I don't listen to very much hip-hop generally, I think most mainstream rap is terrible, but two albums that I own and listen to frequently are from Dead Prez "Let's Get Free" and Talib Kweli's "Quality" not just good rap albums, but good generally, even if you're into rock I think you can get into these albums, kind of like Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions..." album.

I love doseone too. frost P? ha.

There are so many ways to judge an MC.

For sheer, unadulterated lyricism and technique, it would be hard to argue against Big Daddy Kane. A great many of the borders in all honesty probably aren't all too familiar with who this guy is, which is a shame because he really could destroy anyone. It's a pity he wasn't in more feuds because he was invincible. Check out his first two records for all the proof you need.

ghostface.

Anything can be found at the mall if you shop at the mall.

obviously they have moved on since this so maybe its not fair to bring it up but I believe the reason that Kate from luscious jackson left (or fell out with) the Beasties way back was down to their serious consideration of calling one of their first records "don't be a fag". There's no question that thats not anything they'd consider now but it does illustrate the point about hip hop that always seems to crop up about sexism/homophobia/etc.

I always think that at its best Rap is a pretty spontaneous mode of expression and as such can inevitably come off pretty unedited and ugly but that this is the same quality which allows for the capture of a thought process (if the artist gets the opportunity to release a few records) like you see with the beasties, ghostface, ice-t, public enemy, where they initially come out conforming to stereotypical and received notions of what it is to be a rapper and the attitudes which that supposedly engenders, but that over time, and when confronted by a world and culture outside that of the trying to get ahead musician, those opinions change and mature away from being flipant and offensive into something smarter.

that said, those examples are depressingly few and far between and in particular the rap worlds record for homophobia is almost uniformly retarded, which is bizarre in a genre so over-the-top macho it might as well be a village people audition.

(sorry for the rant, there's work i'm trying to avoid doing.)

oh, my favourite mc's are ODB, Chuck D, MF Doom, Ghostface, Gonzalez, Clipse, Q Tip, Mos Def, Nosaj from New Kingdom, Both mc's from Company Flow and Umar Bin Hassan.

Genius circa "Liquid Swords". Best Wu-Tang effort, in my humble opinion.

Instead of going through the options, I'll list my own favs.

Rakim - Because you know he's got soul. THE SEVENTH SEAL is going to be released July 7th, 2007. GET IT? 777.

Ghostface - Oh man, such a good flow as well. He's backed by Just Blaze in a song on fishscale too, so that's one of my fav's right now. It's called "The Champ".

Raekwon - Flowmaster.

Bishop Lamont - Not so much his flow that I'm into, but I love him because his lyrics are excellent (better than the rest of Aftermath excluding Raekwon) and has a great voice. His album drops this summer as well, he's going to be really big pretty soon guarenteed.

Most of Dipset - Check them out. Rick Ross, Cam'ron, Julez, and the lot of them.

The Clipse - Produced by The Neptunes, The clipse have been getting more and more exposure. They're currently my favorite lyricists hands down. I'm seeing them live this summer!

Noah23 - My favorite white rapper. He's a canadian indie rapper that raps about jibberish such as electric eels and lizard lion eagles, for those of you that's into that type of stuff. Great flow and voice no questions asked.

my favorites (no particular order):

MF Doom
GZA
Kool Keith
Andre Benjamin
King Tee
Andre Nickatina
Mac Mall
Roots Manuva
Twista (older stuff, mainly "Mobstability")
Big Daddy Kane
Brotha Lynch Hung
Hitman
Spice 1

arrrrgghhhhh theres sooo many more !!!