20 years? I had no idea! So Paris is actually the original b1tch slappin cop-killin ghetto nigga?

No, that was Schoolly D

I see...

Nas. Without a shadow of a doubt.

100% DMX
And several little rappers from europe.

Nas? DMX? These kind of rappers dont even belong on the same page as some rappers like slug, sage francis. This is why commercial hip hop is the way it is

I'll agree with you on DMX, but how can you say that about Nas? I mean his newest album wasn't that great but its still not bad.

yea case and point, nas isnt bad but not nearly as complex or the creditials as Slug or Sage or many other rappers for that matter...Aesop, Illogic. Yea Nas has some pretty tight songs...but in reality hes just rapping about the same shit most commercial rappers are, hes just better at it.

That's bullshit. Not as complex? That says it all for me. You obviously haven't heard very much of Nas. I'll leave it to you to educate yourself in this respect.

In any case, please show me how the artists you mention above are more "complex". And by that, I also expect you to point out the meanings of their lyrics in illustrating such complexity.

I don't buy into any of the self-proclaimed "intelligent hip hop" artists such as Aesop Rock. I'm not sure how you can find the following lyrics of Aesop Rock to be intelligent or complex (unless it's meant to be so complex that not even Aesop Rock can understand it ):-

"Walking like a jabberwocky scalping a one-way pair of tickets to shadowboxing"

Seriously. I'm interested to hear what you have to say about that.

2pac hands down, 2Pacalypse Now and Me Against the World are the 2 best rap albums ever.