Watch for the hook: Hip-hop's lyrical heavyweight class

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Out of all musical genres, hip-hop’s the most rooted in the spirit of competition.

Having fun and self expression were always cornerstones of its appeal, but the pursuit of being crowned as the best at your specific specialty (breaking, graffiti, DJing) has continuously pushed the culture forward, often resulting in quality material for the fans.

Despite it’s love affair with round-ball, hip-hop is most similar to boxing, with hopeful participants looking to move up the ranks, one standout performance at a time.

This is especially true for emcee’s, with the booth substituting as their proverbial ring and their lyrics serving as lethal weapons, going head to head via album/song/freestyle in hopes of being crowned as the game’s reigning champion. But like in boxing, in rap all (lyrical) blows aren’t equal, so to distinguish the top of the food chain from less formidable opponents, we’ve ranked the top artists in the game according to rhyme technique and content. Today we look at the elite emcees in the genre — the heavyweights whose lyrics resonate the most with their fan base.

See if your favorite artist made the cut and where he ranks, but always remember, watch for the hook.

Follow hip-hop journalist Preezy @PreezyDaKid.