Just curious, I used to absolutely hate rap, but recently got into it a few months ago.

Well needless to say now I'm addicted. I don't like most mainstream Rap however. "Artists" like "Lil Wayne" are complete trash IMO. They overall give Rap a bad name, most "Gangster" rap for that matter IMO is quite worthless.

My favorite rapper has to be Lupe Fiasco, he's brilliant and arguably the best in the business in terms of lyrical prowess, in that respect he is a genius. I'm looking forward to his new album LASERS coming out soon.

I graduated from gangsta rap and now I tend to listen to the likes of Kanye West, Nas, Common, Talib Kweli, and other similar rappers. I still like Eminem and Lil Wayne (two of the best lyricists) and I spent my whole life hating Jay-Z only to start liking him, recently.

If Kanye would stick to rapping instead of singing, he'd be on top of my list, though.

I absolutely hate rap.

WTF?  Then explain your Flava Flav avatar.

And that was a hot video, Necromunda.  I have a bootleg of Lupe's first CD but I only listened to the singles.  Looks like I'd better give him my full attention.  His style is right up my alley. 

There have been 4 posts in this thread an no one has mentioned Andre 3000. What the hell?

I don't know about favorite, but all my favorites have been mentioned: Common, Kanye, Lupe, and now Andre.

The newcomer B.o.B shows a lot of promise.

Finally, Travis from Gym Class Heroes is kind of my "I recognize he's not at the same level as these other guys, but I still really like his stuff for some reason" guy.

You realize Lil Wayne is considered one of the most non respected artists in terms of lyrical talent right? lol =P

Heres a few more Lupe Fiasco that aren't singles but are absolute lyrical masterpieces:

This ones my favorite song by him, Little Weapon, its absolutely brilliant:

Another:

And one more:

All together I love his "The Cool" album, quite amazing IMO.

Lil Wayne is hated by people who only listen to his studio albums. I didn't even like the guy when he was with Cash Money/Hot Boyz. I thought he was garbage. Then I started hearing all of his mix tapes and I thought, "This guy is good". Maybe a year or two later and he was going platinum with Tha Carter. I hated that fucking album. A few more years and he's on everybody's single. From Kevin Rudolf to Madonna. There's a reason for his success and it ain't his good looks.

Andre 3000 alone is Meh, OutKast on the other hand is absolutely brilliant. They have two of the most highly acclaimed albums of all time and I love them both. And yes, B.o.B does show quite a bit of promise.

Heres a few you guys may not have heard of...

Chiddy Bang:

Example: (I've been addicted to this guy for awhile, all of his singles that have been released so far are brilliant, he has his new album coming out June 20th, its going to be epic IMO, he has a more pop/rap feel, but is extremely good in his forte)

N.A.S.A: (There is only one song in particular that sticks out for me, but its brilliant, you being a fan of Kanye should love it)

Wale: (I just recently started listening to him)

Wiz Khalifa:

So, tell me what you guys think about everyone.

To be fair, his Studio Albums are an absolute disgrace to rap, being good on his mixtapes and selling out to be mainstream and successful on his studio albums doesn't ride well with me. He's on everyones single because he's successful, and brings in the money, he's mainstream, not because he's amazing. All in all he certainly isn't the future of Rap and Hip Hop, quite honestly artists like Lupe and KiD CuDi are the future.

For weeks, I thought B.O.B. WAS Andre 3000!!!  Their styles were so similar and Outkast had that song called B.O.B. back in the late 90's.  But yeah.  I lived in Atlanta for a couple of years and I go to Savannah, Ga on almost a weekly basis.  Much respect for Andre 3000 and his less visible but still awesome partner, Big Boi.  ATLiens and Aquemini--hell, all of their albums were in heavy rotation in my car for a looooooooong time.