This list is simple so don't mess it up. For me list your favorite (or who you think is critcally the best) rap groups of all time. Please list groups only. So don't be a smart ass and put 2Pac or Jay-Z in this category. Here's my list:

1. Run-DMC
2. Public Enemy
3. N.W.A
4. Eric B. & Rakim
5. Outkast
6. Whodini
7. Boogie Down Productions
8. Wu-Tang Clan
9. Salt & Pepa
10. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
11. Heavy D. & The Boyz
12. The Beastie Boys
13. Digital Underground
14. Geto Boys
15. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

I like to apologize to those who don't see their faves on this list. This is just my opinion. If it was a top 20 countdown, then these groups would be on it so here is my honorable mention:
A Tribe Called Quest, The Fat Boys, U.T.F.O., De La Soul, Naughty By Nature.

Salt & Pepa
TLC
Tribe Called Quest
Run DMC
Digable Planets
Wu-Tang
Fugees

Your list is flawless. I would add Rapper's Delight, for "historic reasons". And Stetsasonic, they were ass.

And now - as your list is perfect - let me hijack this thread and add solo performers

Ice-T
Too Short
Jay Z
Kid Frost
Soon E MC (French, check him out...)
Snoop Doggy Dog
Kool Moe Dee
Doug E. Fresh (yeah, I like him, The Show was awesome...)
Tone Loc
Young MC
Spoonie G
Schoolie D
Africa Bambata (of course)
Jan Delay (German, real funky)

J

i like of them on everyone's list.
X-clan was another

Boogie Down Productions
A tribe called Quest
Wrecks n Effects
Run DMC
Salt and Pepa
NWA
Grand aster Flash
Beastie Boys
Outkast
Fugees
Geto Boys
Public Enemy
Digital Underground
Floetry
Wu-Tang
[Edited 3/20/08 8:51am]

OK, since it's just limited to groups.....

Pretty Tony and Freestyle
Soul Sonic Force
LA Dream Team
Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde
Felix and Jarvis
Whodini
Run DMC
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Sugarhill Gang
Divine Sounds
Rockmaster Scott and the Dynamic Three

1 - P.E.
2 - De La
3 - ATCQ
4 - Eric B. & Rakim
5 - Wu
6 - X-Clan
7 - Digital Underground
8 - NWA
9 - Run DMC
10 - Stetsasonic
11 - Ultramagnetic MCs
12 - Digable Planets
13 - OutKast
14 - BDP
15 - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
[Edited 3/20/08 9:52am]

This isn't (necessarily) a list of my favorites so much as groups I think left perhaps the greatest legacies in hip hop. In no particular order...

1. Run DMC
2. Public Enemy
3. Boogie Down Productions
4. NWA (I list them begrudgingly)
5. De La Soul
5. A Tribe Called Quest
6. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5
7. Sugarhill Gang
8. Afrika Bambataa and the Soulsonic Force
9. Beastie Boys
10. Wu Tang
11. Salt-n-Pepa
12. Heavy D and the Boyz
13. Fat Boys
14. D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
15. 2 Live Crew

And I'd give honorable mention to Eric B. & Rakim and Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew.
[Edited 3/20/08 10:36am]

lol.....2 live crew.

I forgot about 2 Live Crew. I used to buy each and every one of the 2 Live Crew and Luke albums until I finally got tired of hearing "Planet Rock" and "Egypt, Egypt" sampled every way possible. The last Luke album I bought was "Scarred" back in the late 1990s. By then, Luke had cussed so many times that he had run out of ideas. On the song "Scarred", he just cussed at random...."Bitch....fuck.....pussy.....shit". That's when I knew it was time to give them up and move on.

vainandy said:

1.wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan
wu tang clan

aint nothing to fuck with.

i dont even come close to 15

1. Public Enemy
2. Beastie Boys
3. Outkast

hows that?

Graycap23 said:

I can't stand them, but they had a LOT of influence on the bassy and 4-letter-filled southern sound of the time.

wait... we gotta name 15
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damn

TRU

End Thread

1.Run DMC

2.Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

3.Public Enemy

4.Outkast

5.Sugarhill Gang

6.Wu Tang Clan

7.De La Soul

8.Salt N Pepa

9.EPMD

10.Beastie Boys

11.Heavy D & The Boyz

12.Whodini

13.Boogie Down Productions

14.Doug E Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew

15. Jungle Brothers

mellow1 said:

I can't believe I forgot EPMD!

Where's Cee?

Beastie Boys
Outkast
Camp Lo
TRU
Def Squad
Wu-Tang
Run DMC
Salt N Pepa
Mobb Deep
Geto Boyz
UGK
NWA
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

15) Dead Prez
14) Salt & Pepa
13) Arrested Development
12) Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force
11) Kriss Kross
10) A Tribe Called Quest
9) De La Soul
8) Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
7) Public Enemy
6) Run DMC
5) The Roots
4) Digable Planets
3) Beastie Boys
2) Whodini
1) OUTKAST

I must be the ONLY guy in the world that digs "Wreck N Effect".

Tribe
Juice Crew
Wu tang
PE
Gangstarr
NWA
Outkast
whoodini
funky four plus 1
grandmaster flash n furious 5
De La Soul
cold crcush
Mobb Deep
Brand Nubia
[Edited 3/21/08 15:29pm]
[Edited 3/21/08 15:30pm]
[Edited 3/21/08 15:30pm]

DirtyChris said:

Somebody know whats up.

Ughh?
[Edited 3/21/08 15:24pm]

oh shyt how i could i forget!!

DITC..so much potential..RIP BIG L!

1. G-Unit
2. Ricky's Pretty
3. Dem Franchise Boyz
4. D4L
5. Shop Boyz
6. Crucial Conflict

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I have very fond memories
with these albums:

high school daze

DirtyChris said:

Although not anywhere as good as True ('95) and Tru 2 da Game ('97)

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I had this one
that musta been
summer '99
my cousins were here
visiting from Dallas
I didn't care for the
album too much
they listened to it everyday
I gave one disc to one cousin
and the other disc to the other
LOL

whic album is the one that
samples the same track
SWV did for "Rain"
Paco Jastorious is the guy I believe
I may have his name all fucked up ROTFL
he contributed to Joni Mitchell's
Don Juan's...
[Edited 3/21/08 16:20pm]