indeed

How could you be so Dr. Evil

You're bringing out a side of me that I don't know

I decided we weren't gonna speak so why we up 3 a.m. on the phone

Why does she be so mad at me for, homie I don't know she's hot and cold

I won't stop, won't mess my groove up cause I already know how this thing goes,

You run and tell your friends that you're leavin' me

They say that they don't see what you see in me

You wait a couple months then you gon' see,

You'll never find nobody better than me

It's pure poetry. Never matched or surpassed. He's truly the Bob Dylan of our times.

No. Bob Dylan is still the Bob Dylan of our times. Go listen to Modern Times or Love and Theft again. In the genre, I'll still put Common above Kanye in lyrics, and so would Jay-Z. How about The Roots?

Kayne, as a producer, does great work. His lyrics are usually good. (I'm not a fan of Misogynist hits like Kanye's Workout Plan or Golddigger, but hey.) But Bob Dylan?

Well, I was being sarcastic. I grew up with the rhymesayers and think Kanye's lyrics are a joke. I'd rather listen to Little Wayne, at least he's not pretending to be deep.

They're hit or miss. I don't think the quoted line is particularly good, but some of his lyrics are very clever, or very introspective, or very funny, or all three at the same time.

His beats are better than his rhymes. I generally like his albums when they first come out, but I don't feel they have much staying power.

I'd go with Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, Common, Kanye - in that order - for their lyrics. And really, the first three are in a league of their own.

Well, just for Illmatic I'd put Nas above Kanye. Nice call on Talib Kweli, though.

(Admitting to knowing and liking hip-hop is probably instant disqualification for any future YC application. :)

I can't believe I left Nas off that list. I don't think you need to worry about YC applications: "I'm the Buffalo Solider / Smoke you like a dreadlocked Rasta / loadin' a spliff" Surely PG would appreciate the poetry in that.

And this is magically topical, since in my mind it reinforces that Kanye may be a great producer, but even Jay says, "If skills sold / Truth be told / I'd probably be / Lyrically / Talib Kweli."