D-Dizzle, but thats just the thing. All the lyricists were underground. Thanks to innovators like Eminem, we now have glimpses of lyrical greatness in mainstream music. Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie, Eminem, DMX - they all came from the same era, and none of them were popular at first, because they were different, but now they are ruling the rap game in terms of mainstream. When they were underground, paving the way for themselves, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were the representatives of rap, and they certainly are not good lyricists.

You have to admit, new-skool hip-hop is the most lyrically advanced mainstream rap ever.