But I otherwise don't know much rap. Given this, what else would you recommend I listen to?

The Roots

This, and Mos Def.

definitely neither of these.

The Beastie Boys.

De La Soul

Digable Planets
Common
Wu-Tang Clan
NAS
De La Soul
Beastie Boys
Public Enemy
Gang Starr
The Roots

what taste buttons do you want rap to push, c_b?

Yelawolf
Jackie Chain
RJD2

I've always had mixed feelings about Common. He's beloved for being one of those "thinking rappers," but I've always been really put off by his flow and find his attempts at humor to be pretty flat.

De La Soul is the correct answer.

can you be a group w/ one mc?

Paid in Full by Eric B. & Rakim, the first few Public Enemy records, and some early Boogie Down Productions will fix what ails you.

De La Soul and Digable Planets are similar to ATCQ. You'd be safe going with them. The Jungle Brothers and Brand Nubian were in the same "Native Tongues" collective to which DLS and ATCQ belonged. An extension of that collective, the "Soulquarians" consisted of musical and philosophic heirs The Roots, Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and J Dilla (a DJ, but one who released albums featuring a number of rappers in whom you might be interested).

The above groups can all be classified as "conscious" rap--a really limiting and condescending term--which is typically thought to eschew the popular tropes of gangsta/commercial rap. It's a subgenre that has produced some really great music, but don't limit yourself to it.

Other good ones have been named. Wu-Tang Clan, Beastie Boys, Eric B and Rakim, and Nas are all some of the great East Coast guys. I'd count Jay-Z among them based on lyrical dexterity and production quality, although he is prone to the same sorts of aforementioned tropes.

MF DOOM is a good one and is well-known in alternative circles. He's basically the go-to rap guy for Pitchfork-type people. But don't let that stop you. His wordplay is endlessly fascinating and his beats are challenging and unique. In this vein, check out Anti-Pop Concortium, Tech N9ne, Lupe Fiasco, and Blackalicious.

I haven't seen a bad suggestion in this thread so far. Can't go wrong with any of them. They're all pretty conventional, though. If you really want to get weird with it, let me know.

that post reminds me of the time theplatypus started posting about nfl football.

rap makes me want to use capital letters

this thread is whiter than thodoks's graduate cohorts

Talib Kweli. Nas and AZ. Immortal Technique. Saigon. Lupe Fiasco. Common's old stuff. Murs. Kanye. Curren$y. Andre 3000's stuff is usually solid-- the Art of Storytellin' Part 4 off DJ Drama's album ft. Outkast in particular.

yet it contains the rugged fibers essential for survival, much like the tuxedos so often donned by those same cohorts.

octagon, m.d.