Top 5 MC's

Hip hop is my heart and soul. I think it. I dream it. I breathe it. I live for music itself actually. I can't believe that I haven't done this already, but here are my top 5 favorite rappers. Believe it or not my list doesn't consist of Jay Z, Tupac, or Lil Wayne. There are very few people who name their top 5 without at least one of those, and though all 3 have been influential to hip hop, none of them are personal favorites of mine. So. . . here goes nothing.

1) Eminem is without a doubt my favorite rapper. Everything that comes out of his mouth is so raw, and I love that about him. He doesn't sugarcoat things so that they sound better. He doesn't try to hide his past. He wants his fans to know who he is as a person, the good and the bad. Everything from Infinite to Recovery has been nothing less than amazing. . . though he has put out a few songs here and there that were BS. My favorite Eminem album is The Marshall Mathers LP by far. It's my favorite hip hop album of all time.

2) Number 2 on my list is a hip hop artist named Common, formerly known as Common Sense. There are few hip hop songs that I have listened to that compare to his "I Used To Love H.E.R.", a song about how hip hop as changed over the years. It is arguably one of the best hip hop songs of all times. He is a wonderful lyricist, and I love his flow. Though it seems that Common has lost himself with his most recent album, everything else has been dope. Be is in my top 10 hip hop albums of all time. . . and I believe it always will be.

3) Joe Budden is numero tres on my list. Unless you've already had a conversation with me about my favorite rappers. . . I bet you're shocked. Most people hear his name and automatically remember how terrible his single Pump It Up was. They overlook Mood Muzik 3, Padded Room, and Escape Route. If they actually listened to those albums they would know how dope Joey really is. He raps about real shit. Emotional shit. Relateable shit. If you haven't given him a fair chance, please do. Are you in that mood yetttt? No. . . ? Well you should be!

4) Andre Lauren Benjamin, better known as Andre 3000 of Outkast comes in at number four on my list. His style is just so fresh, and though that has nothing to do with his amazing ability to rap, it does help him a little. Lyrically he is one of the best in the game. No question about it. His voice is so unique, and I love it. He's been coming out with some new music lately, and I can't wait for his mixtape to drop!

5) Last, but certainly not least is Talib Kweli. I fell in love with him the moment I heard his poetry on Def Poetry Jam. He really opened my eyes about a lot of issues, especially religion. He performed a piece called Hell on Def Poetry that he later turned into a song that I feel everyone should listen to. We're going to see great things from him in the near future. Just wait and see.

Honorable mentions:
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