Verified answer

Normally I wouldn't say my opinion is the only right answer. But it has to be Melle Mel.

Even fans of hip-hop don't know who he is, but he is one of the most influential MCs of all time. Most people have only heard The Message, and think Grandmaster Flash was a rapper...

EDIT: Please tell me this verse (from 1983) doesn't wreck everything out today

"A newspaper burns in the sand

And the headlines say 'Man Destroys Man'

Extra extra, read all the bad news

On the war for peace that everybody would lose

The rise and fall, the last great empire

The sound of the whole world caught on fire

The ruthless struggle, the desperate gamble

The game that left the whole world in shambles

The cheats, the lies, the alibies

And the foolish attempts to conquer the sky

Lost in space, and what is it worth?

Huh, the President just forgot about Earth

Spendin multi-billions and maybe even trillions

The cost of weapons ran in the zillions

There's gold in the street and there's diamond under feet

And the children in Africa don't even eat

Flies on their faces, they're livin like mice

And their houses even make the ghetto look nice

Huh, the water tastes funny, it's forever too sunny

And they work all month and don't make no money

A fight for power, a nuclear shower

A people shout out in the darkest hour

Sights unseen and voices unheard

And finally the bomb gets the last word

Christians killed Muslims and Germans killed Jews

And everybody's bodies are used and abused

Huh, minds are poisoned and souls are polluted

Superiority complex is deep rooted

Leeches and lices, and people got prices

Egomaniacs control the self-righteous

Nothin is sacred and nothin is pure

So the revelation of death is our cure

Peoples in terror, the leaders made a error

And now they can't even look in the mirror

Cause we gotta suffer while things get rougher

And that's the reason why we got to get tougher

So learn from the past and work for the future

And don't be a slave to no computer

Cause the children of Man inherit the land

And the future of the world is in your hands

So just throw your hands in the air

And wave em like you just don't care

And if you believe that you're the future

Scream it out and say oh yeah"

Apathy - jap Philosophy R.A. The Rugged guy - Die, Rugged guy, Die Jedi ideas tricks - A history of Violence Masta Ace - Disposable Arts. a protracted warm summer ok'naan - The Dusty Foot logician Little Brother - The Listening, The Minstrel prepare

I gotta say Kool Keith, he's going on 20 years as an active MC, this guy is ill, too.

Scarface is a great choice though...

Yea, i've heard the rappers from that the dude above me mentioned...

I got most of Doom's albums, i'm just missing MM...Leftovers, and Nastradoomus (NaS remix) and I only have I only have Ready To Die from Biggie.

Big L would have been one of the greatest of all times, as quoted but eminem in many of his songs (patiently waiting, and bully). He started back in 94 and he was new york, even today if you listen to his lyrics they were incredible, BUT he didnt get the radio time cause his music was next generation. The **** rappers today are talking about, is the **** L started back in the nineties until he was shot dead. He was a king of new york and did a song with Tupac right before his death called deadly combination,

HANDS DOWN BIG L R.I.P.

Common Market

Masta Ace....... until last week i didn't even know he still rapped. i thought he was just one of those old juice crew cats from the BDK days. but he is dropping some classic shyt all the way up to today and has still yet to sell out which is amazing.

as far as the bay area is concerned its mac dre

and of course i know scarface

Mac Mall

Dj Kool Herc

Redman