As the world of hip hop turns more and more into the mainstream music and has become, in my opinion, "pop music", real Hip-Hop has gone underground. Therefore, I want to share with you who I think are the best rappers alive at the moment, February 4th, 2011.

Even though I am going to talk about my Top 10 + 1 favorite rappers, there will not a particular order as I can't make one.

The first hip hop artist that, in my opinion, is one of the greatest ever, is Method Man, also called Meth or Tical. With classic albums such as 'Tical' (1994), 'Tical 2000: Judgment Day' (1998), 'Tical 0: The Prequel' (2004) and '4:21... The Day After' (2006), Meth gained the respect he deserved and has become a legendary East Coast icon. He has also won a Grammy award for the 'Best Rap Performance by a Duo or a Group' for the song 'You're All That I Need To Get By', featuring Mary J. Blige. Last but not least, he is very well known as being part of the East Coast hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, one, if not the best, hip hop group ever. Tical is set to release his next album in March, 2011, entitled 'The Crystal Meth'.

Jumping from the East Coast straight to the West Coast, the next hip hop artist that made it into my 'Best Rappers Alive' list is Ice Cube. He started as a member of the West Coast hip hop group, N.W.A. Even though the group released only 2 albums, they have been very successful as they are considered one, if not the first 'gangsta rappers' in the hip-hop world. He has released 9 albums so far, most of them achieving platinum statuses. His most successful album from both a commercial point of view (double platinum status) and a lyrical point of view is 'The Predator', released on November 17th, 1992.

Time to take a trip to the 'Dirty South' and have a look at the 3rd MC that has made it into my list - Andre 3000. Even though he has yet to release a solo album, Andre 3000 is one of the best rappers to ever step foot on this Earth. Period. He is a lyrical genius. His work consists of 7 albums released as a member of the hip hop duo 'OutKast', from which 1 is a 'Greatest Hits' album. Their most successful album is actually a double album, entitled 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'. This has been both commercially successful (11x platinum in the U.S.) and very well received by the fans and critics. The album has been nominated for 6 Grammy Awards, winning 3 of them, from which the 'Best Album of The Year' Award.

Dr. Dre, one of the best music producers of all times, has had a long and diversified music career. Starting as a member of the electro-pop group 'World Class Wreckin' Cru', moving to the gangsta-rap group 'N.W.A.' to eventually release his own successful solo albums, Dr. Dre is now one of the pioneers of hip hop and truly deserves to be in the 'Best Rappers Alive' list. His highly anticipated 3rd and final studio album, 'Detox' is set for a release on April 1st, 2011. At first, I wasn't thinking about having Dre in my list but after I thought about what he did for the rap game on overall, I decided to add him on the list, so that's why this is a Top 10 + 1.

Eminem, discovered by Dr.Dre, has had a huge impact on the world of hip hop. With 7 albums released so far and 80 million copies sold worldwide, he is one of the best-selling artists in the world. If I was to make this list and only take into consideration his last 2 albums, Relapse and Recovery, I wouldn't probably had him in it because I personally don't like any of his last 2 albums as he adopted a more 'mainstream' approach and the songs are very different from the songs on his first albums, and not in a good way. But on overall, taking into consideration his first 5 studio albums, Eminem is one of the best rappers alive, with strong lyrics and very special flow and delivery.

50 Cent is one of my favorite rappers of all times but that wasn't the reason for which I added him in the list. He has released 5 albums so far, from which his debut album, 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'' achieved a diamond status (more than 10 million copies sold in the U.S alone) and sold a total of 50 million copies worldwide. He is one of the few gangsta-rappers left in the 'game' nowadays and the one that goes the hardest right now. His strong and explicit lyrics describing the harsh realities in the neighborhood he grew up in combined with an amazing flow and delivery got him a place on my list.

Back on the West Coast, Xzibit is, in my opinion, the most underrated hip hop artist ever. With 6 great content albums released, a true lyricist, X-to-the-Z is intent on proving his skilled penmanship at any given opportunity. His next album is going to be released in 2011.

The Last West Coast artist on my list is Snoop Dogg. He is one of the most consistent rappers in history, having released 10 albums on a period of 16 years. His style goes into the gangsta-rap category and with a great freestyle ability and flow, he is one of the best rappers alive, no doubt about it.

I am going to finish by presenting the final 3 rappers that have made it into my list. They are all East Coast artists, more precisely from New York, and each of them has a distinctive style.

DMX is the most aggressive rapper ever in my opinion. He is constantly delivering heavy punch lines with a 'destructive' flow. He has sold 20 million copies alone in the U.S. and his career spans 13 years. He is going to release 2 albums in 2011, 'Walk With Me Now' and 'You'll Fly With Me Later'. First one is going to be released in the first half of 2011, while the 2nd one is set to be released in the other half of 2011.

Next is Busta Rhymes. He is one of the fastest rappers of all times and he doesn't only 'spit' fast but the lyrics are so good that it makes you wanna 'Break Ya Neck'. He has released 8 albums since he started rapping in 1996, most of them being certified with platinum status by the RIAA.

Last but not least, another New York native - Jay-Z. Even though he has gone on a mainstream way in last couple of years (not as much as Eminem though), he is one of east coast hip hop icons, and one of the best rappers alive. He has released 11 albums in 15 years, most of them being certified with platinum and multi-platinum status by the RIAA. High level of delivery combined with very well thought lyrics helped him become one of the most relevant hip hop figures nowadays.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and have a good day.