For reference, my discography rankings:
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Nodima/geek_down__nodimas_hip_hop_index/3/

Big KRIT and MF DOOM right behind him. Of these four, Kanye is the only one that's there primarily because of the total package, though that obviously has a lot to do with why all four of these runner ups' art is so good, their ability to manage the entire package.

Including CUuban Linx in Ghostface's discography puts him in the conversation, as does Pusha T with his Clipse albums.

Masta Ace had a stellar run, I really underrated Sittin' on Chrome looking over my lists (I didn't enjoy his debut as much as I should have, maybe, but Chrome -> Disposable Arts is wonderful).

I'm not a big fan of Follow the Leader or his solo stuff otherwise I'd figure Rakim an obvious suggestion.

Scarface is an interesting case being that I'm not as enamored with his solo stuff late-90s onward as others are, but taken as a whole his solo and Geto Boys run in the early 90s is insane.

That's my conversation, anyway. But I think Kendrick takes it, and I'm not even someone who thinks he puts the best album out every year: KRIT's Returnof4Eva took 2011 (Kendrick second), Killer Mike's RAP Music took 2012 (Kendrick second), Future's Beast Mode took 2015 (Kendrick second) and Migos' Culture is my runaway favorite so far this year (Kendrick third). Only untitled. unmastered. is an AotY for me from Kendrick and I'm not so up on 2016's hip-hop overall, seemed like a year with a lot of great but no excellent LPs.


But this is a conversation about consistency, and there are few artists as consistent as he is; like I said, I'll give old heads KRS and DOOM and I'll give new heads Kanye and KRIT, but that's the only strong competition.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz