Real Hip-Hop.
That garbage that they got out now is just that-- garbage. It's giving the genre a bad name.
The key to it is lyricism-- no music genre in the planet has ever exercised the English language like hip hop has. Punch lines, metaphors, word play. They just don't do it anymore. They're all about what will play in the club so that homeboy can get his **** rubbed by a fat ass.
A Tribe Called Quest, Black Star, Wu Tang, Redman, KRS-One, Immortal Technique, Canibus, Outkast, Rakim, Eminem, Nas, Slick Rick, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Jay-Z, Big Daddy Kane, NWA, LL Cool J, Notorious BIG, Big L, Slaughterhouse.
'Newer' artists: Hopsin, Kendrick Lamar(before he blew up-- 'swimming pools' is garbage.), Kanye West(First two albums were straight fire), Lupe Fiasco, Fabolous, Ludacris, Cassidy, T.I., some Lil Wayne(most of his stuff is garbage).