Rakim - Top of the line. Brought more technical rhyme flow innovations, delivery, and complex lyrics to the table than any rapper before him. It took rappers years to even get close to catching up. Two eras of rap: Before Rakim and after.Nas - If you don't know...In 93, "The Source" (back when the magazine still had some integrity) called Nas the second coming of Rakim.Eminem - The brilliant white boy is hard to handle. He's a rare throwback rapper with battle skiils as tremendous as his writing abilities. If he was black he would probably have been overlooked though. Pac - Relied on emotion and voice more than sharp lyrics. But nobody could rhyme about so many scenarios and topics as convincingly as Tupac. Coded messages, sex, systemic criticism, thuggery, his own death prophecies... His ambition almost created a religion to some.Ice T - I wanted to put Slick Rick or KRS in here. But neither were as courageous or consistent as Ice. He was so far ahead of the game. He put out four straight classic albums. Classics! He never bragged about being a crip. He called out Presidents by name. A gangster that could spit credibly about Iran-Contra as deftly as telling a tale about a heist or getting the party started. Unfortunately, his rhyme skills diminished as he grew in fame. Lyrically, he never topped his first album and by the time Bush ended his career in early 92, he was spent anyway.