Na get it str8.this how da list goes.......
1-Tupac
2-B.IG.
3-Eminem
4-Jay Z
5-DMX
6-Mase
and 7-Ludacris

1.Jay-Z
2.Biggie
3.Big L
4.Eminem
5.Nas
6.2Pac
7.Jadakiss

In a nutshell right their you got the best of the best! Jay-z first b/c listen know one else has changed the game of rap like H.O.V. Jay-z from year to year has put out since 96 a number one record after another. I dont judge by that but also if you take time out to listen to his music the man is lyrically untouchable. He has a New York state of mind that i and many could relate to. He's real forget all that commercial stuff they do,they do that to sell records learn the game boss!
Second im going with BIG b/c he was like jay original he could rap about being a player , but cross over to a raw style like he does in his debut Cd Ready to die in a song called machine gun funk . He was the NY Mayor for the mid ninetiees of the rap game. Then Jay took over.

The Greatest rapper alive is Mos Def. No one comes close to even touching him. Still he remains unknown to so many. Underground rappers overall possess far more skill than commercial rappers do these days. They rap about whats real, they rap with real passion. Commercial rap in my opinion gets worse everyday.

Mos Def has the best rhymes i have ever seen produced by an emcee. Not only does this man sound good, but his messages are soooo deep there aint any one listener who can fully get what he spits. This man raps about black pride, war, poverty, the streets, crime, and everything he says is so true its not even funny.

His vocabulary is unparalelled, perhaps only matched by the likes of talib kweli or common sense. There is a song out there called "redefinition" found on the Blackstar album featuring himself and kweli. This song showcases the unfathomable skill of this man. There is actually a part of this song where Mos lets loose his full potential.

He releases a segment where he rhymes 36 TIMES OFF THE SAME WORD and every line is so deep no one can keep up. He has to actually take a one second break just to catch his breath because he's going too fast.

Here's a sample of his rhymes from "Respiration", another nice track btw:

Skyscrapers is collosus, the cost of living
Is preposterous, stay alive, you play or die, no options
You either make a way or stay sobbin, the shiny apple
Is bruised but sweet and if you choose to eat
You could lose your teeth, many crews retreat
Nightly news repeat, who got shot down and locked down
Spotlight to savages, nasdaq averages
My narrative, rose to explain this existance
Amidst the harbor lights which remain in the distance

Here's my list of the Best Rappers:
1)Mos Def
2)Talib Kweli (Close behind)
3)Common Sense (Close behind)
4)Pharoahe Monch
5)Wordsworth
6)Jane Doe
7)Bahamadia
8)Jane Doe (Yes, the last two are females)

I'll bet a lot of people who read this won't know most of these rappers.
Check em out, they are the essence of rap, even if they havent made anything recent.

Peace Out

Finally a post with some substance! Thanks for broadening our minds Guest, it's about time someone did.

The List Goes...

1 BIG
2 JAYZ
3 EMINEM
4 TUPAC

then the rest like mos def talib kweli common

and nas is wayyyyy too overrated cuz he's so "real" hahaha

EMINEM WILL ALWAYS BE THE GREATEST RAPPER ANYTIME ANY PLACE

SLIM SHADY FORVEVA!

Jadakiss???, Mase???, DMX???, 50Cent??? ... Too much stupid boys watching too much TV ...
Let's get serious, true rappers are:
KRS-One, Common, Talib Kweli, Nas, Guru, Rakim, Jean Grae. This people talk about real life, not only about bullshit and has talent on every rhyme.