6. De La Soul
If you needed something to balance out the gangsta rap you've been listening too, then De La Soul were the perfect choice. They're certainly one of the most lyrically talented groups to ever write rhymes, but their lyrics were also playful and a lot more fun than many of their hip hop temporaries. The best thing about Pos, Trugoy the Dove and Maseo wasn't the fact they wrote funny and positive lyrics that helped them create an incredibly loyal fan base. Or for the outstanding and unique production on albums like 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul Is Dead. It was the fact that they weren't afraid to take chances and differentiate themselves from what everyone else is doing and still managed to gain the respect of their peers due to how good they were as musicians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avIqTrX2eac