You have to have been around a while to understand the difference between Hip-Hop and Rap.....So I forgive some of the clowns that have posted......
I have been listening since about 86........I have seen them come and go,,,,,I remember when the battle was a war of wits, no It has somewhat gotten out of control. I am a fan of MCs who write quality lyrics......I feel that JayZ and Nas are the ones holding it down right now. Jay Z, to me, is the total package because he can touch all areas of Hip-Hop/Rap, unlike Common, Nas, Mos Def, Immortal Technique and some of the others mentioned. I do have all of these MC's albums though because I like writers, people who actually put thought in their lyrics and don't always follow the trends.....Today, things are bad. Rappers and trends are ruining Hip-Hop and causing ignorant people to make the stupid comments like the ones before and after my post........Nas' last CD is titled Hip-Hop is DEAD but it is more of his way to start a movement....I don't think it will help though because of the values of today's youth.......People don't like to hear thought provoking words, instead they like simple minded trendy stuff.....But I have collected tons of good Hip-Hop through the years and continue to listen to it.....
A buddy of mine who has been a MC since the mid 80s has a myspace you can check out....For those who follow, the first time I heard him is the same night my ears where blessed by the legendary Rakim. He puts thought into his lyrics.
http://www.myspace.com/akajrock