5) Scarface: The King of the South. Coined the term "the Dirty South" before people like Rick Ross and T. I. learned to go potty by themselves. Deep, deep lyrics, he touched on many social aspects in America, the mistreatment of blacks, gender discrimination, racial stereotypes, etc. He made a lot of people really, really uncomfortable with the way he rapped. Questioned society's perception on the typical black man living in the ghetto, asking them if they really knew what life was like. This man was an intellectual, a deep thinker, and he expressed his thoughts with such an aggressive tone and delivery, it sends shivers down people's spines.
"I've got this killer up inside of me,
I can't talk to my mother so I talk to my diary,
I'm going off in the deep end,
I find myself face to face with myself when I'm sleepin'"
- No Tears, The Diary
4) Eminem: Maybe the most underrated mainstream rapper there ever was. He has done in his small career what many have failed to do in their lives. He remains the holder of the top selling album: The Marshal Mathers LP, his flow rivaled that of Biggie's. His freestyle skill was unmatched, he was so good, at one point he was losing respect from critics because they thought that he had rehearsed all of his freestyles. He never once sugar coated his rhymes, never once did he try and make subtle remarks because he was too scared to say something, if he felt it, he rapped it.
"Sure I got a few screws up in my head loose,
but no different from whats going on in your parents' bedrooms."
- My Name is, The Slim Shady LP
3) Tupac: Biggie's counterpart. This man contained the very short list of items that Biggie did not: themes and messages of lyrics. He was truly a deep man, way ahead of his time. You could tell he rapped from the heart, his songs often horribly true instances of past life experiences that he raps with unbelievable delivery. The West Coast King, shared Hip Hop in the ninety's with Biggie Smalls.
"I see no changes wake up in the morning and ask myself,
is life worth living or should I just blast myself?
I'm tired of being poor and even worse, I'm black,
my stomach hurts so I'm looking for a purse to snatch."
- Changes, Greatest Hits
2) Jay- Z: Many people don't understand who this guy really is. He's been around for a VERY long time, his debut album being released back in '96. Many, many critics have dubbed him the Greatest of all time because of what he has done to Hip Hop. His style is unique, his intelligence allows him to craft lyrics and put verses together that blend together seamlessly. He has swagger, style, he owns the rap market, in the literal sense and in the theoretical sense.
"I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in Hell,
I am a hustler baby, I sell water to a well."
- You Don't Know, The Blueprint
1) The Notorious B.I.G.: Biggie Smalls, the King of New York, I've mentioned the plethora of names he has before, there is no need to delve into that again. But seriously, what he has done for the game is beyond words. Two albums was all it took to earn himself the "most quoted MC" award. He could make your hair stand up with his cold, ferocious flows, make your eyes water from his deep story telling ability, cause you to lose your voice from laughing so hard at some of the punchlines he throws into his rhymes, all in one verse.
"Silly Cat, wore suede in the rain, swear he put the "G" in game,
had the Gucci frame before Dana Dane, thought he ran with Kane,
I can't recall his name,
you mean that kid that nearly lost half his brain over two bricks of cocaine?"
- You're Nobody Till Somebody Kills You, Life After Death
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