Like i said, there is exceptions. Eminem is one of my favourite rappers and arguably the greatest of all time. There is a lot of mainstream rappers i like. It's best not to bother labelling them "mainstream" or "underground". For every great rapper (underground or otherwise) there is around 50 crap rappers.

And of course the underground has more bad rappers than great rappers if you were to put it in a ratio but that's because any one who even attempts rapping and isn't signed to a major label is considered underground. But still, i can name more great "underground" rappers than i can mainstream ones. The underground is more versatile, the mainstream is extremely repetitive. Sure everyone might deliver the song differently or have a different approach to writing it but it's always the same stuff. They've found a formula that works (by works i mean makes them rich) and therefore are sticking with that formula. The underground is filled with people trying new stuff every day. They're not limited by their manager and contract telling them what kind of music they need to make and how many albums they need to sell if they want to keep their deal.

Truth of the matter is you can take pretty much every mainstream rapper you mentioned and look at their entire discography. Chances are it's their underground material and there first big album that are the best. The longer they go on the worse it gets and the more they sell out. Discarding what rap and hip hop is all about in exchange for making millions (eminem being a prime example)

It wasn't so bad in the mid-90's and anytime before that because there wasn't as much money in the rap industry. But now rappers are entertainers and businessmen more than lyricists. They seem to have forgotten what rap is about and just see it as a way to make money and live the high life. I'm not saying it's there fault, it's just the way their mind(our mind) has been conditioned (or attempted to be conditioned) after years of having the glamour and celebrity life style thrown in our face.

"He's lost, in the world of the stars with the girls and the cars. He's lost.
And he wants that dream but he's unable to see he's lost.
Now on the road they map so there's no way back he's lost."

Mos Def


Ecstatic album

Peace before anything.. God before everything.. LOve before anything.. Real before everything... Humble for anyplace... Truth before anything...

Jay-Z



Song Cry

I can't see 'em comin down my eyes
So I gotta make the song cry
I can't see 'em comin down my eyes
So I gotta make the song cry

A face of stone, was shocked on the other end of the phone
Word back home is that you had a special friend
So what was oh so special then?
You have given away without gettin at me
That's your fault, how many times you forgiven me?
How was I to know that you was plain sick of me?
I know the way a nigga livin was whack
But you don't get a nigga back like that!
**** I'm a man with pride, you don't do **** like that
You don't just pick up and leave and leave me sick like that
You don't throw away what we had, just like that
I was just ****in them girls, I was gon' get right back
They say you can't turn a bad girl good
But once a good girl's goin bad, she's gone forever..
And more forever
**** I gotta live with the fact I did you wrong forever

Lil Wayne
La La La...


But I ain't tellin jokes... apparently
Apparent, yeah my daughter be the twinkle of my eye
You hurt her, you kill me and nigga I ain't bout to die
See y'all are at ground, and my daughter is my sky
I swear I look in her face and I just want to break out and fly
Four tears in my face and you ain't never heard me cry
I'm richer than all y'all, I got a bank full of pride




Ice Cube
Blame Gangster Rap

R..A...W...

Its about Dope Lyrics and Delivery.
Im UTah i got multiple bitches..
and reconize im the capt and you the liutenant





SPM

Mom I promise one day Imma stop
Imma grow up and be an astronaut...
Daddy represent the Screwston TEx
Every body knows that my back is not DRy



Immortal Technique

OBnoxious

dope ****.


I only got five but there you go.
Its Hip hop and Rap a lil of both.

Man, i made a little controversy. I do like bands that are underground, but rap, maybe I just didn't hear anything I like yet. The music is a big thing for me also, if it doesn't do anything for me, than what can i say...still looking for alternatives though.

I'm not sure what you're getting at, why wouldn't underground hip hop qualify as rap music? Who have you tried listening to? I'm sure with the right suggestions you'll find something you can dig.

I just listened to that immortal technique clip, not bad.

BTW, I meant the music of a song as opposed to the rapping, i.e. beats, melodies.

Bleh, Jungle Brothers. Influential and good, I guess, but I don't like listening to them at all, so boring. De La Soul, like, made it right. Plus, they did more with samples and had for more impressive beats - and they have done more to earn more credibility than Jungle Brothers. Not to mention, the rappers were far more interesting.

For ATCQ vs. De La Soul vs. Jungle Brothers, I give the edge to De La Soul for reasons aforementioned.

Just because the idea of A Tribe Called Quest existed before De La Soul put out their first album makes no difference. I know, they all existed at same times, and so on. It's like the Big Daddy Kane vs. Rakim thing, there's not a solid winner on "who did it first," because they both were doing it at the same time.

lol @ Rolling Stone.

I thought you didn't like Busdriver. Have you come around or do I have you confused with someone else?

No, you're right. I think Busdriver is a talented artist with a different approach to certain conventions in hip hop, but he's just not for me.. maybe for someone looking for a wider range of delivery, but I can't call myself a full blown fan just yet.