Big L
Nas
Prodigy
Roc Marciano
Godfather Don
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Tom Waits is the GOAT rapper. MF DOOM learned the trade from Tom. This is probably at least partially true.
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Solid list. Do you stamp your dope with pictures of Scarface too?
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I still spin Amplified often. One of my favorite hip hop LPs ever. So underrated and it just bumps the whole way through.
The Ummah 
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This is some Cadillac cowboy shit. Love it!
Speaking of rough riders:
X is in a whole category by himself
Thank you fam!! I’m primarily a Hip-hop artist but Tom Waits is a hero of mine so flipping one of his tunes into a rap tribute/cover/G-Mix was something I really wanted to do but didn’t want to f up. I think it turned out pretty cool and though I have no idea if he would like it or not, I would love to know his thoughts on my version one day (soon).
I was never a huge DMX fan but you ain’t wrong, that Ruff Riders still bang hard. I was surprised that his death shook me up as much as it did. I think it was all the prayers and good juju interludes he would add on his records. Never loved the barking on a track but I gotta admit, there was no father to his style and he was basically a dawg on the 58. A humble hero who was a superstar but never led with his ego and walked amongst beggars and princes with equal admiration and humility. He was a true G in every sense. RIP.
- Rakim
- MC Ride
- Nas
- Jeru
- ODB
and too many others probably
Mobb Depp, mos def, MF Doom overall.
Love Drowning Dog and Malatesta for their politics anarcho-rap.
Speaking of non english rappers:
Joe Cassano, Inoki, Zulu, the early Neffa(these are italians so it might be difficult to understand their lyrics).
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This guy’s great too, so great to mix him with DNB or jungle records
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Yeah I love me a bit of the drum and bass, if you’ve never heard it this qemists remix of swords in the dirt is top draw…
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Been too long since I listened to Apollo Kids. Will remedy that right now.
Krsone defo my fav all time.
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There is lot of ways to look at this. Like Method Man is maybe not the most technical rapper but his voice IS rap. Same kinda goes for Prodigy of Mobb Deep fame and B-Real. . From skill point of view there is too damn many to even think of top 3. I love MF Doom, Chali2na, Jay-Z, Kendrick, lot of stuff… Then there is the lyrical aspect of course with Nas, Guru, Tribe-dudes, Scarface, NWA-era Ice Cube etc… If I would have to choose just one I would say Rakim, because of the legacy, because of the skill, because of the voice and because of the lyrics. As many rappers before him and especially after him have said, he completely changed what rapping is and was the bar for everything else for a long while til maybe Nas… Dude is also still killing it.
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I love a lot of stuff people have posted already.
If I really had to narrow it down
Kool Keith
Roots Manuva
DubbleEdge
Freestyle Fellowship
KRS (live shows)
Antipop Consortium
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I could rant about hiphop for days though! But I think there has been good shit on every decade. Obviously the 90s and earlier stuff is the dearest for me because that was the stuff that got me in to hip hop, but I can with no irony say that I love some Gucci Mane songs, Lil Wayne has done some fire shit and 50 Cent actually did have some bangers back in the early 00s, I was just too cool to admit it. From the new new stuff I havent followed that much anymore but obviously Tyler does great things and Lil Yachty has grown on me, and same for lot of the women artist in rap in general. It is fucking tired to not get on to something or not check something because you think it is this or that or that you are too cool for it. just dive in and see!
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I still love this track as much as I did as a kid
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honorable mention: donglover
Dres on this track is on fire
K I’m think I’m done.
Such a rabbit hole of good MCs
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I love the title of this post haha
Wu Tang is for the wee beastie babies. 
