I know(i think) something similar has been done before, but I'm always looking for new hip hop to check out, so .... I figure I'll try this again..

Here are mine, in no particular order

1)Atmosphere - From Minnesota. A very talented(albeit slightly rough) rapper. The album Lucy Ford is a "must own" in any hip hop's fans library.

2)Aesop Rock - A little known(at least in the mainstream) rapper. He has apparently given up rapping, but his albums are still worth a listen. The "Labor Days" album, is one of my all time favorites.

3)Tech N9ne - Somewhat unknown rapper from Kansas City. Some say he is only average, I find him downright amazing. His beats and flows are 2nd to none. The soon to be released "Absolute Power" CD is ****ing incredible IMHO.

4)Jurassic 5 - I can't say enough good things about these guys. Some of the most amazing lyrics/beats I've ever heard. All 3 of their official CDs are amazing.

5)Blackalicious - Just check out Blazing Arrow and tell me you aren't impressed.

Might want to tell Aes Rock that he's given up rapping so he can stop recording Bazooka Tooth.

No order:

Blackalicious
Del the Funky Homosapien
Latyrx
Aceyalone
OutKast

Quasimoto | "The Unseen" is a must-own album

Anti-Pop Consortium | they have recently broken up but check out their stuff on Warp

Boom Bip

Cannibal Ox | "The Cold Vein" is a awesome album and was produced by f'n El Producto

Zion I | check out "Mind Over Matter"

Bookie
Chino XL
Jayo Felony
Common
Biggie

Those are a few of my favorites.

I own Overcast by Atmosphere. It's great too.

Well, my tastes run a bit more mainstream than yours... I used to only listen to rap, but as my musical horizons expanded I shied away from the harsher, more hardcore rap. Still:



Mos Def and Talib Kweli: Black Star, Black on Both Sides, and Reflection Eternal are three of my favorite CDs of all time.

Jurassic 5: Quality Control is probably the rap album that's gotten the most playing time in the past year. I haven't had time to fully listen to their new CD, but what I've heard is quite good.

The Roots: Though they got some spotlight back in 99, I still think these guys have been highly underrated. I hear they have a new album coming out soon; I can't wait.

Tupac Shakur: My first rap artist. He has an astounding body of work, and who knows what else he could have made of himself? Too bad his potential was cut short so soon.

OutKast: Their rap is inventive, boisterous, and above all, fun.

Del the Funky Homosapien
Latyrx
Blackalicious
A Tribe Called Quest
The Roots

In no particular order:

Wu-Tang Clan (early stuff)
Dr. Dre
Digital Underground
Jay-Z
Mos Def

N.W.A.
Eazy-E
Grandmaster Flash
The Fat Boys
Run D.M.C.

I'm Old Skool.

No particular order...

Jay Z
Eminem
Nas
Biggie
Snoop Dogg


But some of the ones you guys said I like too...

Blacklicious, Outkast, Tech N9ne, Atmosphere (MN ), on and on. Don't really have a top 5.

random order

common

2pac

eminem (sometimes, his 2 new songs are crazy, especially the one with xzibit- "my name"

Big L

Nas (just for Illmatic alone)

some other notables

Blackstar (mos def and talib kweli)
sticky fingaz
M.O.P.
Arsonists
Blackalicious
Red Man
Method Man
Rakim

Wow, I even forgot aobut some of these guys..

Method Man and Redman for one... Damn.

Mine:

Eminem
LL Cool J
Public Enemy
Ice T
Ice Cube

And a special nasty shout out to the old 2 Live Crew!

If I have to limit it to 5:

The Fugees (Wyclef Jean, Pras, Lauryn Hill)
Outcast
Del The Funky Homosapien
Tupac
Snoop Dogg


Also...

Ice Cube
Ludacris
Tribe Called Quest
DMX
Dr. Dre
Notorious B.I.G.
The Roots
Wu-Tang Clan

Blackalicious
J5
Eyedea
Mos Def/Talib Kweli/Blackstar
Asheru and Blue Black
Swamburger
Q-Tip/ATCQ/Pep Love
Common
De La Soul (old and new)
Del/Hieroglyphics/Handsome Boy Modeling School/Deltron 3030
There's also my little subcategories of ish I like a lot but listen to less because it's not really "happy" hip-hop. It's mostly negative stuff, like:

Atmosphere
Cannibal OX
El-P (Fantastic Damage)
Aesop Rock
Kool Keith/Doc Oc

NWA
Public Enemy
Wu-Tang
Eric B & Rakim
Ice-T

Outkast
Jay-Z
Tupac
Ice Cube (During the "Death Certificate" days)
Scarface

*Honorable Mentions*
Eminem- Crazy flows and linguistics
B.I.G- Cut down as he was reaching his peak. Very few rappers second album shows as much flow/word play improvement as his did.

i mean, there's a lot to say here, but...

1. JURASSIC 5. amazing. i have listened to Quality Control too many times, EP just as many.

2. MOS DEF/TALIB KWELI. together or apart

3. THE ROOTS. i have Things Fall Apart, and i don't adore it. i am obsessed with Come Alive. yes, it's many of the same songs, but their lightheartedness, their presence, i would love to see them live.

4. DE LA SOUL. gotta go with De La right here, from 3 Feet High, to De La is Dead, to the new AOI albums, i have to recognize their ability to stay fresh, new, and amazing.

5. DIGIBLE PLANETS and THE PHARCYDE and WU-TANG CLAN. i'm going to have to tie these two i love these groups without a doubt. old wu-tang, though

would love to put blackalicious, tribe called quest, ludacris (he's fun, admit it) nas, digible on this list as well

What is it with the wu-tang? I'll admit it too, their old stuff was ridiculously better than the new stuff. The new stuff isn't horrible, but man, 36 chambers is awesome. The Pillage is awesome, as is Beneath the Surface, Tical, Return to the 36 Chambers (Good ODB ), the Deck and the first GZA. A lot of people like the Ghost and the Raek (Cuban Linx) but I didn't like them. But everything after that sucked imho.

I'm listening to some stuff right now, that is reallll nice. It's called I.N.I.

Outcast
Ice Cube
Biggie
Tupac
Coolio

Twiztid
Juicy J
Jaymo
Psychopathic Rydas
Level Jumpers

I like mostly Detroit underground

Cuban Linx is pure butter. I agree with Ghostface's first album. I wasn't too fond of it but all of his new stuff is excellent.

MC Hammer
Vanilla Ice
Snow
That guy who did the rap on Michael Jackson's Black & White
The Olsen twins' Lunch Pale rhymes

This is kind of confusing, since Vanilla Ice does not rap anymore, technically. He's a nu-metal hybrid artist now. His OLDER stuff is rap, but not his newer stuff, so you might want to qualify it that way.

talib kweli/mos def (black star)
jurassic 5
de la soul
biz markie
tribe called quest

and i have to say that i like busta rhymes as well but i don't really dig his newer stuff so he didn't make the list.