It’s my belief that, when discussing rap (which here refers to something completely different from hip-hop), we can move the discussion beyond the “Drake sucks, Eminem rules” kind, based on nothing besides who you like more and fanboy-dom. We can look at rappers and, by describing their musical and rhythmic tendencies, group them into different categories, and then say who manipulates rhythms most masterfully. That is exactly what will happen in this article. The rappers will be Kanye West, Mos Def, Andre 3K, and Eminem. Ultimately, who is good and who is bad will be left up to the listener, but I know what I prefer, and will offer my value judgments based on what I believe to be the core, fundamental principles underlying all good rap.