Hands down, Jon Lajoie. Here are the lyrics of the verse by MC Necrophiliac from "WTF Collective 3": MC necrophiliac, where all my dead bodies at? Crashing funerals just so that I can get a whiff of that Decomposing bodies scent, my favorite aphrodisiac Flat lining gives me a Pavlovian erection in my pants Turn-offs include breathing, pulses, and signs of life My turn-ons are rigor mortis, cold flesh, and suicide If you're not stiff as a board, I won't be stiff and I'll be bored Wait, what do we have here? Looks like I'm about to score! [video=youtube;GJ5M6qViacQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ5M6qViacQ[/video]
Just a few off the top of my head: Nas - One of the more obvious choices. Mid-career stagnation aside, he's been one of the most reliably great emcees for 20 years now. Rakim - Hasn't released anything great in a long time, but his skills are undeniable. Kool G Rap - Probably not as well known to people on here. He pretty much laid the groundwork for Nas, Jay-Z, and B.I.G. He's right up there with Rakim in pure technical ability. Q-Tip - Definitely my favorite "conscious" rapper, mostly because he didn't always feel the need to fit that label. He was just as comfortable rhyming with Nas as rhyming with De La Soul. The Notorious B.I.G. - I don't think I even need to say anything. Method Man - Even though he was far and away the most popular Wu member, I think he's super underrated, which isn't surprising when you're in the same group as Raekwon and Ghostface. Redman - I feel like I shouldn't even call him underrated anymore. Eminem cites him as one of his biggest influences, so listen to Red's shit, kiddies. Andre 3000 - He's probably more well known for stuff like "Hey Ya" to the general public (which is a fucking awesome song, by the way), but I've never heard a Dre verse that I didn't like. Scarface - I can't think of any rapper who was able to convey things like death and sorrow while still sounding as commanding as any other hardcore emcee. For my money, he's the best southern rapper of all time. I left out a shit-ton of great rappers, but that's a pretty good cross-section I think.
Aesop Rock Kendrick Lamar Eminem(Well.. kind of) MC Ride Rakim Well I am not going to explain(because I can't lol) it is so subjective but those stick out to me from the rappers I have heard.
I've only dabbled a bit in rap, mainly due to listening to Linkin Park and others who have collaborated with the band. Besides M. Shinoda "The Cobra Holder", I would have to say Ryu and Tak from Styles of Beyond are pretty good. For whatever the reason(s), Tak's verses on The Rising Tied really connect with me at times. I also still enjoy Chali 2Na's verse in FRGT/10 on Reanimation, as it really helped reinforce the dark, gritty picture that the song paints as I listen to it.