Top 5 Dead Or Alive: Revisited

My top 5 emcee list is always changing depending on what kind of mindset im in at the time; my new list only has one change in it...
1: Jay-Z

He is the only rapper from what I like to refer to as the Golden Age of Hip-Hop (the 90's), to still be holdin it down as the king of the East Coast. It wasn't until recently did I develop a liking to Jay; I've always loved his first album Reasonable Doubt, and looked at it as a Hip-Hop classic, but I didn't really care for his other material. With the lack of good music playing in the airwaves lately, I decided to take another look at all of his work, starting with his In My Life Time series. After re-discovering all of his work from then up until now, I have to say at this point in time, he's my new favorate emcee.
2:Nas

Being a hip-hop prodigy as a teen, he has surely stood the test of time. His vocabulary, for someone who dropped out of school so young, was prolific. He created in my opinion, and in the opinions of many the greatest hip-hop cd of all time in illmatic.
3:Biggie

if Biggie ain't in your top 5 then you clearly don't know Hip-Hop. His debut album Ready To Die is another album that highlighted (in my opinion) the most glorious year for hip-hop ever: 1994. There were so many dope albums that year it's ridiculous. Biggies voice stood out, and his story lines were representative of the New York emcee at the time. What I loved about Biggie was also his freestyle ability, which a lot of rappers today lack. Biggie is so dope, I don't feel like I need to explain this much.
4: Black Thought

Black Thought - I feel like most people forget how ill Black Thought is on the mic. I have every album from his group The Roots, and I have come to conclude that Black Thought is the most consistant emcee out there. Ever since the debut of The Roots in 93' Black Thoughts lyrical ability and jazzy aura has yet to diminish; and seeing him every once in a while freestyling on BET proves this to be true. The best rapper to come out of Philly in my mind...no doubt.
5:Mos Def

A true hip-hop fans emcee...I follow Mos Def all the way back to his beginnings with the Lyrisist Lounge. Hes one of the most versatile emcees out there. Hes an actor, poet, rapper, and he ain't too bad at singing (evident on many of his tracks). Hes apart of one of Hip-Hops greatest duo's of all time: Blackstar (mosdef & Talib Kweli). His album Black On Both Sides is in my top 5 albums of all time as well. An emcee in the truest sense, displaying his knowledge on a variety of issues whenever hes on the mic. Truly someone you need to turn your ears to.