I guess at the TOP of the list would have to be Run-DMC, so, omitting them - Who would it be?

I have to say De La Soul - Longevity, Rhyme Skills, Lyrical Content.

I could then go for: ATCQ, X-Clan, NWA, Stet, Wu, JB's, and Gangstarr.
[Edited 9/6/06 13:23pm]

For me its the Wu Tang Clan, for 9 members each had their own creative flow. I loved the way how some could rap faster (RZA) than others who were more laid back (Method Man) then you have the crazy ones (Ghostface, Raekwon, U-God, Ol' Dirty Bastard) and the one who kicked the knowledge (GZA/Genius), and the others (Inspecktah Deck, Cappadonna)

The best song that showed off their skills and made me say "Damn gotta play that shit again!!" was a tie between:

Proteck Ya Neck and Da Mystery of Chessboxin'

Interesting.....when u say great I NEVER think of rap.

Graycap23 said:

oh lord, this shit never ends. Somebody forever hatin'

missfee said:

Not hating.....I dig a lot of rap but it has played itself OUT.

My top five would be (in no particular order):

N.W.A
EPMD
Wu Tang Clan
Boogie Down Productions and
PUBLIC ENEMY!

(guess you can tell I'm leaning towards PE as my fave)









(fuckahateredit)
[Edited 9/6/06 13:52pm]

P.E
Tribe
De LA
Digable Planets
Gangstarr
THe Roots

AvramsDad said:

Alright then.....

Wreck n Effect (loved these cats)
PE
Outkast
Run DMC
Whodini
Wu tang
Method man & Redman
Missy and Timbaland
[Edited 9/6/06 13:59pm]

Graycap23 said:

You think Wrecks-n-Effect is the GREATEST hip hop group of all time?

Don't tell I'm the first to mention Nice & Smooth

SoulScrybe said:

No.....but I really liked them.

Public Enemy, with Wu-Tang a close second.

Outkast!

I could put their catalog against any group and Outkast will come on top.

Greatest of all time...

Several artists come to mind. I suppose for me, first, I think of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Outkast. Both of these artists for a period of about 4 to 5 years released inventive, intelligent albums that were representative of the best of their era (depending on how you feel about Speakerboxx/The Love Below, in Outkast's case the period may be even longer).

All 3 artists made their cases by being the antithesis of what hip-hop, outwardly anyway, was supposed to be (Outkast was about a couple years late in that regard).

Secondly, I would point to Run D.M.C., for so many reasons I hardly know where to begin. They almost single-handedly moved hip-hop from a singles based genre to a album based one. They were the first hip-hop artists to popularize the meshing of rock and rap. And they did so while releasing three albums ('Run DMC', 'King of Rock', 'Raising Hell') that constantly pushed the envelope of what the music could be.

Back in time, I really liked

POOR RIGHTEOUS TEACHERS - their first album was amazing
Overlord X
Kwame (very fresh)

and
A tribe called Quest
Biz Markie
I've seen BDP in Paris

Unfortunatly, I don't know what happened to these artists.

Eric B & Rakim?

Timbaland & Magoo?

dragondayz said:

"Catalog" meaning what? Sales? Content? Impact? Fame?

SoulScrybe said:

Well, SoulScrybe, welcome to the Org. And I happen to agree with you, although you gave away your choice with your avatar.

IMHO, to be eligible, a group would have to have at least two MCs or rhyming DJs in the group. Keeping that in mind and going in chronological order . . .

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Run-DMC: The quintessential hip-hop duo.
The Beastie Boys: Say what you want, they are a legendary hip-hop group for their 1st 2 albums alone.
BDP
Eric B. & Rakim
Public Enemy
EPMD: Can't believe no one mentioned them.
NWA
A Tribe Called Quest
The Jungle Brothers
Gang Starr
X-Clan
Brand Nubian
KMD
Black Sheep
Black Moon
Pete Rock and CL Smooth: could be the face of true East Coast hip-hop (pre-bling)
The Pharcyde
OutKast
Digable Planets: arguably the most underrated group on the list
Wu-Tang Clan
The Roots
The Fugees
Black Star
Madvillain

With shout outs to:

JayLib
The Beatnuts
Tha Alkaholiks
Das EFX
Stetsasonic
Mobb Deep
Downtown Science
Cypress Hill
Camp Lo

Run DMC, Public Enemy or WuTang .

namepeace said:

I'd add Cannibal Ox to the list

SoulScrybe said:

Meaning music. Their list of great songs can fill like two albums. I love A Tribe Called Quest, but I was young when they dominated. Bonita Applebum and Award Tour are my favorites from them, but it "seems" that Outkast has a longer list of great songs.

dragondayz said:

If it's a numbers issue, I'd agree with you.

If it's an artistic issue, I may have to agree with you even if I don't want to, because OutKast, as a group, has developed more artistically than most if not all of their contemporaries, and by Beats, Rhymes and Life, the Tribe had begin to lose steam.

But it's hard to top Tribe's 1st three albums. They're all classics.

namepeace said:

It's an artistic issue. I'm not into numbers like that. Like I said before, I was young when ATCQ came out, so I could be being a little biased. The other day it was mentioned that ATCQ first albums were classics so I may just try and give them a listen.

dragondayz said:

I was just going by your post when you talked about numbers and artistic merit. My point was, either way, I'd have to agree with you. I was in college when ATCQ dropped, so I'm biased too, in favor of the Tribe.

But you're right simply because OutKast kept growing. They kept making hip-hop jewels and no two albums sounded alike. And they kept selling and selling. They were a platinum duo before they dropped S-boxxx/TLB. Not many hip-hop groups can say that.
[Edited 9/6/06 15:46pm]

RUN DMC....They basically are the AFTER for hip-hop...The most important hip-hop group of all time.....

Wu Tang Clan
Run-DMC
Stetsasonic
Digital Underground
Flava Unit
PE

Public Enemy, Outkast a close second. PE made it cool to hate whitey..hehe

1. Run DMC
2. Outkast
3. A Tribe Called Quest
4. Fugees
5. Clipse
[Edited 9/6/06 16:23pm]

1. Run DMC
2. Public Enemy

Lots of other groups have been great, but those are easily the greatest two IMO.