The most surprising one for me is DMX. There is a lot of repetition in his songs, though I remember thinking that he was a solid lyricist spitting bars much more complex than his beats, which are certainly a bit more mundane.
Literally came here to say this!! I think more of his sound comes from his fast delivery, his different voices, and of course, his ridiculously unique beats. The Damien songs come to mind.
I think X achieves his lyricism through the combination of small and simple words into unique phrases. "Yall been eating long enough now, stop being greedy" is a unique phrase that no other rapper would ever utter, but it isn't made from complex words like Aesop Rock or Eminem would use.
