3.

The disc debuted atop the Billboard albums chart last month, giving Jay-Z his 11th U.S. chart-topper - surpassing Elvis Presley's record for most number one albums and only just behind The Beatles.

Jay-Z's good pal Kanye West also scores highly on the new list, despite his notorious outburst at the recent MTV Video Music Awards, when he stormed the stage to protest Taylor Swift's win for Best Female Video.

MTV's Hottest MCs in the Game are as follows:

1. Jay-Z
2. Lil Wayne
3. Drake
4. Kanye West
5. Rick Ross
6. Gucci Mane
7. Young Jeezy
8. Fabolous
9. 50 Cent
10. Raekwon.

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Image ©PR Photos

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)