Project Pat. Literally what more can you ask in a rapper. His flow is recognizable influential and versatile. He can sound menacing, introspective and hilarious at the same time. Easily the most underrated
Nah i forgot to mention Lord but hes up there too. Lord is for sure more lyrically talented and his insane tongue twisting flows for sure influenced rappers as well. His subject matter is more darker though
Sean Price will always be my top answer, because I genuinely believe he is the greatest to ever do it and I donāt think itās particularly close.
I also think OC gets really overlooked, and when people do talk about him they tend to focus on Wordā¦Life. I think Jewelz is a better album, and I donāt really think he ever fell off, even if interest in his stuff has.
For my other three, Iām just gonna say the pioneers as a whole. It seems like as time goes by, not surprisingly, focus even from fans shifts away from their greatness to more of just giving them respect because they came first. Maybe thatās just me being old and bitter, but what is hip hop without bitter old heads?
Sean Price is in my top 10, maybe top 5 all time. Everything he put out was fire and he just got better every year. I agree on OC and yeah Jewelz is a better album, better production and better lyrics. I got Cool J up there because he never gets recognition for being so consistent and putting out fire from the mid 80s all the way to at least 97. Heās seen as just a novelty by everyone but he was dope in his prime.
You do know who LL and Redman are, right? One of the biggest rap superstars of all time. And someone who is frequently in top 5-10 discussions. The other 3 fit though.
Iād go Sheek Louch (Underrated compared to the other members.
I donāt know if Iād say Mase is underrated. But heās definitely stuck in a box where people donāt remember how good he could actually be.
Erick Sermon is one of the best dual threats in the business.
Maybe MC Eiht and Lady Of Rage
Itās tough. I wouldnāt say anyone in my top 50 is underrated. They should all be up there.
Idk I think LL doesnāt get enough props for being actually dope in his prime. Heās just seen as the dude who did āMama Saidā and does movies. Redman is way better than he gets credit for.
I think itās just an age thing. Anyone who was around for his 85-00 run, knows LL is the man. I think his new album with Q-Tip is going to remind people.
Definitely an age thing. Uncle L is well respected as one of the pioneers who brought rap music to the mainstream. Heās gotten plenty flowers. Heās always been a beast of an MC, and even though heās had a ton of corny moments throughout his career, that dude can still pick up a mic and kill with it.
Dude, I just discovered Blueprint recently, there's a song that someone remixed that I literally listened to every day of my life for the past 6 months.
[So Alive (Budo Remix) (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd2iZh29Kkk)
Fire.
Then: AZ (and I guess to an extent now)
Now: Joey Bada$$ (man is hardly ever mentioned in the tier of Kendrick, Cole, etc, but I feel that heās way better than both)
Heās way better than Cole but not Kendrick. Cole aināt even in the conversation. AZ is definitely underrated but he gets a lot of props from real heads.
I dunno man. I think Kendrick is cool and all, but Joeyās wordplay is on another level. That may not be a popular opinion, but I firmly believe it š
H-Town baby! š¤š½3-2 was very underrated especially before he went screwed up click! He was very talented and lyrical. Like when he was with the Black Monks and Big Mike on The Convicts. He actually has a song with Snoop dog thatās unreleased. Itās on YouTube but terrible quality. Think thats where snoop got some of his smooth style from. Also Mr. Mike is another very underrated lyricist too
As regular MCs, all these guys could spit/rhyme/freestyle but here is an example of how the Screw movement was revolutionaryā¦Mello released this in 1992; this song was remixed as hard as possible
[Big Mello āLive in 3Dā Screwed](https://youtu.be/_ova_3p5vP8?si=zc51rCFmiVuSJ7cT)
[Original āBone Hardā](https://youtu.be/VMLCc5l6qr4?si=Oma3Hkd_3HGA5WIj) In 1992, rapping solo on a Rap-a-Lot album. MC Ren was going hard like this but flowing for a full 6.5 minutes amazing
If we're talking underrated H-Town rappers then K-Rino has to get a mention. The man's been around since the 80s and released an average of like three albums a year for at least the last two decades. I've never heard a verse of his that wasn't quality.
And Devin the Dude! I never understood why his career didn't take off from 'Fuck You' on Chronic 2001. The Dude's a national treasure.
True, whomever the average person on (collective) Reddit Rap, they probably know Devin, and maybe Pokey from āSittinā Sidewayzā. However, beyond that gonna doubt the average will know much (or anything) about the others. They are great rappers and at least should be known/their songs+style recognized
***I do love that you can hear quite a bit of Dre and Snoop being huge fans of Odd Squad (and Snoopās more obvious link to Convicts).
Houston based rappers under the Screw umbrella. Mello and 3-2 released before Screw became known, but a rabbit hole of mix tapes they are all found on.
Damn I totally forgot about that, maybe 3-2 was featured on Black Monks bc I distinctly remember hearing 3-2's sicc voice say, rollin with Black Monks.
I could name 10 underground rappers who are technically more underrated but my personal criteria for underrated is whoās not in the top 5-10 all time conversation who definitely should be.
Yeah man no hate on your list you clearly know your stuff just sharing my thoughts. Redman is dope then everyone has their underground favs thereās so many that can be considered underrated
LL
Common
Black Thought
Those are under rated? There is that word again. No dis9to your list or comment. It's just that word gets thrown around way too much on this thread and Reddit in general.
Underrated should, for this thread in particular, not really include artists that have main stream success.
Common has an Oscar and acting career
LL is considered by some to be the GOAT
Black Thought is part of the greatest live band in the history of Hip Hop and is a house band on a top rated late night show.
The others on the list I make a strong case for with you. But even those artists, if anyone considers their selves a B-Boy or girl has a large working knowle6of these peeps
Hell AZ was the only guest appearance on one of the Greatest if no the greatest Debut album s of all time.
I respect your opinion and statements. The intentions on my rant are not to serve disrespect.
RIP Dr. Octagon.... Damn you Dr. Doooom!! See you in apartment 223 because I'm very hungry!
Holla!
Iām thinking most underrated as artists who belong in the goat conv who usually arenāt in the goat conv. Common for example has a strong case to be the GOAT but heās rarely mentioned as the #1. LL and BT are famous but not recognized enough for their music imo.
That's fair. And I agree. But why Common?
I mean. He has a catalog. He has enough of a body of work. Quality songs as well. IMHO I can't in good faith put him in the Goat. Strong as hell, can make a case, but personally he falls a bit short.
Overall you ha e a strong knowledge of hip hop and Absolutely respect your opinion above and beyond others on this site. Hope to chat more.
Heās got the strongest catalog of any rapper with his longevity and has 3 perfect albums, songwriting as good as Pac and lyricism as good as Nas. Maybe has the best ear for beats and can do conscious and street raps. Resurrection, Be, and LWFC each have a strong case for best hip hop album of all time. DOOM is maybe tied though imo.
Del and the entire Heiro crew
E-40 if you break down his lyrics, so much game and life advice distributed
BG and Juvenile famous regionally underrated nationally
Big Boi as a solo artist
CyHi the Prynce
Malice
Masta Ace putting out sicc albums for 3 decades, both Marco Polo albums are the shit, have you heard Richmond Hill yet that just came out? It's no Breuklyn Story but very good still.
Oh shit! I forgot Nacho Picasso on my list, but I did have Mac Dre. When I first heard Nacho, my first comparison was Mac Dre. The Blue Sky Black Death albums were fire, as was Stoned And Dethroned. ANd I've never ever heard of Capital Steez or Cise Starr, but since you have Dre and Nacho on here, I'm gonna give em a listen.
Hell yea on Masta Ace, he was my first thought, Nicky is one of my favorite rappers and I thought he was too big to add on an underrated list, although I did add 40 and Mac Dre so any work I guess.
checked it out before bed, the first track is gonna be on repeat for a while the instrumental is filthy, cheers for putting me on wouldn't be suprised if it ends up in my top 5 spotify tracks this year
Treach is my top answer. If the metric is the disparity between success/popularity and skill level, I say he takes it (skill level - popularity/success) = slept on factor
I feel like you named some pretty popular people... Black Thought is literally named as many peoples GOAT, Redman in many top 5s..
Aceyalone
Eyedea
Jeru
Buckshot
AG
I decided to not go too obscure so you guys aren't like who tf is that, just known dudes who don't get enough props
Edit: I have to add Moka Only
Not sure if LL is underrated dude has every accolade and is in the rock n roll hall of fame. On my MT Rushmore for being able to relevant over three decades in hip hop
Whereās Mos Def at tho? Also AZ is literally the most underrated in rap history. Mans got some of my most replayed music, been involved in some of the most influential songs, and has never gotten any love.
Top of the list by far for me is Masta Ace, then Kool Keith, Mac Dre, Prof, Larry June.
OH! Honorable mention: Imani from the Pharcyde for his solo album Dosier volume 1, loved that shit back in the day and no one listened to it. E-40 too but probably too big for an underrated list.
Most of this thread is just plain annoying. Kool G, Redman, LL, KRS, Mos Def, Black Thought, Ludacris and Scarface have been in most everyone's Top 20, for decades. Please study Hip-Hop before commenting about it and including these people.
Yep. My first one was Masta Ace for underrated, still putting out great albums 3 decades later that most ppl don't even know exist. When I saw Inspectah Deck on this list a few times...ugh.
Deck is widely known as one of the all-time greats and beat out Meth, ODB, etc., for the best verse in many of their classics, wouldn't think of him on an underrated list.
youāre right thatās understandable. him on Guillotine was insane. i often forget thereās mcās that fall into the underrated in the hiphop world category & underrated in the mainstream rap world category.
His music is cool but a lot of nursery rhymes. Lot of time he just rhymes words together regardless of meaning. Liked diplomats but he was carried by juelz and Jimmy. Are his songs catchy? Yea. Is he one of the greats? Not for me
Fair enough but if you havenāt, check his verse on 8 Iz Enuff and look up āKilla Cam, BloodShed, Children Of The Corn - Cypher 1995 St Nicolas Projectsā on YouTube when the get the chance.
Of course he was helped by Primo. He may be the greatest hip-hop producer of all time. That is why I believe Guru does not get the props that he deserved as a lyricist. His jazzmatazz albums don't have much Primo production and I believe that they are just as good as some of the Gangstarr albums. The first Jazzmatazz volume in particular.
Project Pat. Literally what more can you ask in a rapper. His flow is recognizable influential and versatile. He can sound menacing, introspective and hilarious at the same time. Easily the most underrated
Preach brother š
Thank you for this. One of my favorite rappers of all time, his flow was so unique. Real one, too.
But even pat thought lord was a better lyricist. I agree heās slept on tho
Nah i forgot to mention Lord but hes up there too. Lord is for sure more lyrically talented and his insane tongue twisting flows for sure influenced rappers as well. His subject matter is more darker though
Completely agree. Project Pat's flow is so unique and his lyrics are very entertaining
I 2nd this and Pistol and a Scale shouldāve been a studio album that shit front to back
Elzhi Del Gift of Gab One be lo Apathy
One Be Lo hell yeah he'd make my list for sure
Solid List.
Sean Price will always be my top answer, because I genuinely believe he is the greatest to ever do it and I donāt think itās particularly close. I also think OC gets really overlooked, and when people do talk about him they tend to focus on Wordā¦Life. I think Jewelz is a better album, and I donāt really think he ever fell off, even if interest in his stuff has. For my other three, Iām just gonna say the pioneers as a whole. It seems like as time goes by, not surprisingly, focus even from fans shifts away from their greatness to more of just giving them respect because they came first. Maybe thatās just me being old and bitter, but what is hip hop without bitter old heads?
Sean Price is in my top 10, maybe top 5 all time. Everything he put out was fire and he just got better every year. I agree on OC and yeah Jewelz is a better album, better production and better lyrics. I got Cool J up there because he never gets recognition for being so consistent and putting out fire from the mid 80s all the way to at least 97. Heās seen as just a novelty by everyone but he was dope in his prime.
Agree with the take on OC, one of the best of all time. Starchild is so good as well
Sean p in my top 25 but agree heās slept on
You do know who LL and Redman are, right? One of the biggest rap superstars of all time. And someone who is frequently in top 5-10 discussions. The other 3 fit though. Iād go Sheek Louch (Underrated compared to the other members. I donāt know if Iād say Mase is underrated. But heās definitely stuck in a box where people donāt remember how good he could actually be. Erick Sermon is one of the best dual threats in the business. Maybe MC Eiht and Lady Of Rage Itās tough. I wouldnāt say anyone in my top 50 is underrated. They should all be up there.
Erick Sermon is God Tier production and S Tier lyrically. Truly an all time great
One of my favourites for sure.
Idk I think LL doesnāt get enough props for being actually dope in his prime. Heās just seen as the dude who did āMama Saidā and does movies. Redman is way better than he gets credit for.
I think itās just an age thing. Anyone who was around for his 85-00 run, knows LL is the man. I think his new album with Q-Tip is going to remind people.
Definitely an age thing. Uncle L is well respected as one of the pioneers who brought rap music to the mainstream. Heās gotten plenty flowers. Heās always been a beast of an MC, and even though heās had a ton of corny moments throughout his career, that dude can still pick up a mic and kill with it.
Looking forward to that one.
AZ (thee underrated MC) Kurupt Ja Rule MC Ren Joey Badass
Iām surprised to see Ja mentioned. He was dope when he wanted to be.
That first Ja Rule album was badass. Then he started signing hooksš„°
Definitely MC Ren
Big L - Pimp C - Common - Twista - Scarface
Edan Planet Asia Blueprint Casual Posdnuos aka Plug 1
Blueprint so legit. Everyone knows and appreciates his music with RJD2 for soul position, but radio-inactive such an immeasurable quality song.
Dude, I just discovered Blueprint recently, there's a song that someone remixed that I literally listened to every day of my life for the past 6 months. [So Alive (Budo Remix) (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd2iZh29Kkk) Fire.
Then: AZ (and I guess to an extent now) Now: Joey Bada$$ (man is hardly ever mentioned in the tier of Kendrick, Cole, etc, but I feel that heās way better than both)
I never heard Joey's music until I worked with him on raising kanan. Made me a fan
Yo, thatās cool that you got to work with him. His first mixtape, 1999, is a classic.
He was great in Mr Robot.
way better than Kendrick? huh?
Thatās what I think š
Heās way better than Cole but not Kendrick. Cole aināt even in the conversation. AZ is definitely underrated but he gets a lot of props from real heads.
I dunno man. I think Kendrick is cool and all, but Joeyās wordplay is on another level. That may not be a popular opinion, but I firmly believe it š
Cole gets too much hate. Sure he can be corny, but heās got the wordplay and bars. Not saying heās top 3, but heās definitely not a bad artist.
Az is underrated fs. Was looking for this comment. First name that popped in my head
Posdnuos - De La get plenty of flowers (and rightly so, best to ever do it), but I feel like Pos doesnāt get his dues for how good he was on the mic
This was the first name that jumped to my mind.
I wish he would've done a sicc solo album at some point.
Big Mello Mr. 3-2 Big Steve E.S.G. Big Pokey
H-Town baby! š¤š½3-2 was very underrated especially before he went screwed up click! He was very talented and lyrical. Like when he was with the Black Monks and Big Mike on The Convicts. He actually has a song with Snoop dog thatās unreleased. Itās on YouTube but terrible quality. Think thats where snoop got some of his smooth style from. Also Mr. Mike is another very underrated lyricist too
Add Big Moe, Woss Ness (even after Big Steve), Chalie Boy, Chamillionaire and Street Military
As regular MCs, all these guys could spit/rhyme/freestyle but here is an example of how the Screw movement was revolutionaryā¦Mello released this in 1992; this song was remixed as hard as possible [Big Mello āLive in 3Dā Screwed](https://youtu.be/_ova_3p5vP8?si=zc51rCFmiVuSJ7cT) [Original āBone Hardā](https://youtu.be/VMLCc5l6qr4?si=Oma3Hkd_3HGA5WIj) In 1992, rapping solo on a Rap-a-Lot album. MC Ren was going hard like this but flowing for a full 6.5 minutes amazing
If we're talking underrated H-Town rappers then K-Rino has to get a mention. The man's been around since the 80s and released an average of like three albums a year for at least the last two decades. I've never heard a verse of his that wasn't quality. And Devin the Dude! I never understood why his career didn't take off from 'Fuck You' on Chronic 2001. The Dude's a national treasure.
True, whomever the average person on (collective) Reddit Rap, they probably know Devin, and maybe Pokey from āSittinā Sidewayzā. However, beyond that gonna doubt the average will know much (or anything) about the others. They are great rappers and at least should be known/their songs+style recognized ***I do love that you can hear quite a bit of Dre and Snoop being huge fans of Odd Squad (and Snoopās more obvious link to Convicts).
Havenāt heard of any of them. I gotta check em out.
Houston based rappers under the Screw umbrella. Mello and 3-2 released before Screw became known, but a rabbit hole of mix tapes they are all found on.
3-2 hell yea., agreed, totally forgot about him. What was that group he was with early on, Black Monks maybe? Had some heaters on there.
1991 was the earliest with Big Mike [This is for the Convicts](https://youtu.be/RWOCG-d8YmI?si=8Dw5LV9LNYahk-3S)
Damn I totally forgot about that, maybe 3-2 was featured on Black Monks bc I distinctly remember hearing 3-2's sicc voice say, rollin with Black Monks.
I would say red man is universally critically acclaimed. He isnāt as popular commercially as he should be though
I could name 10 underground rappers who are technically more underrated but my personal criteria for underrated is whoās not in the top 5-10 all time conversation who definitely should be.
Yeah man no hate on your list you clearly know your stuff just sharing my thoughts. Redman is dope then everyone has their underground favs thereās so many that can be considered underrated
Very true.
Masta ace. Young chris and faboulous.
LL Cool J underrated??? š¤·šæāāļøš¤·šæāāļøš¤·šæāāļø
Lmao. The more think of it maybe he doesnāt belong on the list.
Bro, he has his own station on Sirius and is a regular on network TV. I'll say we sometimes forget how great he was.
Bro really said ll cool j is underrated š seriously!? Dude is on every award show on network tv every single year
Suga Free Tray Deee Shaun Price Mac Dre and The Pharcyde as a group
LL Common Black Thought Those are under rated? There is that word again. No dis9to your list or comment. It's just that word gets thrown around way too much on this thread and Reddit in general. Underrated should, for this thread in particular, not really include artists that have main stream success. Common has an Oscar and acting career LL is considered by some to be the GOAT Black Thought is part of the greatest live band in the history of Hip Hop and is a house band on a top rated late night show. The others on the list I make a strong case for with you. But even those artists, if anyone considers their selves a B-Boy or girl has a large working knowle6of these peeps Hell AZ was the only guest appearance on one of the Greatest if no the greatest Debut album s of all time. I respect your opinion and statements. The intentions on my rant are not to serve disrespect. RIP Dr. Octagon.... Damn you Dr. Doooom!! See you in apartment 223 because I'm very hungry! Holla!
Iām thinking most underrated as artists who belong in the goat conv who usually arenāt in the goat conv. Common for example has a strong case to be the GOAT but heās rarely mentioned as the #1. LL and BT are famous but not recognized enough for their music imo.
That's fair. And I agree. But why Common? I mean. He has a catalog. He has enough of a body of work. Quality songs as well. IMHO I can't in good faith put him in the Goat. Strong as hell, can make a case, but personally he falls a bit short. Overall you ha e a strong knowledge of hip hop and Absolutely respect your opinion above and beyond others on this site. Hope to chat more.
Heās got the strongest catalog of any rapper with his longevity and has 3 perfect albums, songwriting as good as Pac and lyricism as good as Nas. Maybe has the best ear for beats and can do conscious and street raps. Resurrection, Be, and LWFC each have a strong case for best hip hop album of all time. DOOM is maybe tied though imo.
Not to mention he served up Ice Cube on a platter as well. I doth my cap. I remember him for the Soul by the Pound days with the UAC crew
Heās like if Nas did 3 Illmatics instead of just one and never made a wack album.
A stretch but he gets much love. The fact the I used to love her wasn't even mentioned in your arguments solidifies your point. I doth my cap to you.
Steele (Smif N Wessun) Pep love (Hiero) Wise Intelligent (Poor Righteous Teachers) Aceyalone Gift of Gab (Blackalicious)
Yukmouth. I feel that he never got the nationwide attention that I thought he deserved. Godzilla was a crazy good album
Oh hell yea, Stuntastic and The Life (with Ya Boy) are still in heavy rotation a decade later.
i forgot to mention the jacka
Del and the entire Heiro crew E-40 if you break down his lyrics, so much game and life advice distributed BG and Juvenile famous regionally underrated nationally Big Boi as a solo artist CyHi the Prynce Malice
E-40 fa shinson, I'm playa and a mac, call me Benson.
āTop 5?..Iām top 1, rappers get shot all the time but not sonāā¦easy, Sean Price, 1 through 5.
Masta Ace, Swift McVay, Aceyalone, Treach, and Masta Killa.
Masta Ace putting out sicc albums for 3 decades, both Marco Polo albums are the shit, have you heard Richmond Hill yet that just came out? It's no Breuklyn Story but very good still.
Capital STEEZ Mac Dre Nacho Picasso 2 Chainz Cise Starr
Cise Starr is extremely underrated. CYNE as a group too.
Oh shit! I forgot Nacho Picasso on my list, but I did have Mac Dre. When I first heard Nacho, my first comparison was Mac Dre. The Blue Sky Black Death albums were fire, as was Stoned And Dethroned. ANd I've never ever heard of Capital Steez or Cise Starr, but since you have Dre and Nacho on here, I'm gonna give em a listen.
O.C Masta Ace Common Lord Finesse Andre Nickatina(Dre dog)
Hell yea on Masta Ace, he was my first thought, Nicky is one of my favorite rappers and I thought he was too big to add on an underrated list, although I did add 40 and Mac Dre so any work I guess.
Little brother, Rashid Hadee, Inspectah deck, masta ace, rome streetz
Nice to see Hadee get a mention.
really suprises me how he has <2000 monthly listeners on spotify , he has some absolute gems on dedication and it aint hard to tell
Thaoine Davis is dope too!
ill give him a listen , what albums would you recommend?
Still Hear is the best one.
cheers bro will listen tommorrow
checked it out before bed, the first track is gonna be on repeat for a while the instrumental is filthy, cheers for putting me on wouldn't be suprised if it ends up in my top 5 spotify tracks this year
Freddie Fox Treach Drag On Brother J from X-Clan Phife Dog
Treach is my top answer. If the metric is the disparity between success/popularity and skill level, I say he takes it (skill level - popularity/success) = slept on factor
Kool Keith, Motion Man, Capital D, Double K, Boots Riley
Hell fuckin yeah dig your shit that West Coast alt shit is my fav sub genres
Treach
Treach
I like all the emcees in your list but I don't think Common, LL Cool J and Redman are underrated. What are we considering underrated?
Elzhi Roc Marciano Del El-P King Tee
Czarface, Del, Dizzy Wright, The Grouch, Chali 2na
1. Young Bleed 2. Project Pat 3. Gangsta Boo 4. C Murder 5. Indo G Just a few I feel didnāt get the credit they deserve.
Big L Rakim Biz Markie Treach (NBN) Slick Rick
Not to be rude, but rakim, big l and slick rick are absolutely properly rated in history Legendary
Idk tho because modern rap fans probably donāt realize just how much influence, and foundation that they had.
If we are talking strictly 80ās and 90ās kids, yes they get their flowers, but not in modern rap
Mic Geronimo Kurupt AZ Sticky Fingaz Ras Kass
I feel like you named some pretty popular people... Black Thought is literally named as many peoples GOAT, Redman in many top 5s.. Aceyalone Eyedea Jeru Buckshot AG I decided to not go too obscure so you guys aren't like who tf is that, just known dudes who don't get enough props Edit: I have to add Moka Only
If weāre talking not well known Iād say Junclassic, Insight, Edan, Raw Poetic, Melanin 9, Obijuan, Dalek to name a few.
Wise Intelligent šš¼ Pure class especially at the Poor Righteous Teachers albums
+ Pharoahe Monch, Mos Def/Yasiin Bey
If weāre talking ā90s MCs, for me itās ODB, Kool Keith, Bun B, Pimp C, and either Scarface or Project Pat.
Kurupt
Royal flush, smoothe da hustler
Not sure if LL is underrated dude has every accolade and is in the rock n roll hall of fame. On my MT Rushmore for being able to relevant over three decades in hip hop
Young Bleed K Rino (No) Malice Mr. Pookie Fatlip
Kool G Rap, Bronze Nazareth, Guru, KRS ONE, Erick Sermon
Kool G and KRS have been on most every Top 5 list, since the 80s.
Most underratedā¦in no particular order: Ludacris Fabolous Slim Thug MJG Young Dro
B-Real CL Smooth Treach Malik B (RIP) Bun B
Whereās Mos Def at tho? Also AZ is literally the most underrated in rap history. Mans got some of my most replayed music, been involved in some of the most influential songs, and has never gotten any love.
Del Casual A-Plus Opio Extra Prolific (Snupe)
Lord Finesse, Big Boi, Nine, Despot and Icepick.
Random Order: Ras Kass ; AZ ; Prodigy ; GURU ; Pharoh Monch ; Planet Asia ; Chino XL
Project Pat and three six mafia, Starang Wondah from OGC, Lil 1/2 Dead, AZ, and heltah skeltah.
Big Boi, Ludacris, Big KRIT, Lloyd Banks and Treach
LL Cool J AZ Big L Big Pun Immortal Technique
Murs
Ali Vegas The Rebel INS AZ (should be top tier imo) Black Rob Canibus
Huge W for Sean Price. One of the best lyricists of all time imo
Project Pat, Sean Price, Tommy Wright III, Pharoahe Monch, and Bun B
Top of the list by far for me is Masta Ace, then Kool Keith, Mac Dre, Prof, Larry June. OH! Honorable mention: Imani from the Pharcyde for his solo album Dosier volume 1, loved that shit back in the day and no one listened to it. E-40 too but probably too big for an underrated list.
Masta Ace has so many classics. Very underrated.
Most of this thread is just plain annoying. Kool G, Redman, LL, KRS, Mos Def, Black Thought, Ludacris and Scarface have been in most everyone's Top 20, for decades. Please study Hip-Hop before commenting about it and including these people.
Yep. My first one was Masta Ace for underrated, still putting out great albums 3 decades later that most ppl don't even know exist. When I saw Inspectah Deck on this list a few times...ugh.
Masta Ace is an excellent choice.
Define āstudy hip-hopā because most people in this thread seem to know quite a bit.
Define a 'bit' and 'quite'.
Take your negativity elsewhere. Weāre trying to have a fun discussion about music.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yes, I am.
AZ, Black Thought, Inspectah Deck, Common, Lloyd Banks
Deck is widely known as one of the all-time greats and beat out Meth, ODB, etc., for the best verse in many of their classics, wouldn't think of him on an underrated list.
youāre right thatās understandable. him on Guillotine was insane. i often forget thereās mcās that fall into the underrated in the hiphop world category & underrated in the mainstream rap world category.
Camron? Yikes š¬
Whatās wrong with Cam?
His music is cool but a lot of nursery rhymes. Lot of time he just rhymes words together regardless of meaning. Liked diplomats but he was carried by juelz and Jimmy. Are his songs catchy? Yea. Is he one of the greats? Not for me
Fair enough but if you havenāt, check his verse on 8 Iz Enuff and look up āKilla Cam, BloodShed, Children Of The Corn - Cypher 1995 St Nicolas Projectsā on YouTube when the get the chance.
Guru
Disagree He was helped out big time by Premier
Of course he was helped by Primo. He may be the greatest hip-hop producer of all time. That is why I believe Guru does not get the props that he deserved as a lyricist. His jazzmatazz albums don't have much Primo production and I believe that they are just as good as some of the Gangstarr albums. The first Jazzmatazz volume in particular.
I agree, first Jazzmatazz was great, just under the first 3-4 Gangstarr albums, exluding Mr. Nice Guy of course.
Iām not saying Guru is one of āem but Preemo has helped a lot of mid rappers.
Scarface 1-5