who do you guys consider lyrical rappers?

[budsmokeronly]

I don't consider many I listen to very lyrical.  and what do you really consider lyrical?  I consider a lyrical rapper as someone who comes up with creative topics + creative ways of getting their message across + doing it with words/phrases/metaphores/ that are not commonly used.  also I consider lyrical rappers best aspect of them is their lyrics (as opposed to flow, voice, energy, concepts)

I consider Eminem a very lyrical rapper.  I don't listen to him though, but I give him props on his creativity and lyrics.

Crooked I is pretty lyrical, although I think his flow way outshines his lyrics.
His subject matters are really nothing new.

I just got into rappers such as ras kass, cali agents, sly boogy, krondon, phil da agony, defari.  they seem pretty lyrical to me.

Nocturnal hustlaz are also very lyrical.

[N-Sane Brain]

Canibus has the best metaphors in the game! He's very creative in his rhymes - so creative that most people don't understand what he's tryna say at the first time. For example his tracks on the new album, like "Genabis", "No Return" or "Poet Laureate II" have different deep meanings, which people don't recognize by hearin' it only one time. I'm a member at the canibusWORLD board and there we discussed the meanings of the three tracks above and the other members mentioned so many things, that I would've never pointed out

I think I chose the wrong favourite rapper 'Cause he's much to genius, so that I'm not able to understand every meaning of his tracks. Difficult if English isn't your mother-language

[Twentytwofifty]

Very lyrical MCs to me have extensive vocabularys first of all, use different "tricks" like similies, metaphors, etc., and use different rhyme patterns.

Examples of great lyricists are Rakim & Gza/Genius.


Canibus is a great lyricist but he has too much bullshit, like using "big" words just for the sake of it.

[SGV]

Planet Asia, Rasco, Chace Infinite, Ras Kass, Sly Boogy, Dirty Bird, Casual, Aceyalone, Busdriver, 2Mex, Pharoahe Monch, Skillz, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Gift Of Gab, TechN9ne, Brother Ali etc

[Jome]

The most complex rapper with the most metaphors and hidden meanings, GOTS TO be Pharoahe Monch.
Ras Kass isn't far behind, but he seems a notch simpler than Pharoahe when it comes to hidden meanings.

Those 2 are reigning pretty much supreme above the competiton, imo.
Too bad none of them are not known for releasing a bunch of albums, like e.g. more commerical complex rappers like Nas, Jay-Z, etc.

[UnstoppableForce]

Too bad none of them are not known for releasing a bunch of albums

Are there hidden meanings in your sentences , or do you naturally just not make sense?

[Don Breezio]

50 cizzle fo' shizzle
chingeezy for sheezy
nelly nell from da STL

[CRAFTY]

Talib Kweli
Rakim
Nas
Pharoahe Monch
Ras Kass
Canibus
Eminem
Crooked I
Mos Def
Blackalicious

[DJ_Jay_Deee]

7l & Esoteric, Chino xl, Apathy, Akrobatik, J5, Dialted peoples, brother ali, Mr. Lif, Juice, Foreign Legion, Immortal technique, Hilltops Hoods, J-Live, Jeru, Juggaknots, Masta Ace, Motion Man, Task Force, Jehst, Nas, Lyrical Commission, Virtuoso, Zion I, Hilltop Hoods....Too many to mention.

[On The Edge of Insanity]

People have mentioned the majority of lyrical rappers

I have to say that at the moment it probably is between Pharoahe, who not only has amazing lyrics, but the way his flow puts the words together makes him sound even more lyrical, Ras Kass and of course i'm gonna say Talib Kweli.

Then you have the people that C2Knuckles mentioned such as Rakim and The GZA, who are probably as lyrical as the people mentioned above, but it is a much more understated lyricism. Because of their flows you sometimes do not realise how lyrical they actually are, until you sit down and listen to it properly.

And i'm gonna add Abdominal, even though most of you probably don't know who he is cause I think he is an amazing lyricist. Check Hit Song by DJ Format featuring him and you will see what I mean.

However I have to disagree with one of Nuff Said's choices, J5 are not particulary lyrical, they have been described as having rhyming by numbers raps in the past, and as dope as they are, its more to do with their flow than anything.

[HD]

Hieroglyphics

[Twentytwofifty]

Canibus has the best metaphors in the game! He's very creative in his rhymes - so creative that most people don't understand what he's tryna say at the first time. For example his tracks on the new album, like "Genabis", "No Return" or "Poet Laureate II" have different deep meanings, which people don't recognize by hearin' it only one time. I'm a member at the canibusWORLD board and there we discussed the meanings of the three tracks above and the other members mentioned so many things, that I would've never pointed out

I think I chose the wrong favourite rapper 'Cause he's much to genius, so that I'm not able to understand every meaning of his tracks. Difficult if English isn't your mother-language

And you know that what Canibus did there is not a good thing, right?  
If you don't even know what the song means and someone has to explain it to you then he's not being very comprehensible, and that shows his MC skills are lacking.
His problem is that no matter what type of song he does, he sounds the same.  He sounds the same on a song where he battling some faceless opponent as when he telling a story or some concept record.  
Same flow, same vocal tone, same speed...

[N-Sane Brain]

...If you don't even know what the song means and someone has to explain it to you then he's not being very comprehensible, and that shows his MC skills are lacking...

As I said before, I'm from Germany and English isn't my mother-language! I don't understand many things, if it consists vocabulary that isn't taught in school (I think my vocabulary is much bigger than the one I learned at school, but you know what I mean). And I never said, that I don't understand 'Bis. I understand every song, but sometimes there are "hidden" meanings, that are difficult to point out, if you don't understand every word in the song. BTW: It's bad, that you didn't understood the irony when I said, I think I chose the wrong favourite rapper

...He sounds the same on a song where he battling some faceless opponent as when he telling a story or some concept record...

Is this thread about lyrics or delivery/flow? And I don't want to start another discussion about different opinions, that's SGV's job

[Twentytwofifty]

As I said before, I'm from Germany and English isn't my mother-language! I don't understand many things, if it consists vocabulary that isn't taught in school (I think my vocabulary is much bigger than the one I learned at school, but you know what I mean). And I never said, that I don't understand 'Bis. I understand every song, but sometimes there are "hidden" meanings, that are difficult to point out, if you don't understand every word in the song. BTW: It's bad, that you didn't understood the irony when I said, I think I chose the wrong favourite rapper

Look, I'm not trying to clown you for not understanding Canibus.  Many people that have an excellent grasp of the English language will still miss some of his messages and meanings.  And this happens because of the reasons I stated before and the fact that he forces "big" words and just uses them for the sake of using them sometimes.

Is this thread about lyrics or delivery/flow?

No, but as a discussion occurs sub-topics emerge and I needed to mention that to explain something.

[Adam Donnelly]

Canibus It gots to be