From my last entry about overrated artists a few people mentioned hip-hop in general being very overrated.
Now in general i like to think of myself as unbiased when it comes to music genres. I like everything from the traditional Beatles music, to most other music eras and genres. Loved the 70s, the 80s and definitely the 90s. I like hard rock, grunge rock (such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden), punk rock (e.g. The Offspring, bit of Green Day & Blink 182) and softer rock such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. On top of this i like female pop stars and their music, even boy bands were great. I highly rate a lot of love songs as well. But importantly i do believe there is a lot of good rap/ hip-hop music out there, the only problem is that this website has the wrong idea. Some of the top rated songs of this genre are Hey Ya - Outkast at #42, Crazy - Gnarles Barkley soon to be #36 and a few others. Well quite frankly these songs are absolute shit. If we're talking quality rap then Eminem, 50 Cent, Xzibit, and Tupac have been the best. I'd love to hear some opinions but here is my all time top 10 of rap/ hip hop songs:

1)Lose Yourself - Eminem - 2002
2)In Da Club - 50 Cent - 2003
3)California Love - Tupac & Dr Dre - 1996
4)You Don't Know - Eminem, 50 Cent, Ca$his, Lloyd Banks - 2006
5)Sing For the Moment - Eminem - 2002
6)My Buddy - G-Unit - 2003
7)Paparazzi - Xzibit - 1996
8)Average Man - Obie Trice - 2003
9)Hustler's Ambition - 50 Cent - 2005
10)Carry the Weight - Xzibit - 1996

As you can see 7 out of these 10 are from the 2000s outlining rap has improved with time and modern day rap is better than the original.

So please feel free to share your top 10

50 Cent is an absolute disgrace. His slow, churlish rhymes are the bane of the genre. I definitely don't have a problem with OutKast or Gnarls Barkley being so highly regarded.

My favorite hip hop artists are the following:

Busta Rhymes
Missy Elliott
Salt 'n Pepa
TLC
N.E.R.D.
LL Cool J
Beastie Boys
Snoop Dogg
Lil Kim

Here's my top 10 :

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

I've been listening to hip-hop since a toddler in 1982
Peak years for hip-hop is 1991-1999
Since then, there's been more crap than quality exposed to casual fans.
Greatest & Favorite Artists:
DJ Premier (greatest hip-hop producer)
Madlib (greatest hip-hop musician ever)
2Pac
Ghostface/Wu-Tang Clan (greatest rapper)
The Hieroglyphics
Jay-Z (should've stayed retired)
early Dr. Dre & Snoop
MF Doom
early Nas (hasn't recovered initial skills)
early to midperiod Roots
Rappers I like:
Kool G. Rap
Big L
Kool Keith
Notorious B.I.G. was quirky/sinister
LL Cool J not that great but consistent
Eminem started off strong, but has been falling off.
early Rakim
Ice Cube

A Tribe Called Quest was good for awhile, but overrated overall.
Outkast are good album group, but also overrated compared to other rap greats.
Missy Elliott might seem innovative, but not really & is overrated for sure.

Seriously, there's a lot of critics picking artists off the top of their heads & either not putting that much thought into it or not considering the whole picture because they were never that much into it.
This is a fact & I am so hateful.

My Top Albums:
Madvillain: Madvillainy
Ghostface: Supreme Clientele
Jay-Z: Reasonable Doubt
Cypress Hill: Cypress Hill
Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation...
2Pac: All Eyez On Me
Group Home: Livin' Proof
Camp Lo: Uptown Saturday Night
Nas: Illmatic
Snoop Dogg: Doggystyle

As a teenager I mostly listened to rap & classic/modern R&B/Soul.
A hip-hop samples mix is what got me into the original sources, & I remember hearing Steely Dan's "Black Cow", and from there I checked them out & ended up trying both classic rock & even jazz.
My music collection has since been growing with so many styles & times. Everyone should check out the "Dusty Fingers" compilations. You'll be wondering why this kind of music isn't acclaimed.

Great topic, although I don’t really agree with Richards choices. While not necessary pure hip hop I think both “Crazy” and “Hey Ya” is great songs. And 50 Cent in my opinion is an ok rapper that’s been caught up inn a quest for cash. At least he’s honest about it… His “How to Rob” form a while back is really funny. His latest though is as mentioned a disgrace. Same might be said about Eminem. Check out his “Any Man” off the Soundbombing II album for some really great stuff. “Paparazzi” by Xzibit is great though Richard!

And Jorgito mentioned one of my all time favourite albums Camp Lo “Uptown Saturday Night”! Any Prince fan should definitely check that out…

Here’s some cool songs off the top of my head:

1. Souls Of Mischief – 93 Til Infinity
2. De La Soul – Millie Pulled A Gun On Santa
3. The Coup – Me And Jesus The Pimp In A ’79 Grenada Last Night
4. El-P – T.O.J. (a modern “Love Will Tear Us Apart” according to a great Norwegian critic)
5. Mr. Lif – Post Mortem
6. Aesop Rock – No Regrets
7. Ill Bill – Anatomy Of A School Shooting
8. Cage feat. Weathermen – Left It To Us
9. Sean Price – Heartburn
10. Styles P – Ghost P

Siento mucho que DUMBANGEL no pueda disfrutar con Beastie Boys, Big Daddy Kane, Boogie Down Productions, Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Ice-T, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Mos Def, The Notorious B.I.G., Digital Underground, Dr. Dre, Eric B. & Rakim, Grandmaster Flash, Ice Cube, EPMD, The Fugees, Snoop Dogg, The Sugarhill Gang, A Tribe Called Quest, 2Pac, Wu-Tang Clan, Missy Elliott, Eminem...

Otras personas no ven nada en Bob Dylan o no ven el mérito en Kraftwerk o les aburre Miles Davis o les aturde The Who o consideran que The Kinks son unos babosos o en Bjork sólo oyen grititos...

Man, Otis, I can't understand you...

Let's just say that hip hop is one of the most creative genres of music in the past 20 years.

I believe that the East Coast Renaissance was even better and more creative than the so-called "Golden Age." The music created by Biggie, Nas, Wu-Tang, Jay-Z, and Mobb Deep completely changed the genre. New York hip-hop from 1993 to 1997 produced the best flow and rhymes in the genre's history.

As far as the beats go, though, two men have produced the majority of the great beats: Timbaland and Madlib.
Listen to "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" or "Get Ur Freak On" or "Big Pimpin'" or "Roll Out (My Business)" (and so on) and any sane music lover will see that the music created by Timbo was more innovative than anything done by The Strokes or The White Stripes. Ditto with Madlib.

otis was saying that he felt bad that dumbangel couldn't enjoy those rap artists then said that some can't enjoy the rock artists below.
Weezy, you forgot the most prolific DJ Premier, other than that you're on point.

I forgot to say that I like The Strokes more than Timbaland, but The White Stripes are crap.

Thanks Jorgito for the traslation.

Hip-Hop is dead
Go back to the glory days of Public Enemy,De La Soul,NWA,Run DMC,Wu-Tang Clan,2Pac when the lyrics were actually about something...