Three Underrated Rappers
The rap game is all about respect. If MTV or The Source puts out a list of the top 10 rappers it becomes a huge debate about who wasn’t included, who should have been included, who shouldn’t have been on the list, ad infinitum. There are a lot of underrated rappers out there that don’t show up on these lists because either they aren’t on the mainstream radar or they don’t fight to get themselves noticed like others. Here is a list of some of the most underrated rappers in the game.
Young Jeezy
Very few rappers from the South get their due as powerful lyricists which is especially true for Young Jeezy. Jeezy is very rarely singled out for his lyrics which is a crime because he repeteadly has shown himself to be an evacotive storyteller with a respectable, workmanlike way of putting together his rhymes. Many of Jeezy’s songs detail with almost scary detail the drug trade and its consequences, something not uncommon but rarely done with such emotion and heart.
Juelz Santana
When Juelz is on he is ON. When he’s off, though, cruising on auto-pilot, that’s a different story. The young protégé of Cam’ron, Juelz hit the limelight in 2005 with his multiple radio hits and unique vocal style and swag. Juelz is one of those rappers who shines on guest appearances and freestyles but sometimes can falter when pressured to produce a radio hit, thus stifling his vocal creativity and forcing him into cliché, simple rhyme schemes. A true talent, hopefully Juelz gets his chance to shine again soon.
MF Doom
Maybe because he’s so weird—rarely giving interviews or making public appearances, Doom is often unfairly forgotten when the best rapper lists get made. Doom’s style is all about lyrics, with his voice rarely reaching anything more than a monotone, emotionless flow, but listening to his clever, nerdy, bullying, often hilarious lyrics make up for his voice. Many people can’t get past Doom’s weird lyrical topics like comic books, television, pop culture references or really bizarre stuff like a large bird cage or obscure superheroes. If you’re looking for a rapper who you can listen to over and over again and pick up something new than Doom is that guy.
