What is the criteria in which you rate a rapper?

[Olorin]

What comes first is the voice, it has to be distinguished from the rest. I could add flow to this, if a rapper delivers nicely then it just sounds better but then again, my favorite rapper doesn't have such a good flow. If a rapper has a boring monotonous voice then I will lose interest in his music. The rapper's song content has to be good for me to like him then.
The themes of the rapper's song has to be interesting, it doesn't necessarily have to mean variety but songs that I will actually bother listening to the lyrics and rewind back to hear words I didn't hear properly.
Production. I know most rappers don't produce their own music and this is not really a criteria for which I rate a rapper but I know I also rate sub-consciously by their production. If the beats are good then I will like his music more.
Finally for me, the lyrics in terms of internal rhymes/alliteration/similes/metaphors, etc. I know this is one of the most important things in rap really but this will not immediately grasp my ear and like the rapper. If a rapper who has all of those above has this then the rapper is ACE. Not many are like that for me so usually if I like rapper that rhymes well then it's a very good addition.

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[Kez]

Lyrics, delivery, subject matter/how they affect me

[Tash8]

the flow and the beat are what i hear first...

[Tornado]

Flow/Voice- If Rakim sounded like some nerdy white boy who hit puberty, it'd just kill the enjoyment by a good 80% and a smOoth or different flow is really catchy on the ear

Lyrics- Obviously these are important, but being basic in your lyrics doesn't mean your bad at rapping y'know, not everyone is a Canibus on the mic but depending on your track content, lyrical skill varies. I mean, who goes to clubs listening to multis and cyphers? but at the same time, i wanna hear rappers push boundaries of rap and not stick to a structure.

Delivery/Emotion- Now this can seperate the good from the great. A rapper can have the firsttwo sections locked down but if you're not convinced they mean what they say, then the track is gonna suffer by a good 20%. Confidence in what you say is a must, look at Ludacris, on delievery and emotion, he's up there with the best.

Subject Matter- This is still very important but not essential because almost every album has at least 2 or more tracks with similar content. eg. JDGAF and SDGAF from SSLP, it's just albums with differnet kinds of tracks are more refreshing and easier to listen to. The College Dropout and Who Neds Actions When You Got Words are great examples of this. It just keeps things intresting.Obviously your faviourite rappers has a preferred style but i'm talking about switching style,just the content

Freestyle Ability- Thos is least important as most freestyles are od bars or pre-written but when ypu hear someone go over a beat for 5 minuites, rocking the crowd, you can't help to bop your head. Freestlying is a dying art, but a fundamental part of Hip-Hop,a vital element of it, so any MC who has got skills like that has my attention. Unless they have none of the above