Ya'll should know I like the clan by my username
I like them all in their own way, but yeah music is subjective
For me personally, 1. GZA 2. Ghostface 3. Raekwon but I still fuck with the rest. I even like the RZA lol CAMAFLAGE CHAMELEON, NINJA'S SCALIN YA BUILDING, no time to grab the gun they already got YA WIFE N' CHILDREN but imo he is probably the worst lyricist of the bunch.
The best Wu albums for me are Liquid Swords, OB4CL, and Enter the 36th Chamber respectively. I know Cuban Linx gets a lot of love, but for me personally I have always preferred the gritty grimey of Liquid Swords.
Top 10 is very tough for me. I will try to list my favorites. In no partuclar order.
1. The Wutang Clan (like I said, I really do like them all and I dig the clan, the individual acts are subjective but I still would easily list probably half of them in my top MCs for me)
2. Eminem, everything pre-Eminem Show. I don't like his stuff as much past that, but I am 24. The first album I EVER got was from a kid in elementary school who managed to get an unedited copy of Marshall Mathers LP, and he gave me his edited copy. Hardly edited at all by today's standards lol.
3. Outkast. I agree that Andre 3 Stacks is the better half, but I think they each compliment each other perfectly.
4. MF DOOM. I am so hyped for DOOMStarks, but I love his beats and off kilter style. Madvillainy is on in my car a lot, dig the short songs too lol.
5. Kanye. Say what you will about his personality, and perhaps because I also grew up on his earlier stuff in Middle School. But his soulful beats and early shit is so on point. And even his worst shit, IMO, isn't awful, just ok. I'm hyped for SWISH
6. The Roots. I actually forgot these guys on the first pass through, but the fact they do live instrumentation always has impressed me. Man, I love this song in particular so much
I'm actually going to stop there. Hard for me to list another 5 without getting kind of arbitrary, I love a lot of hip hop but those are my favorites to listen to. I will say, that in general I prefer early 90s, fuck what is the group called......I forget. Brand Nubian, ATCQ, Del, De La Soul, Common, Blackstar...I forget truly what the group (or movement?)is called but that early 90s type of hip hop I listen too more often then stuff like Biggie and Pac. I've listened to them extensively, just what I find I prefer more.
(Probably even listen to all the above more than Eminem now, but he's who got me into it and I still listen to MM LP for nostalgia)
I had to look it up, Native Tongues Posse is group I meant.
I've listened to both Nas and Jay a lot, I respect them both, but neither are who I first reach for in the car. I like Illmatic more than any one album Jay released, but I like a lot of Jay's other albums like Blueprint and RD and Black Album more than Nas's other stuff.
Similarly with stuff like Eric B & Rakim and Slick Rick and KRS-One, Public Enemy, etc. I have listened to groups that were the "forefathers" and while I respect it and can dig it, just not what I put on first when I'm listening. Kind of why listing top 10 is hard for me, because its hard for me to make the distinction myself on history and what they did for the world of hip hop, and what I personally just enjoy more.
I very very much dislike a lot of new hip hop that has been coming out. I did just recently get and listen To Pimp a Butterfly, and at first I didn't dig it, but it has definitely grown on me. Something different and decent, I can dig it.
Forgot to mention earlier, but I also really like UGK.