Post: #101

Mutant academy .

I got up these cats last year from their tape (chapel drive) .very talented group of cats

Fly anakin (got some work with freddie gibbs)
Big kahuna og (scooby snax)
And Koncept jackson

https://mutantacademyrva.bandcamp.com/tr...-bastards.

Their inhouse producers are some of the best ive heard in recent years too

Ohbliv and greymatter ,fly anakin makes his own shit too I believe.

Mosy of their work can be found on yt and mutantacademy.bandcamp.com

Post: #102

(06-22-2018 10:08 PM)ShotgunUppercuts Wrote:  Mutant academy .

I got up these cats last year from their tape (chapel drive) .very talented group of cats

Fly anakin (got some work with freddie gibbs)
Big kahuna og (scooby snax)
And Koncept jackson

https://mutantacademyrva.bandcamp.com/tr...-bastards.

Their inhouse producers are some of the best ive heard in recent years too

Ohbliv and greymatter ,fly anakin makes his own shit too I believe.

Mosy of their work can be found on yt and mutantacademy.bandcamp.com

Take the period out of the link bro. It wasn't working until I did that. Thanks for sharing BTW.

Post: #103

No particular order:

Flatbush Zombies

I Like trippy shit

a$ap Mob

Rocky is sorta "new" but he's kept it pretty real the entire time through.

Dizzee Rascal

If you don't like "boy in da corna" you don't like the dirty, grimy spirit of hip-hop. Point blank. He wrote that shit at 16 and it still goes hard.

$uicideBoy$

They're awesome. I don't care.

I can't think of a 5th, personally. Hip-hop is not one of those genres where I am as studied as I am with metal. I enjoy it for what it is, though.

Post: #104

(06-22-2018 09:59 PM)jordypip23 Wrote:  

(06-22-2018 03:30 PM)VisionsofGandhi Wrote:  Even though Nas is in my opinion the greatest rapper ever, Their were one rapper whO had the chance to become the greatest one ever to bless the mic, Canibus, When i was about 15 i found about his diss against LL Cool J never seen something so fire spitted in rap history. But man his first album was straight trash the beats were beyond sub par. The nigga had the weirdest concepts as well , If my memory is serving me right i remembered him rapping about dolphins and shit.

Never had been late down that much in my life. Does anyone know why the album was so trash? Maybe Wyclef had something to do with it.

The Canibus vs. LL Cool J beef was a legendary hip hop battle. I won't ever forget that one. Both diss tracks were awesome even though LL Cool J technically won. I mean, Canibus put up a good fight. Even had Mike Tyson on his track (2nd Round Knockout). Pretty fucking vicious, lol.

I think that canibus won regarding to how hard hitting his diss was , But LL won strategically he understood the game, canibus didn't

LL's one unlikeable dude, How are you gonna react negatively on someone showing you praise and respect, He's one bitch-ass instigator, Even when they mended their beef the dude hade to say something slick. He got destroyed by every mc he has tested

The nigga probably still has nightmares about kool moe dee

Post: #105

(06-22-2018 10:31 PM)Fortis Wrote:  No particular order:

Flatbush Zombies

I Like trippy shit

a$ap Mob

Rocky is sorta "new" but he's kept it pretty real the entire time through.

Dizzee Rascal

If you don't like "boy in da corna" you don't like the dirty, grimy spirit of hip-hop. Point blank. He wrote that shit at 16 and it still goes hard.

$uicideBoy$

They're awesome. I don't care.

I can't think of a 5th, personally. Hip-hop is not one of those genres where I am as studied as I am with metal. I enjoy it for what it is, though.

What do you mean, Your top 5 forever? If so honestly it's a ridiculously weak list.

Post: #106

(06-22-2018 05:10 PM)TravelerKai Wrote:  

(06-22-2018 04:39 PM)VisionsofGandhi Wrote:  

(06-22-2018 04:22 PM)TravelerKai Wrote:  

(06-20-2018 12:08 PM)Eddie Winslow Wrote:  A full page of lists and no one put Biggie in their TOP 5???

Biggie
Kendrick
Jay-Z
Wyclef
Lil Wayne
...many more

Fugees
Wu-Tang
A$AP
Three 6 Mafia
Outkast

Most of you won't like this, but Biggie had 2. Yes 2 albums. I can understand when people claim Tupac is the GOAT. Nigga had 5 albums and like damn near 10 more after he died. Dude stayed in the studio almost as much as he stayed in trouble.

Everyone got their fav 5 and whatnot and that is cool and all, but aside from delivery, flow, lyricism, stage presence, looks, themes, appeal, fashion, etc. What about the body of work? Biggie was cool because he was A+ on all of those things I mentioned before, except for the body of work. It's small. I think Big Punisher, even though he has about 2-3 albums, has alot more work overall too. Lots of guys that missed out on Big Pun, missed out on a monster. Dude had some insane bars and wild metaphors back in his prime. Everytime one of these kinds of discussions come up, no doubt someone (usually NY or East Coast) will put Pun in their top 5. I can understand that reasoning, even if I actually disagree. I think one person has already done so in the thread. Now one or two people has said Biggie.

I think after time passed, people got over the rawness of the top two rappers in America dying in a short period of time, and can step back and look at their work a bit more objectively.

Biggie is like if Derrick Rose quit basketball in 2012. Would he be hall of fame worthy off that? No idea, but to some people the answer would be a flat no.

It's kind of like in the guitar world. Was Jimi Hendrix the best guitarist that ever lived? No not necessarily, but no one can fault you for saying different. Was John Coltrane the best tenor sax player ever? No, not necessarily and again no one can fault you. When they passed away lots of people felt that way, but after a while others like Stevie Ray, Clapton, Ernie Isley, etc. I would name a potentially better sax player than Coltrane, but I keep giggling when I think of dudes like Wayne Shorter or Cannonball Adderley. I'll leave that one alone.

I understand what you're saying and agree to an extent but Biggie and Big pun skillset and talent easily trumps their lack of discography

Ok so what happens when you get others with equal or greater skillset and talent but a large discography? You get Nas. You get Eminem. You put Nas on top like I did.

I cannot stand him, but I give Tom Brady's cheatin ass credit for being one of the GOATs of football. He would not have those accolades if he was not able to play until 40. Same goes for Peyton or Brees too. Brett Favre played a long ass time, maybe longer, but he still isn't as talented as those others.

I personally do not like Eminem (even before his politics), and only own a few of his albums, mixtapes, etc. but I still gotta give credit where it is due. He was a beast and for a long time at that.

I see someone put Rakim at 1 and Nas at 1a. Rakim was not only a lyrical beast but a pioneer. Too many niggas owe their style and flow to him, including Nas. Yet he only has what? 1-3 solo albums? The rest of his stuff is with Eric B as a group. (Damn maybe I should have put them in my top 5 groups!) People only like 2 out of those 3 albums. He fell off solo wise. How can he be the best?

Yeah you're right

Post: #107

https://mutantacademyrva.bandcamp.com/tr...y-bastards

Post: #108

Pure savage.

All 3 MC's absolutely kill it. But RA murders it.

This track also features A-F-R-O, a kid that got discovered by RA when he was like 16 and been under his wing ever since. I think he must be around 20 now.

In my opinion, this kid embodies the future of hiphop. Insane flows.

I'll tone down the RA fanboy-ism now.

Post: #109

(06-22-2018 03:45 PM)VisionsofGandhi Wrote:  

(06-22-2018 03:37 PM)RIslander Wrote:  I am not a huge hip hop fan some alot of the shit from the 1990s was badass. I ended up in a tiny hip hop bar in Saigon a few years back that played it exclusively, which is where I first heard about Gang Starr. He is in my opinion an all time great who really puts thought into his lyrics. Gotta love the Boston accent too.



I

Guru, one of the few who can pull off rapping with a monotone flow

I can listen to this stuff all day.

Post: #110

Gotta admit.... When this thread started, and for no particular reason, I KNEW I'd find:

Both my friends Traveler Kai and Shotgun Uppercuts. Given.

Jordypip23 (suspected, but now confirmed and we have the same tastes)

MUST ADMIT DID NOT SUSPECT:

Rocha (another friend)
Winston Wolfe (who could've expected that?)
Fortis (swear to God always thought he was a heavy metal guy, surprised the shit outta me)

Post: #111

(06-22-2018 11:02 PM)VisionsofGandhi Wrote:  

(06-22-2018 10:31 PM)Fortis Wrote:  No particular order:

Flatbush Zombies

I Like trippy shit

a$ap Mob

Rocky is sorta "new" but he's kept it pretty real the entire time through.

Dizzee Rascal

If you don't like "boy in da corna" you don't like the dirty, grimy spirit of hip-hop. Point blank. He wrote that shit at 16 and it still goes hard.

$uicideBoy$

They're awesome. I don't care.

I can't think of a 5th, personally. Hip-hop is not one of those genres where I am as studied as I am with metal. I enjoy it for what it is, though.

What do you mean, Your top 5 forever? If so honestly it's a ridiculously weak list.

I don't have a top 5 in hip-hop. It isn't my main genre.

As a rule, I think hip-hop ages horribly outside of a very few rare gems because of it's very strong commercial backing.

I already said that the issue I have with this sort of thread is that it eventually turrns into a circlejerk where everyone names the same 20 artists and then just has different permutations.


Dulce, I am a metal guy, BUT I grew up in a hip-hop household, so it's always been somewhat on my radar. I mean, it's pretty much impossible to grow in as a black kid in the 90s and not know a little bit about hip-hop. Stereotype? Maybe, but it's true.

Post: #112

I feel the most stupid for jordypip23.... Jordan number 23.... Scotty Pippen, I assume. Didn't figure it out until tonight.

Post: #113

(06-22-2018 11:50 PM)Dulceácido Wrote:  I feel the most stupid for jordypip23.... Jordan number 23.... Scotty Pippen, I assume. Didn't figure it out until tonight.

Hahah, yeah I don't know why I chose that s/n but there is a connection. Grew up near Chicago watching Michael Jordan go into God mode in the 1990's. All kinds of people where I was at would put everything on pause & watch those theatrics back then.

He has settled into a quite cozy life heheh:

Post: #114

Tonedeff, gentlemen.

Guy is a poet. Murders any track he jumps on.

Beat by Kno of CunninLynguists, who as a group easily make it into my top 5 (which I now realize I haven't even posted yet).

Also, Kno as a producer is top 5 in my book. Yep, I just said that. Extremely underrated producer, but all of his beats are pure fire.

Post: #115

(06-22-2018 11:48 PM)Fortis Wrote:  

(06-22-2018 11:02 PM)VisionsofGandhi Wrote:  

(06-22-2018 10:31 PM)Fortis Wrote:  No particular order:

Flatbush Zombies

I Like trippy shit

a$ap Mob

Rocky is sorta "new" but he's kept it pretty real the entire time through.

Dizzee Rascal

If you don't like "boy in da corna" you don't like the dirty, grimy spirit of hip-hop. Point blank. He wrote that shit at 16 and it still goes hard.

$uicideBoy$

They're awesome. I don't care.

I can't think of a 5th, personally. Hip-hop is not one of those genres where I am as studied as I am with metal. I enjoy it for what it is, though.

What do you mean, Your top 5 forever? If so honestly it's a ridiculously weak list.

I don't have a top 5 in hip-hop. It isn't my main genre.

As a rule, I think hip-hop ages horribly outside of a very few rare gems because of it's very strong commercial baking.

I already said that the issue I have with this sort of thread is that it eventually turrns into a circlejerk where everyone names the same 20 artists and then just has different permutations.


Dulce, I am a metal guy, BUT I grew up in a hip-hop household, so it's always been somewhat on my radar. I mean, it's pretty much impossible to grow in as a black kid in the 90s and not know a little bit about hip-hop. Stereotype? Maybe, but it's true.

Neither do I have a top 5 hip hop. I'm actually a punk rock guy, but since punk was so obscure in my time and age, I switched to metal.

BUT, then came NWA and it was basically "black guys metal." Fuck authority and what are you gonna do about it?

It was great. We loved it. Then they split, we had Dre and then Biggy, Puffy, then Tupac--bullshit west coast/east coast shit, whatever they were fighting about (the two biggest record labels, I suppose), then they all killed each other or died from other unforeseeable things... It was all sad and the whole rap industry changed. And I, as a little white person, saw that this was the end of an era for that genre.

It was like when Curt Cobain died. Lane Staley died. Everything was about to change and I didn't like the way it changed, but I loved and embraced it before.

Post: #116

(06-22-2018 11:59 PM)Dulceácido Wrote:  

(06-22-2018 11:48 PM)Fortis Wrote:  

(06-22-2018 11:02 PM)VisionsofGandhi Wrote:  

(06-22-2018 10:31 PM)Fortis Wrote:  No particular order:

Flatbush Zombies

I Like trippy shit

a$ap Mob

Rocky is sorta "new" but he's kept it pretty real the entire time through.

Dizzee Rascal

If you don't like "boy in da corna" you don't like the dirty, grimy spirit of hip-hop. Point blank. He wrote that shit at 16 and it still goes hard.

$uicideBoy$

They're awesome. I don't care.

I can't think of a 5th, personally. Hip-hop is not one of those genres where I am as studied as I am with metal. I enjoy it for what it is, though.

What do you mean, Your top 5 forever? If so honestly it's a ridiculously weak list.

I don't have a top 5 in hip-hop. It isn't my main genre.

As a rule, I think hip-hop ages horribly outside of a very few rare gems because of it's very strong commercial baking.

I already said that the issue I have with this sort of thread is that it eventually turrns into a circlejerk where everyone names the same 20 artists and then just has different permutations.


Dulce, I am a metal guy, BUT I grew up in a hip-hop household, so it's always been somewhat on my radar. I mean, it's pretty much impossible to grow in as a black kid in the 90s and not know a little bit about hip-hop. Stereotype? Maybe, but it's true.

Neither do I have a top 5 hip hop. I'm actually a punk rock guy, but since punk was so obscure in my time and age, I switched to metal.

BUT, then came NWA and it was basically "black guys metal." Fuck authority and what are you gonna do about it?

It was great. We loved it. Then they split, we had Dre and then Biggy, Puffy, then Tupac--bullshit west coast/east coast shit, whatever they were fighting about (the two biggest record labels, I suppose), then they all killed each other or died from other unforeseeable things... It was all sad and the whole rap industry changed. And I, as a little white person, saw that this was the end of an era for that genre.

It was like when Curt Cobain died. Lane Staley died. Everything was about to change and I didn't like the way it changed, but I loved and embraced it before.

It was definitely a turning point (when 2Pac & Biggie died). The genre became far more commercialized & compartmentalized from that point forward.

Post: #117

(06-22-2018 11:46 PM)Dulceácido Wrote:  Gotta admit.... When this thread started, and for no particular reason, I KNEW I'd find:

Both my friends Traveler Kai and Shotgun Uppercuts. Given.

Jordypip23 (suspected, but now confirmed and we have the same tastes)

MUST ADMIT DID NOT SUSPECT:

Rocha (another friend)
Winston Wolfe (who could've expected that?)
Fortis (swear to God always thought he was a heavy metal guy, surprised the shit outta me)

My interest in hip hop has been dormant for a long while. This thread brought back some sparks.

Been on a trip down memory lane on YouTube for the past 2 days. Got tons more artists, tracks, producers I can talk about for days, which haven't been mentioned in here yet.

Should probably get back to work now and let others chime in. Lol.

Post: #118

(06-22-2018 11:46 PM)Dulceácido Wrote:  Gotta admit.... When this thread started, and for no particular reason, I KNEW I'd find:

Both my friends Traveler Kai and Shotgun Uppercuts. Given.

Jordypip23 (suspected, but now confirmed and we have the same tastes)

MUST ADMIT DID NOT SUSPECT:

Rocha (another friend)
Winston Wolfe (who could've expected that?)
Fortis (swear to God always thought he was a heavy metal guy, surprised the shit outta me)

Yeah I've kept up to date with some of the newer music, but my heart always lies with the golden era, the vintage, the classics. The true essence.

Post: #119

For me im up on the new shit and going back to the past (didnt fuck with music period till ‘10,long story)

Now im going back to the GFK and Raes ,Nas old shit .im liking what im hearing so far. Bumped it was written yesterday and i gotta say nas has alot of sons out here.

Post: #120

Good thread, in no particular order and this is obviously heavily influenced by personal preference. This is just who I've listed to the most over the years.

Eminem: popular consensus is the MMLP was his magnum opus, but for me - it's his next one, The Eminem Show. I genuinely think it's one of the best commercial rap albums ever. and I still listen to it today. He was at the peak of his powers at that time, and included more personal introspection, and 8 Mile came out around then too. That whole Shady-Aftermath-G Unit era was quality. And, he was white so felt I could relate more to him. Probably not true, but I was a teenager and I idolised him.) Edit: I said in no order, but Eminem is clearly my favourite after having written this post. I always have at least one of his or Jay's albums on my phone at any given time.

Jay Z: For reasons others have said. Incredibly versatile and has adapted with age in a way Eminem is struggling more to do. His Blueprint 1 and 2 albums remind me of high school and college (UK pre-university education 16-18) and early dates etc.

50 Cent: Not the most talented, but perhaps actually a bit underrated for his flow. The 'Guess who's back' ep/mixtape I played recently, it's fire. 'Life's on The Line', 'You not Like me' and loads more. Though, I acknowledge that gangsta rap has been a destructive force in the black community, in many countries. "We're just ghetto reporters" etc doesn't wash when you're actively promoting the violence and drug dealing. I'm glad it's had its day. Doesn't mean one can't enjoy it, in the gym and stuff.

Royce da 5"9: probably on par with Eminem in terms of vocab, wordplay, and flow. But never had the commercial backing and maybe less crossover appeal due to being black, and not having chorus writing ability in the same way as Eminem and 50. I think I have a taste for Detroit rappers of his/Em's era in general.

I couldn't pick a 5th, so I'll do a joint one for Tupac and Snoop. I've said my thoughts on gangster rap, but at his peak Snoop's flow was unbeatable and I probably know every single line on Doggystyle. I listened to a lot of Tupac, but pretty much only All Eyez on Me and his Greatest Hits, so not an all time favourite. Dr Dre's 2001 got me into the genre, but he's not technically a rapper. Anyway, I'm rambling. I'd be intrigued as to what Tupac would have evolved into as he aged, I'm sure he would have left the gangsta stuff (he can't have really been into that, he was far too intelligent and a theatre school graduate in reality) behind and become the most commercially successful 'sort-of-conscious' rapper, alongside Nas. There's a possibility he could have become a fully fledged SJW, in fact.

Honourable Mentions:

GZA: sometimes his rhymes make no sense and are 'scientific' sounding for the sake of it, but man he's good.

Kanye: his first album was played on a loop in my car for months. And he's everything a pop star should be, these days.

Last but not least:

Xzibit, Big Pun, Wu Tang Clan, Nas, Redman. I know some will say "what about Biggie?" The answer is I just never really got into his stuff.

As an aside, I don't like UK grime really, though I used to like Kano (technically grime, but with a lot of US influence) in grime's first popularity wave in the early-mid 2000s. Ps & Qs is a banger, and Americans tend to like it too. Skinnyman is genuine British Hip Hop — Rigsby (I think), good shout and took me by surprise as didn't expect you to be so clued up on the genre. I had that Council Estate of Mind album and used to listen to Westwood's radio show every weekend as a teenager many years ago.

Some people think it's odd that British people (especially white ones) can 'relate to', or enjoy music written about places as far away as Compton or whatever, but it's no different to Americans digging Thin Lizzy, Led Zepplin, or flippin' Ed Sheeran singing about his middle class countryside upbringing in the home counties.

Sorry for my essay!

Post: #121

Guys that just missed my cut
Tupac - hated leaving him out, gone too soon
Erick Sermon/EPMD
3-6 Mafia
Schooly D for the pioneers, first gangsta rap song ever - youtube Ice T talking about him

Most overrated: Marshall Mathers. Good internal rhyme scheme, longevity, mediocre everything else.

Post: #122

(06-23-2018 03:49 PM)DonnyGately Wrote:  Most overrated: Marshall Mathers. Good internal rhyme scheme, longevity, mediocre everything else.

I'm doing this to start a debate, not to attack you. But to say he's mediocre is rather hyperbolic.









I'm aware one of the reasons nobody wanted a "mainstream industry beef" with him was due to his cultural significance, which may or may not have been majority-fuelled due to his skin colour. Nevertheless, he obliterated Jay on Renegade and that made other rappers of that calibre hesitant to guest feature him. I'm not sure you can attribute that simply to having a good internal rhyme scheme, it was his vocab, flow and delivery also (longevity didn't count at that point in his career... just to address the points you made).

Edit: I'm also aware that in the quick 50 Cent interview, he's biased as he's friends with Em... though I don't think anyone can say anything he said wasn't accurate.

Post: #123

Lyrically no one is fucking with em ill give him that. His ear for beats on the other hand is down right atrocious.

Post: #124

^ Indeed, it's terrible. There were a few on the MMLP2 that were decent, but that was Rick Rubin's ear rather than his I suspect. Revival was pretty damn terrible. Maybe 3 good tracks on the whole album.

Post: #125

My taste in rap has matured considerably once I started actually listening to the deeper meaning behind lyrics as opposed to a rapper's ability to string multi's together and rap fast. There's a time and place for both though.

I feel in love with rap like most 14 year olds listening to Eminem in Middle School > early high school.

I'm only going to name less obvious ones that the average mainstream listener wouldn't know. So no Biggie, Tupac, Jay-Z, Eminem, etc. Although I do like listening to them from time to time.

This list is in no specific order and isn't all-encompassing. It's impossible to rank rappers because they're all great for their own reasons. These are just some of my favorites that pop up in my playlist.

AZ - Rather Unique and Life's a Bitch verse, among others. 'nuff said

Mos Def - Is on the verge of mainstream but I was always blown away by his effortless ability to maintain rhyme schemes and deliver a cohesive message in his verses.

Black Thought - Part of the Roots crew and a literal poet on the mic. Has some insane verses.

Afu-Ra - A little less known old school guy but Body of the Life force has some dope tracks on it. Check out Equality and Defeat.

Canibus - Needs to be mentioned. Although he fell off some of his older tracks have effortlessly dope lines and punches that would sound corny if other rappers used them but his delivery kills it. Amazing vocab and imagery

Twista - When I'm feeling like some fast raps and dope multis. Adrenaline Rush is my favorite Twista Album (Overdose and Emotions are dope tracks).

Apathy - Deserves a spot just for his verse at the end of Dance with the Devil. Punches are on point.

Royce da 5'9 - Insane command of rhythm and schemes, storytelling ability, ability to rap off-beat, versatile style and has great features on his tracks.

Elzhi - AKA the syllable sensei. Can sounds a bit forced at times, but the way he strings multis together and formulates his punches is second to none. As he says himself, he literally "cracked the code" of stringing syllables together in a cohesive manner.

Pharoahe Monch - Dope as fuck. This guy is on another level I can't even explain it just listen for yourself.

Crooked I (now KXNG Crooked) - One of the better members of Slaughterhouse. Puts Joel Ortiz to shame. Also raps somewhat off beat and has great multi ability.

Atmosphere - "I wear my scars like the rings on a pimp, I live life like the captain of a sinking ship". Metaphors and storytelling is next level and classic imo.

Dead Prez - The Way of Life is one of the best workout songs, but also has some other dope tracks like Hip Hop and is a timeless legend. Great emcee

Guilty Simpson - Slower paced rapping that is impactful and sends a great message. Excellent command of the mic.

Jadakiss - Don't like his new stuff but he was featured with some legends back in the day and has some timeless tracks and a unique voice.

Jay Electronica - When he comes out of the woodwork he can make an impact. Not a fan of his woo-woo philosophizing shit but some of verses are deep as fuck. Really like his Exhibit tracks and occasional features.

Lupe Fiasco - Love wrapping my head around what Lupe is putting down. Insanely deep lyrics and a unique command over the mic. Can out freestyle (off the dome) just about anybody (watch his Sway freestyle). The Instrumental is one of my favorite tracks about life.

MF DOOM - ALL CAPS when you spell the man's name. Unique style and cult following like no other. Some really deep verses and tracks (and great producer).

Percee P - Basically the forefather of the multi rhyme and very slick on the mic.

Shad - Not very well known but has some dope tracks. Is now a Canadian TV host I believe. Check out the track Yaa I get it

Talib Kweli - The complimentary second half of Black Star, just as good as Mos Def with powerful cultural commentary.

Viro the Virus - RIP Jersey's Finest. Had some great tracks but never really hit it with the mainstream. Fell into a depression and unfortunately was found dead in an Arizona desert years back.

Yelawolf - Might be a surprise to most but I have nothing but respect for Yelawolf. Starting out with a trap/country fusion and started branching off into deeper country vibe hip hop stuff that I think is not only good as rap but as music in general.


Groups (don't feel like describing all these. check them out for yourself if you're unaware):

Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli)
Army of the Pharaohs
Slaughterhouse
Blackalicious
Gang Starr
Hieroglyphics (SUPER DOPE)
Jurassic 5 (What's Golden is a jam)
Little Brother
The Pharcyde
Wu-Tang
The Roots (classic and amazing rhythm and instrumental prowess)

I'm probably missing some and the descriptions were half-assed but that's what I got for now.