Rap & Hip Hop: How much importance do you place on "style" in deciding how good a rapper is?

A lot, to say the least. Style is one of the least quantifiable things a rapper can have, which also makes it one of the most essential. I've heard rappers who excel in technical lyricism, can rap their @$$es off, have incredible production, etc. but still don't capture me the same way rappers like Drake or Wayne can. Style is so critical for a rapper to have if they want to merit repeat listens and have longevity - there's only so many times you can hear the same punchline or subject before you get bored of it. Voice and tone, which to me are components of style, need to be distinct and unique. There's only so much a rapper can do to hide how truly unoriginal they are, which is why I'm so tired of these so-called "lyrical rappers" and all these questions of who's the hardest rapper out there. The fact is that none of them are very interesting, regardless of how good they are at certain aspects of rapping. Which is why rappers like Nicki Minaj get famous - sure she was a fairly talented rapper, but her distinct persona made her stand out from everyone else and her very presence on a track would made the song a hit. I think there's a certain expectation that styles create that make us want to listen to a specific rapper more than we would someone who may be more talented. It's like choosing between having dinner with a master chef and a friend who goes to school for culinary arts. Sure the chef might be a better cook but you'll probably have more to talk about with the friend and you know what to expect from them.

Yeahhhhhhhh, I agree that it is very important but my GOAT list is actually more based off of, consistency, versatility, lyrical ability, and strong discographies. That is why guys like Black Thought, Nas, Andre 3000, Ghostface Killah, Common, Jay Z, and Pharoahe Monch are all in my top 10. (That's actually my top 7 but whatever lol) But yeah style is still very important. Carbon copies get boring after a while.

BQ1: Close, but Pharacyde slightly takes it for me.

Well for me style does play a vital role while judging an artist like if I don't feel the content or the subject he's trying to deliver or the way hes delivering it no matter how complex rhyme schemes he uses or how dope his flow is I'm not gonna like him like if we just assume ICP comes with an album with all sort of nice bars and wordplay and dope beats still I really don't think I'm gonna like it cause the maniac and destructive style they display in their music is completely bull$#it and it has never been appealing to me.

Quite important since I like a rapper to have some character. They dont need perfect flow or lyrics, just something to set them apart from the rest.