Ok, I know almost nothing about Rap, but I'm trying to get into it so I'd love some song recommendations. I'm a huge fan of Jedi Mind Tricks' "Uncommon Valor", if you could give me some recommendations similar to that I'd really appreciate it.

Listen to Run-D.M.C. and Gil Scott-Heron. Not really similar but they're good.

There are a few artists/groups that you can listen to to mold you into hip-hop.

Wu-Tang Clan
Notorious B.I.G.
Tu-Pac (I don't listen to him, but a lot of people like him)
Jay-Z
Nas
Talib Kweli
Mos Def
Kanye West (a lot of hate for this man, but he makes good music)
etc....

They are like the popular artists, if you want to delve into the Underground Hip Hop scence, there are some "mainstream undergroung" artists out there such as:

MF Dooom
Aesop Rock
Murs
El-P

But Hip-Hop/Rap as a whole, is so diverse and spread out, that it is hard to just get into it. Hope I was any help.

In my opinion the very elite of rap all deals in some way with Dr. Dre. He was a memeber of N.W.A., he produced Snoop Dogg, he produced Eminem, he produced maybe Tupac's best album (All Eyez on Me), and he had a great solo career.

Midnight Marauders / A Tribe Called Quest

http://www.radiomute.com/23514-hip-h...ce-albums.html

well it really depends what kind of rap you wanna get into, like if you want the new straight hip hop rap stuff, then you want like t-payne and bull crap like that but the old stuff is the best like Public Enemy or NWA, most people dont like this but i personally like the rap metal stuff(like murder rap), like the stuff cmoing out of Psychopathic Records, like ICP(Insane Clown Posse if you didnt know), Twizitid, Blaze, Dark Lotus, Boondox, etc. or you could go with stuff like Necro (personally that stuff sucks) or stuff like (HED)pe or Shattermask has a few rapish songs their really good, just depends the stuff you want

Must-Haves:

Gang Starr - Step In The Arena
Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
Outkast - Stankonia
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The 36 Chambers
Girl Talk - Night Ripper
Eminem - The Marshal Mathers LP
Goodie Mob - Soul Food
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die
Ice Cube - Amerikkka's Most Wanted
Nas - Illmatic
Geto Boys - Geto Boys
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell
Boogie Down Productions - Ghetto Music: The Blueprint Of Hip-Hop
De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising

Personal Favs:

Spank Rock - YoYoYoYoYoYo
Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
Mr. Lif - Mo Mega
El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead
Kool Keith - Sex Style

ICP is the worst band in history

I listen to almost no Rap, but Nas is a must have.