Chance The Rapper, Dave East: 5 MCs Who Could Be Hip-Hop's Next Lyrical Legends

(Photo : Getty Images/Jonathan Leibson) We've listed five rappers who could go down in history as lyrical greats.

What does a rapper need to possess in order to be considered good in your eyes? Is it the amount of money he or she has? Is it their level of celebrity? Maybe it's their social media presence and the numbers of followers they have.

Or possibly, you're one of those people who doesn't care about any of that, and you only judge a rapper based on his rhyming ability and nothing else.

If you do happen to be one of those people, you've probably asked yourself which of the newer rappers are in a position to be among the next lyrical greats.

Below we've picked five MCs who fit that particular description and depending how their careers go from here, we could still be talking about their rapping skills decades from now.

1. Dave East

This New York spitter didn't make XXL's Freshman 2016 cover without a good reason, because he's been slowly making a name for himself over the past couple of years with memorable metaphors and a deadly flow.

It'll be very interesting to see if Mr. East can add a few hit songs to his resume, because he'll need to do that if he expects to be a big global star.

2. Homeboy Sandman

This Stones Throw Records artist has been carving out his musical path since dropping the 2007 album "Nourishment (Second Helpings)," and although he's not a brand new rapper, it seems a lot of people are just now starting to know who he is.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out some of Homeboy Sandman's music, especially his latest album "Kindness for Weakness."

3. Nyck Caution

Of course, Joey Bada$$ isn't the only rapper in the Pro Era crew with star potential.

Be sure to check out his fellow crew member Nyck Caution if you've failed to do so, and you'll be thoroughly impressed with his flow and strong songwriting ability.

4. Belly

Clearly, Jay Z only signs folks who can really rap. Just ask people like J. Cole and Jay Electronica so the fact that he added Belly to the Roc Nation roster should show you how talented this Canadian rapper is.

5. Chance The Rapper

Clearly, the most popular of the rappers on this list, it seems like Chance has the biggest potential among these five MCs to go down as a lyrical legend.

If you're one of the few people who haven't sat with his brilliant "Coloring Book" album yet, drop whatever it is you're doing and check it out now.