Most slept on hip hop groups?

First off, Little Brother. Yeah, they’re respected, but still wildly underrated outside core hip hop circles. Phonte and Big Pooh’s chemistry was insane, and The Minstrel Show is one of the most honest, funny, and emotionally sharp rap albums ever. No gimmicks, just grown-man rap before that was trendy.

Binary Star is another big one. Masters of the Universe is underground legend status, but One Be Lo and Senim Silla never got the mainstream recognition their lyricism deserved. If you care about bars, concepts, and raw boom-bap energy, this group should be required listening.

I’ll also throw in CunninLynguists. A lot of people write them off because of the name (which is a mistake), but their catalog is deep and consistent. Kno’s production is lush and soulful, and Deacon and Natti bring introspective, thoughtful verses that age incredibly well.

Camp Lo is criminally overlooked beyond “Luchini.” Their slang-heavy, jazzy style was so unique that people didn’t know what to do with it. Uptown Saturday Night is a classic vibe album front to back.

Lastly, Slum Village doesn’t get talked about enough outside J Dilla conversations. Even without Dilla on later projects, their influence on laid-back, soulful rap is massive, and albums like Fantastic, Vol. 2 still sound timeless.

Hip hop history is way deeper than the usual top-10 lists. Dig a little and you’ll find entire groups that shaped the culture quietly while everyone else was chasing hits.