Eminem is how I started listening to Hip-Hop. His insane vocabulary, his wide variety of cadences, has incredible journy as an artist and as a person, and the mark that he's left on the world give him my permanent #1 artist spot.

••• "Fuel" by Eminem & JID - JID's cadences and rhyme schemes are great, but Eminem's verse is what took the world by storm. His cadences and rhyme schemes were next-level (per usual), and he wasn't pulling punches going after P. Diddy.
••• "Murdergram Deux" by LL Cool J & Eminem - Going head to head, both LL and Em rap with perfected flows, stay original while still coming through with old-school references, and feel complimentary.
••• "Animals (Pt. 1)" by JID & Eminem - A track that truly feels like a showcase of both artists' technical abilities, cadence switches, references, and word-play.

Royce 5'9 has been a long-time favorite of mine, as he's the other half of Bad Meets Evil with Eminem, as well as a quarter of Slaughterhouse (also featuring Crooked I, Joe Budden, & Joell Ortiz) His close relationship with Eminem has led to numerous features between the two.

••• "Caterpillar" by Royce 5'9 & Eminem - Word-play, flows, and the chorus make the song an overall banger.
••• "Tabernacle" by Royce 5'9 - Strong story-telling and lyricism.
••• "Courtesy" by PRhyme - Great lyricism from Royce, great production from DJ Premier.

Lupe Fiasco is a rapper that I first started listening to back in 2005 at the group home that I was in. Over the years, I've seen him grow as an artist, with his 'Lasers' album being one of my favorites. Lupe is another artist that displays a wide vocabulary and great word-play, while also having a ton of references that are very different from what you hear from Eminem.

••• "Mural" by Lupe Fiasco - While quite lengthy, "Mural" showcases just how good Lupe is as a lyricist. He carries on inside rhyme schemes, cadences, references, and word-play that make complete sense.
••• "Old School Love" by Lupe Fiasco & Ed Sheeran - Simple rhyme schemes by Lupe pair nicely with vocals from Ed Sheeran.
••• "Never Forget You" by Lupe Fiasco & John Legend - Lupe utilizes simple rhyme schemes to tell a story, with powerful vocals from John Legend for the chorus.

••• Bad Meets Evil
••• BigXthaPlug
••• Black Thought
••• Dr. Dre
••• Nas
••• Ne-Yo
••• Slaughterhouse
••• Terror Reid
••• Wale
••• Yelawolf

••• "Alfred's Theme" by Eminem
••• "Bad (Remix)" by Wale & Rhianna
••• "Bad Ass" by Kid Ink, Meek Mill, & Wale
••• "Bad One" by Eminem & White Gold
••• "Fuck Everybody" by Terror Reid
••• "Killing" by Diablo, Eliozie, Shakewell, & Terror Reid
••• "Lyrical Murderers" by Slaughterhouse
••• "Show Me" by Kid Ink & Chris Brown
••• "Summer on Smash" by Nas, Miguel, & Swizz Beatz
••• "Texas" by BigXthaPlug

BARELY ALIVE has been my top pick since I first discovered them in 2014. In recent years, heavy synths inspired by the 80s have been a prominent part of their music, with recent music from them bringing back the Brostep subgenre of Dubstep.

••• "if you wanna" by BARELY ALIVE feat. Skyelle - Good vocals, a rave anthem, then a powerful Dubstep drop.
••• "next to me (side b)" by BARELY ALIVE & beastboi. - An unexpected Bass House banger.
••• "Imagineer" by BARELY ALIVE feat. XO Eliza - Great vocals, powerful synths, and hard-hitting Dubstep.

SPACE LACES been a huge name in the scene for over a decade, and was part of the Destroid music project back in 2013. His unique sound design fills the tracks with ambience that isn't overbearing, punches hard when needed, and each release is iconic. He is the Mix King, with his Vaultage mixes being widely replayed.

••• "Kaiju" by SPACE LACES - Hard-hitting bass, following an easy rhythm, with unique sound design not heard in other songs.
••• "Rumble" by SPACE LACES - Showcases Ian's ability to fill the atmosphere.
••• "Survive" by SPACE LACES - Great usage of side-chain and percussion, featuring a unique slap-like snare.

EPTIC has been around for a long time, and I've followed him since the early days of Never Say Die Records. His music production is next-level, with a heavy emphasis on bit-crushed sounds that take you back to the days of 8-bit, while paired with perfucssion that's crisp and combined perfectly with side-chain.

••• "Violence" by EPTIC - Perfectly showcases EPTIC's bit-crush style. Has been featured on the channel for years as the theme song for San Andreas LIFE.
••• "Era (EPTIC Remix)" by RL GRIME. - EPTIC takes this remix to showcase his unique sound design and goofy sampling abilities.
••• "Sell Your Soul (EPTIC Remix)" by BARELY ALIVE - The song that got me hooked on EPTIC in the first place.

••• Badklaat
••• Chime
••• Effin
••• Eliminate
••• Oddprophet
••• MUST DIE!
••• PhaseOne
••• Soltan
••• Spag Heddy
••• Virtual Riot

••• "Burn" by Twine
••• "CRASH OUT" by EPTIC & SPACE LACES
••• "CHAOS" by MUST DIE!
••• "EGOTRIP" by Eliminate
••• "Light You Up" by GRiZ & Tape B
••• "Pumpkin Song" by Spag Heddy
••• "PUSH IT WAY DOWN" by Virtual Riot
••• "Sh*ts on F*re" by Effin & Tape B
••• "Ups & Downs" by Datsik & Twine
••• "When They Drop" by Mersiv