Amnesia620

I've listened to Atmosphere for many years now. I love Sean's work, "Coming back home to you" is one of my favorite songs.

Also, they may not be the best but Insane Clown Posse (ICP) as well as Twizted, and Psychopathic, get two thumbs up for not selling out and also for being unique and original!

__________________
For example, I find that a lot of college girls are barbie doll carbon copies with few differences...Sadly, they're dumb, ditzy, immature, snotty, fake, or they are the gravitational center to orbiting drama. - Amnesia620

Ilow

Outkast anyone? (it's a duo, but hard to separate Andre3000 from Big Boi) Ludacris is kind of formulaic, but at least the dude's funny and does his own thing. Aesop has some good stuff, but not all by far. Everlast used to hold it down a bit for white rappers. No one has said anything about Eminem either way really, interesting...
For the record, 50, and Biggie=definitely overrated

__________________
"Religion is the one area of our discourse in which it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about"
--Sam Harris

World's King

I agree about the Biggie and 50 thing... but you can't say their overrated without saying the Pac is the most overrated MC in the history of rap.


If homeboy hadn't died in the way he did. No one would have given a shit. Lest we forget that he started as a backup dancer and singer with Digital Underground. The dude gave us The Humpty Dance. Kind of makes the rest of his shit suck by association.

__________________
heavy is the head that wears the crown

Esoteric

I'd have to disagree about Biggie and 2Pac being overrated. Maybe over-commercialized, but not overrated. They were 2 of the dopest lyricists for their time. However, I definitely agree about 50 being overrated.

__________________
From a head full of pressure rests the senses that I clutch
Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me fuck
I got touched by a hazy shaded, God help me change
Caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins

desal75

Early solo stuff from Ice Cube was phenomenal. A lot of songs by Rakim can't be touched either. MC Lyte was probably the best female.

__________________
The Man in Black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed.

biznatch

I agree with most of the above but I have to add Black Thought to the list.
I love his style and delivery. It's perfect for the music.
Listen to "Grits" by the Roots.

__________________
Check it out: The Open Source/Freeware/Gratis Software Thread

Esoteric

The Roots, one of my favorite hip hop groups!

__________________
From a head full of pressure rests the senses that I clutch
Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me fuck
I got touched by a hazy shaded, God help me change
Caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins

heroquest

jesus, anyone who picks "underground" rappers like jedi mind tricks or Immortal Technique is just dumb.

best rapper right now is lil wayne hands down

biznatch

LOL.

I..I just hope you're being sarcastic.

Also, MF DOOM is awesome. The way the flow and lyrics go together is almost hypnotic.

I was watching MTV yesterday (don't ask me why, I really don't know), and rap(and modern rock, for that matter) is so depressing right now it's not even funny. Thank god there are still a few real artists left out there.
I don't think I should watch MTV anymore. What they choose to make popular is really ruining the modern music scheme (except for some rare refreshing new people, i.e Amy Winehouse).
Why is it that most rap songs talk about clothes, 2 way pagers, chains?
Yesterday I saw a new young female rapper who made a hit talking about lip gloss. "My lip gloss is popping, my lip gloss is cool". Wow. Grammy award winning material right there.

__________________
Check it out: The Open Source/Freeware/Gratis Software Thread

Esoteric

Never heard anything from Immortal Technique, but JMT was dope up until Visions of Ghandi (when Jus Allah left the group.)

__________________
From a head full of pressure rests the senses that I clutch
Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me fuck
I got touched by a hazy shaded, God help me change
Caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins

Jetée

So you can attest to how remarkably great and lyrically-tapped MF Doom truly is.

He is indeed a rare breed in today's culture of commercialized-plastered rappers that dare to call themselves thugs.

__________________
As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Mr Scorcex

I can also attest to how sick Doom is. Next to the Beastie Boys and J5, Doom is what got me into Hip-Hop. He's still my favorite MC.

Back on topic, I'm gonna second or third Busdriver. On top of all his other skills, he's also one of the fastest rappers I've ever heard, but he doesn't over use it and is still mostly comprehensible while he's spitting fast.

I'm also a big fan of RA Scion, but to be fair I've only heard his work with Common Market. Still, any group blessed by KRS is good enough for me.

World's King

Are you on crack?

__________________
heavy is the head that wears the crown

Strange Famous

The greatest living rapper is prolly gonna be Nas imo, on the basis Illmatic has not been bettered since it was released. Kool Moe Dee is probably close behind.

Based on current output, obviously I like Sage Francis: but I would say the most talented rapper out right now is Dizzee Rascal.

Maybe its because the American Dream has always seemed a foriegn thing to me... but a lot of mainstream rap that is about wealth, power, cars, pretending to be a drug baron etc - while fine as entertainment - doesnt quite cut it for me.

Dizzee's lyrics - about petty crime, shit drugs, depression and inner city blight, crap housing estates, casual sex and poitntless violence, and boiling a kettle for a bath... it is more realistic to me than anyone else out there at the moment. He is representative of a whole generation that most people dont want to acknowledge. His stuff has a kind of frenzy about it: half arrogance and half desperation, a frantic energy that has no real outlet other than anti-social and self destructive behaviour.

__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."

The Gospel of Thomas

Zant

Del Tha Funky Homosapien is probably my hip hop hero
KRS One, Brother Ali, Pigeon John, Dizzee Rascal, Reason (not the best but def. catchy), Atmosphere, Zion I, and finally The Game: due to the fact that his music always reminds me of Chronic 2001 which is still by far my most favorite rap CD that I own.
own.

twosalads

..

guyy

Roland Kirk!!!

and then Kool Keith.

Not Right Now

Rza and Gza
Nas
Common
Andre 3000

__________________
I only came to dance.

flemnob

K-os
classified
Eazy E

__________________
"I was gonna get my teeth whitened, but then i said fuck that, i'll just gat a tan instead"-Mitch Hedberg

"If ya find yourself lost in the woods, fuck it build a house. Well i was lost but now i live here, i have severly improved my predicament"-Mitch Hedberg

Not Right Now

I totally forgot K-os.


But E is dead man.

__________________
I only came to dance.