Best Top 10 Old & New School Rappers

1. Tupac: Although a lot of people differ about Tupac being a great lyricist, it' still obvious that Tupac made a big impact in the rap game as far as his lyrics. Songs such as Brenda's got a baby, So many Tears and Hail Mary showed his ability to be versatile and descriptive on a song. The detail he went into on his songs earns him a spot as a top lyricist. While other artist used cold blooded metaphors, Tupac kept it raw and gritty by getting right to the point. Sometimes the best lyrics are those that don't require much thinking, straight and direct is what Tupac was all about.

2. Rakim: Rakim was known for his uncut New York cocaine flow. His tough lyrics somehow stuck to the beats like glue as he weaved in and out of rhymes. Even though he tagged teamed with Eric B on albums, Rakim really proved the star he was on his own solo albums. Rakim has the ablity to change the tempo of an entire album, like The 18th letter was bad on production but awesome in lyric potential. Rakim is perhaps the greatest MC of all time as he spoke crazy metaphors about real ghetto street tales.

3. Biggie: Biggie was really known for his ability to tell stories within a song. The album Ready to Die showed "Frank White" at his best as he swayed back and forth thru the tracks telling in detail stories. Line for line Biggie described the whole scene within his words to where you could actually picture everything he was saying. He made it feel as though you were right there seeing what he was seeing. Ready to die was a classic due to his ability to narrate street urban tales.

4. Kool G Rap: Kool G Rap is another rapper that could go in the same category as Rakim. G Rap utilized his time and experiences from the hood to make it big. He flipped and twisted words and metaphors like nobody else could. On the album 4,5,6 he laced the song "Money on my Brain" with poisonous lines like "I learned from the best the ones that's livin' and the one's put to rest/ So I bless my chest with a vest and pack a Smit-N-West/ And then I'm off to get the snaps, not the scraps/ The game is to be a real mac, the name is Kool G Rap." Lines such as that show why he's respected as one of the best lyricist of all time.

5. Eminem: Despite what you may think about "Slim Shady", he is one of the most versatile lyricists in the rap game today. He switches his flow on track more often then people switch clothes. The demented mind of Eminem is expressed in every one of his songs as he rhymes in different patterns to the beat. This is one of few artists who probably doesn't even need a beat to showcase his lyrical talent. No artist today can touch the mic skills of Eminem.

6. Jay-Z: Jay-Z is best known for his ability to flow like water. His lyrics are laced with real life scriptures. The album Reasonable Doubt had to be the best album of his career as he took listeners on a verbal ride through his mind. The New York native surfs the beats like a wave as he flip verbs back and forth. With tale after tale of his New York upbringing he manages to take creativity to the highest degree by never repeating the same line twice.

7. Nas: Nas is probably the greatest example of New York rap as he displays smooth rhymes with a combination of great lyrics. Although Nas has yet to put out new material, Illmatic was considered a ghetto classic in the hip hop community. More than sticking to the urban street tales, Nas blends the good with the bad in his lyrics as he tells both sides of a situation. He can be compared to Biggie in a lot of ways the way he tells stories in explicit details.

8. Lloyd Banks: Lloyd Banks speaks an incredible reality when it comes to lyrics as he's in the same category as Eminem. Lloyd rarely says the same lines and when he does it's in different formats and words. Crowned Best Mixtape Artist of the year a couple years ago, Lloyd is on his way to being one of the greats with lyrics like "You trippin', more records could get my ass in position/ Death waits for no religion whether Catholic or Christian/ Listen, I went thru mama bitchin' in and out the kitchen/ With probable cause, papa was in and out the prison/ You got soldiers but you still gotta respect ours/ We got more four fives and nines than a deck of cards." It's easy to see why he got the mixtape award with endless metaphors such as those.

9. Cassidy: For those trying to battle Cassidy for his lyricist title, keep trying. Cassidy is best known for his historical freestyle battle with fellow Philadelphian rapper Freeway. Cassidy sticks to what he know when he raps, drugs, women and money. Most rappers that stick to limited subjects have a tendency to be very repetitive but Cassidy is the exact opposite. On the song titled "Crack" from his "I'm a Hustler" album he spits potent lines like "Ima blow like propane cause the flow flames/ It'll have you looking like the cooked version of cocaine/ I spit crack homie...never been whack homie/ I'm back homie...and I hold weight like I'm fat Tony/ Like a Soprano I stay with the ammo/ Push keys and make music but don't play the piano/ You could get blam yo!....I'm nice with the hands though/ You'll be looking like Rocky if you play like your Rambo." Tongue lashing verses like that show that Cassidy is still a force to be reckoned with.

10. Lil Wayne: It's proven that since Lil' Wayne was a kid; his lyrics have proceeded to get better over time. The "Southside kid" has an unquestionable up north flow that he switches up over every beat. The self proclaimed "Greatest Rapper Alive" may be taking a giant leap with that title, but he's just about there. His flow game is laced with quick witty metaphors and harsh down south lyrics. Constantly changing his pattern of rap through out a song, Lil' Wayne breaks the stereotype of down south rappers with abc rhyme scemes, and takes it to the lyrical skies.

Honorable mentions: Big L, Method Man, Scarface, Eve, Jadakiss, Papoose, Big Pun, Talib, Ice Cube, Chino XL, Common, E-40