Makes me very happy to see Aesop Rock in the number #1 spot. He isn't as underground as many people assume, still relatively unknown in the mainstream, but well known enough to sell records and sell-out shows. I wasn't a big fan of his 2012 release Skelethon, but the way he structures his lyrics and the meaning behind them means he never writes a bad lyric.
Interestingly Eminem whom I would have thought would rank pretty highly for his clever method of word bending and enunciation is only in the middle of the scale. Still a whole lot better than some of his counterparts, but still surprising. Another interesting thing to note is Eminem being grouped in the same league as the likes of Jay-Z, Rakim and Lupe Fiasco. With only a couple of hundred unique words separating them from one another.
I always thought eminem was famous for his clever wordplay, not his vocabulary diversity. FWIW, as a non-native speaker I can gather most of his verses. Aesop Rock, on the other hand, is totally indecipherable for me without printed lyrics.
Interestingly Eminem whom I would have thought would rank pretty highly for his clever method of word bending and enunciation is only in the middle of the scale. Still a whole lot better than some of his counterparts, but still surprising. Another interesting thing to note is Eminem being grouped in the same league as the likes of Jay-Z, Rakim and Lupe Fiasco. With only a couple of hundred unique words separating them from one another.