this is my take. i have heard all the joints you mentioned. all of them are ill hands down. and the way that he talks about his love of hip hop "the art" and not hip hop "the way to get paid" in this day and age is beyond noble, but when i think of illmatic and nas (before he got paid) i think of an mc that paints pictures like no one else, he had flow and delivery, voice, and even if you weren't from the projects, cats could "see" what he was talking about. <P>Maybe my issue now and what it has always been is that i am not completely down with Common's flow and voice. which of course is not the end all be all of hip hop or else cats like Big Pun and others really would be the great MC's. BUT from hearing resurrection and a litte of "one day" i hear alot of catch phrases "get up stand up" etc.... in his songs. which to me, seems like a lack of creativity. <P>My favorite MC is Inspectah Deck aka the rebel INS. to me, he combines ridiculous lines with a hot flow and voice. that is why i think he is great.maybe i just have to get used to Common's style like i did with the Roots and respect him for coming on a different tip that other MC's, but does different make you ill? what i am saying is just cuz he is not lil wayne or puffy does not mean his is one of the best in anything other than relative terms.<P>now as i sit back and listen to the resurrection album, more and more i begin to see how he rolls.<BR>but i am still not sure i wanna put him up there on that platform of great rappers. 2Pac was not that great of a lyricist, but he spoke to the masses in a way that made him rise above the rest. I am not saying that i dont think that this applies to common, because if it does, then i respect that. But i want to know how you all break it down.<P>Kameleon