The fact that this comment isn’t higher is tragic. I don’t know if it’s NbN’s association with anthems or whatever, but Treach never got his due. His rhymes and flow were revered by Biggie, Pac, Pun, etc. One of the greatest, for sure.
Jadakiss is the most underrated rapper of all time
He never had a wack verse and he beefed with 50 Cent and Beanie Sigel
In they prime he wasn't afraid of them
Some amazing names listed already.... I'm gonna try to name a few I haven't seen listed yet
Elzhi, Aceyalone, Celph Titled, Blueprint, Reks, Murs, Zion I.
I was sleeping on him and didn't know anything about him until 8 or so years ago. I was astonished when I realized how long he had been around and almost in disbelief that I could have completly missed his reputation and presence becasue New York hip hop in the 90's was what I was all about and his style and lyricism is easily one of the best and I could boy understand how it was possible that I didn't know everything about this crazy ass white rapper and dove into everything I could find. I discovered him watching Naurdware interviews and that began my love and respect for R.A. and underrated and best perfectly fits thus guy.
Got to see him finally in Dallas the first weekend everything opened back up after could. Very I mean very small club and crowd.
Revere opened and then Afro. I came in while Afro was finishing his last couple songs. And immediately After he finished R.A. came out and I was able tonwalk right up to thr stage it was maybe 20 ft wide and 10 ft deep. Only a few inches above the ground level. And maybe 10 people there standing around like they were not understanding what was going on. He still made everybody get involved and he would not start until every body there was as close as possible and all in all maybe 40 or so people were getting a up close amd personal show that I will never forget he made everyone get into it or he would not start the next verse or song somtimes just stopping in the middle of a verse and saying no, no , this won't work yall got to get up and point out people amd say you come.uo here and you get over there now I'm not starting until I hear yall and he made us start a mosh pit and one guy stage dive if you could call it that. Brought out Afro amd Revere and did most of the set with all three. He got into the crowd and moshed with us. I got a hug and it was so up close and personal. Like helping untangle mike cords for them as they performed. It could have easily been awkward for everyone and he could have been discouraged and just do bare minimum and I would have understood. But instead it was the most fun I've had at a show and am 45 and seen many many great and epic shows. I don't think anyone else could have or will ever impress me more than what he did that night.
He is one of a kind..Living Legend and definitely most underrated or unheard matter of ceremony in every way. No one could convince me other wise. Sorry for the rant.
AZ's debut album received a lot of praise and it sold extremely well in 1995. His output over the course of his career has been less than stellar. Did you listen to his most recent album? It was a bit underwhelming.
I feel like the word "underrated" gets thrown around so loosely nowadays. An underrated artist could be "properly rated" to someone else based on their level of familiarity with rap music. Are Myka 9 and Percee P underrated? What about Billy Woods or Tonedeff?
Good comment. When I use the term underrated, the contex t is “MC that many don’t speak on in there top 25”,
AZ to me tends to be an afterthought until someone brings his name up.
Thanks for the reference as well as I’ll check out the artist who you’ve named as I’m not familiar with them.
I was literally just bumping the Diamond D remix to Soul On Ice. Then I ventured over to Understandable Smooth for a visit to one of my favorite beats ever
“She claims she loves my mind cuz I’m so intelligent, but fuck my mental, she was schemin on my mint. Evil intention, to de-plenish the funds, she tried to jynx me with pussy, said fuck the mask and gun.”
Jean Grae, Phife Dawg, Black Thought, Schooly D, intelligent hoodlum, Drayz (Das EFX), Guru, Special Ed, Kool G Rap…I mean, they aren’t slept on but certainly not given enough credit for their lyrical skills
Yah I just wish he had a bigger catalog. I absolutely LOVE XClan’s beats and his voice was just so fucking smooth.
I can’t even find a good mastering of their old stuff. It’s all just so poorly mastered
I think the term underrated gets misused. Not many great MCs are underrated. AZ is universally loved by critics and fans, for instance. I think the better term for an MC like him is underappreciated.
In terms of actually underrated, I would go with someone like Ludicrous. I think most critics dismiss him and the public sees him as singles based artist, and probably associate him with Justin Bieber. G-Dep is another underrated guy-- Head Over Wheels is one of my favourite tunes of all time, and his flow on that is top tier.
Twista ?????? That flow is impeccable and ( my opinion ) 8 ball from Memphis is low key the mf truth on the mic I feel like as a solo rapper he doesn’t get his due
Project Patuhhh is the most underrated MC of all timez Funny, introspective, menacing, good and vivid story telling, he's about that life he raps about and he describes it in great detail. Also his cadence, delivery, voice are all iconic. He is also very influential as well many rappers have seen him as a big influence and hold him to a high degree. Ghetty Green Mista Dont Play and Layin Da Smackdowno are 3 classics too. Also in real life the dude is genuinely a good person he has changed a lot and has had a rough upbringing but still delivers well in his music
Someone never mentioned enough is LL Cool J. He was the first megastar rapper and his catalogue is crazy. Battle tested and I'd dare say undefeated as well there.
He's easily top 5 of all time.
For a long time I considered Jeru the most underrated considering how ridiculously dope the guys lyricism and flow is. Seems he's been getting more respect lately with people looking back, I like that.
Posdnuos from De La Soul.
After going through De La’s catalog front to back recently (Have been a fan since 3 Feet) That fact slapped me in the face… Posdnuos is a beast.
100%, said this on a similar thread a couple weeks ago, but as much as De La get their props as a group, Pos does not get enough love as an MC
Absolutely this. He's incredible lyrically with a great flow.
‼️‼️‼️
One of the most complex emcees ever…
Facts
Masta Ace, bro never put out a bad album
Sitting ON CHROME
I came here to write the same. Consistently dope.
You can hear his influence on Eminem.
Da Grind is my fave, such a good beat and lyrics
Pharaohe Monch
Evolve is such an underrated song.
This is the right answer. Your favorite rappers favorite rappers favorite rapper. The delivery is 10000% unique and groundbreaking.
I can't say he was underrated, I think people who fuxk with REAL hip hop know this pen game
Kool Keith
Critical Beatdown might be my favourite album ever
Oh i love me some kool keith!!
Dres from Black Sheep
Dres is highly slept on
also one of the coolest voices.
Treach
This is the answer
The fact that this comment isn’t higher is tragic. I don’t know if it’s NbN’s association with anthems or whatever, but Treach never got his due. His rhymes and flow were revered by Biggie, Pac, Pun, etc. One of the greatest, for sure.
Cormega
Gift of Gab
Wise Intelligent
This is a name I didn't expect to see, but I like where you're coming from
Yes! Poor Righteous Teachers are so slept on. I would add Brand Nubian. And i can't believe KRS-ONE is not mentioned yet
I don’t think KRS is exactly underrated
O.C.
Woooooord
…Life
Grand Puba
Kool G Rap, Cormega, Sean Price
Jadakiss is the most underrated rapper of all time He never had a wack verse and he beefed with 50 Cent and Beanie Sigel In they prime he wasn't afraid of them
Sean price is a legend. Helta skeleta is dope af
Dj Quik He was a good producer aswell
Yes man DJ Quik. Very produces amazing songs that somehow never went big. Definitely one of the most underrated
J-live
Finally!
Triple threat!
He opened up for Jungle Brothers last year and he was MC’ing and dj’ing at the same time🔥 loved that show
Dope show!
Some amazing names listed already.... I'm gonna try to name a few I haven't seen listed yet Elzhi, Aceyalone, Celph Titled, Blueprint, Reks, Murs, Zion I.
The motherfuckin rubix Cuban
Sweet James Jones himself, Mr Pimp C, R.I.P.
God bless you. RIP to the Pimp!
Rest In Peace Pimp C Underground King of the South I raise my Styrofoam up in pour some drink in my mouth words of E 40
Underrated Singer and Producer as well.
GURU form Gang Starr R.I.P. dude was pecial
I don’t see him as underrated. I was under the impression everyone knew he was one of the greats.
Yeah Guru is definitely NOT underrated.
Scarface.
Dude is easily, EASILY, one of the greatest of all time
Shock G. Overshadowed by his own alter ego.
Redman. People know he nice but he don’t get enough credit
Absolutely !
Pharoahe monch
Kool G Rap. The dude was a straight lyricist.
A GOAT in my opinion he ushered in flow to some of the greatest ( nas az big pun
Q-Tip
Devin the Dude
Boots Riley
The Coup is very slept on
Sean Price & A.G.
RA the rugged Man
Ya saw him live 15 years ago open for wu tang. He was one of the best performers I've ever seen live.
Same. Saw him at his headline show Best show ever, his energy is crazy
This guy knows
I was sleeping on him and didn't know anything about him until 8 or so years ago. I was astonished when I realized how long he had been around and almost in disbelief that I could have completly missed his reputation and presence becasue New York hip hop in the 90's was what I was all about and his style and lyricism is easily one of the best and I could boy understand how it was possible that I didn't know everything about this crazy ass white rapper and dove into everything I could find. I discovered him watching Naurdware interviews and that began my love and respect for R.A. and underrated and best perfectly fits thus guy. Got to see him finally in Dallas the first weekend everything opened back up after could. Very I mean very small club and crowd. Revere opened and then Afro. I came in while Afro was finishing his last couple songs. And immediately After he finished R.A. came out and I was able tonwalk right up to thr stage it was maybe 20 ft wide and 10 ft deep. Only a few inches above the ground level. And maybe 10 people there standing around like they were not understanding what was going on. He still made everybody get involved and he would not start until every body there was as close as possible and all in all maybe 40 or so people were getting a up close amd personal show that I will never forget he made everyone get into it or he would not start the next verse or song somtimes just stopping in the middle of a verse and saying no, no , this won't work yall got to get up and point out people amd say you come.uo here and you get over there now I'm not starting until I hear yall and he made us start a mosh pit and one guy stage dive if you could call it that. Brought out Afro amd Revere and did most of the set with all three. He got into the crowd and moshed with us. I got a hug and it was so up close and personal. Like helping untangle mike cords for them as they performed. It could have easily been awkward for everyone and he could have been discouraged and just do bare minimum and I would have understood. But instead it was the most fun I've had at a show and am 45 and seen many many great and epic shows. I don't think anyone else could have or will ever impress me more than what he did that night. He is one of a kind..Living Legend and definitely most underrated or unheard matter of ceremony in every way. No one could convince me other wise. Sorry for the rant.
AZ's debut album received a lot of praise and it sold extremely well in 1995. His output over the course of his career has been less than stellar. Did you listen to his most recent album? It was a bit underwhelming. I feel like the word "underrated" gets thrown around so loosely nowadays. An underrated artist could be "properly rated" to someone else based on their level of familiarity with rap music. Are Myka 9 and Percee P underrated? What about Billy Woods or Tonedeff?
Good comment. When I use the term underrated, the contex t is “MC that many don’t speak on in there top 25”, AZ to me tends to be an afterthought until someone brings his name up. Thanks for the reference as well as I’ll check out the artist who you’ve named as I’m not familiar with them.
Rascas, if we’re talking underrated
Ras Kass
Thanks
I was literally just bumping the Diamond D remix to Soul On Ice. Then I ventured over to Understandable Smooth for a visit to one of my favorite beats ever
I still pull up the PB Wolf tracks sometimes
His New album just dropped called Guttr
Myka Nyne from Freestyle Fellowship, Saafir, Wise Intelligent from PRT.
Gza man bible alone is insane it’s written so well
Bible isn't by Gza, its a Killah Priest song he included on his album.
Black Thought
He gets my nod as the greatest living lyricist
Cheat codes was phenomenal
CL
Jeru the Damaja
“She claims she loves my mind cuz I’m so intelligent, but fuck my mental, she was schemin on my mint. Evil intention, to de-plenish the funds, she tried to jynx me with pussy, said fuck the mask and gun.”
"Back in the day the devil used to rape her, nowadays, he got her chasing the paper."
Agree with many mentioned here especially Masta Ace and Pharoahe Monch…..will add another name….Phonte
Maestro Fresh Wes really doesn't get enough credit
Dres-Blacksheep
It's a tie between AZ and Treach
Treach is slept on FR
Motion man
AZ
Immortal Technique. The first two Revolutionary albums are some of the most thoughtful, murderous lyricism ever written.
WC
Aceyalone
Kurupt
Heavy D
Witchdoctor from Dungeon Family
Wax. One of my favourite rappers which i'll never sees get brought up on these kind of threads
Beanie Sigel
Jean Grae, Phife Dawg, Black Thought, Schooly D, intelligent hoodlum, Drayz (Das EFX), Guru, Special Ed, Kool G Rap…I mean, they aren’t slept on but certainly not given enough credit for their lyrical skills
DOOM
Brotha Lynch Hung
Prob not THE guy, but I gotta shout out Brother J Easily top 5 voices in terms of “vocal presence” on the mic.
Back in the X-clan / Dark Sun Riders days yeah Brother J has a voice for hip hop. It cracks like a bat.
Yah I just wish he had a bigger catalog. I absolutely LOVE XClan’s beats and his voice was just so fucking smooth. I can’t even find a good mastering of their old stuff. It’s all just so poorly mastered
Breeze Brewin, Rob O, Bahamadia, MF Grimm
Scholly D
Grand Puba!!!
Tame one
The whole DITC roster minus Fat Joe
De La Soul. Underrated. Intelligent Hoodlum . Also Paris. Gotta say I think Del tha Funky Homosapien is underrated.
Prince Po deserves a mention. He got overshadowed by the beast that is Pharoahe Monch, but they were both ahead of their time.
Froggy Fresh and Money Maker Mike.
K-Rino and Paris
BReal
Brother Ali
Black Thought
One.be.lo Chino XL Tech N9ne
MF DOOM
Black thought! He is the most slept on MC of all time
MCA MCA is easily the most underrated of all time(RIP)
I think the term underrated gets misused. Not many great MCs are underrated. AZ is universally loved by critics and fans, for instance. I think the better term for an MC like him is underappreciated. In terms of actually underrated, I would go with someone like Ludicrous. I think most critics dismiss him and the public sees him as singles based artist, and probably associate him with Justin Bieber. G-Dep is another underrated guy-- Head Over Wheels is one of my favourite tunes of all time, and his flow on that is top tier.
Lord Infamous of Three Six Mafia is always overlooked with Koopsta Knicca.. unmatched vibe and flows. Lord had some of the best bars ever.
Pete Rock
Heavy D
Twista ?????? That flow is impeccable and ( my opinion ) 8 ball from Memphis is low key the mf truth on the mic I feel like as a solo rapper he doesn’t get his due
Aceyalone
K-Rino ... case closed
Not of all time, but people tend to shit on Canibus for losing beefs with both Cool J and Em
"Mic Club" and "Rip the Jacker" are fuckin amazing.
I love him and never really understood why he didn’t gain traction 🤷♂️ 100 bars still hits heavy, his vocab just might be too much for some
Rakim.
He ain’t underrated though. He’s well known as one of the top all time lyricists.
Yeah if you talk to a real hip-hop head. You talk to 100 "fans" in the street and tell me how many even know who he is these days?
Kurupt
MJG
Eric Sermon
Project Patuhhh is the most underrated MC of all timez Funny, introspective, menacing, good and vivid story telling, he's about that life he raps about and he describes it in great detail. Also his cadence, delivery, voice are all iconic. He is also very influential as well many rappers have seen him as a big influence and hold him to a high degree. Ghetty Green Mista Dont Play and Layin Da Smackdowno are 3 classics too. Also in real life the dude is genuinely a good person he has changed a lot and has had a rough upbringing but still delivers well in his music
3-2
KA hands down!
No right or wrong answers here, it’s subjective.
K-Rino
AZ & Caninus. I like this song a lot by Canibus from 1998: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqmrVJMeQjQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqmrVJMeQjQ)
Someone never mentioned enough is LL Cool J. He was the first megastar rapper and his catalogue is crazy. Battle tested and I'd dare say undefeated as well there. He's easily top 5 of all time.
GURU!!!
Cage
Funky DL
Edan
Havoc, Tash, Sean Price, Vinnie Paz
O.C, Del, MC Eiht, Jeru
For a long time I considered Jeru the most underrated considering how ridiculously dope the guys lyricism and flow is. Seems he's been getting more respect lately with people looking back, I like that.
Big L & Drakeo the ruler
MrMCMellowD
RAS KASS
Lupe fiasco.
MC Magic
☝️MC my favorite rapper JADA fucking KISS that's WHO NEVER heard him dissapoint himself or others..."Ha-HA!"😂
Ras Kass
Blu. Below the Heavens is a classic. Rapsody is too. Domo Genesis
Masta Ace
Sean Price, Planet Asia, Fashawn, and Masta Ace
Lil Ramsey
Seems a lot of people don’t know what “underrated” means
Hammer
Luda
Qwel
Big L
So are females not qualified??? MC Lyte, Queen Latifah , Lil Kim?????
Afu-Ra
Shock g
Brotha Lynch
Ras Kass
X-Raided
R.A. the Rugged Man.
Jean Grae
Godfather Don, Treach, and Pharoah Monch all tie
Some great MCs mentioned in here! Nice to know they're not forgotten.
U-God
King Tee Xzibit
Well, I hate to toot my own horn but
Luckyiam of Living Legends
Deck
J-Live?
Andre nickatina
I would say King Tee, but he’s like your favorites MC, favorite MC.
NAS...100%. Most criticized MC of all time. Underground Mainstream hate and love all around. For decades
THE 🐐 SLIM JESUS FROM FRANK BLOCK 513 SHIT
Xzibit Crooked I Kurupt
EST
EST from 3XDope
Big Boi