Chuck D said:
The follower of Farrakhan! Don't tell me that you understand, until you hear the man!
Literally put a whole generation of kids up on NOI rhetoric simply by having a message (presented as dope material) beyond simping to broads and what kind of sneakers they wore.
Chuck's shyt was ANGRY. That's what separates him. He used to do radio. He knew how to project his voice. Cacs were in fear of what he might say next cause they knew with the power of his voice the streets would LISTEN.
You could make an argument that Flav being the flipside of the coin and clowning with the huge clocks, dancing, and corner store lingo was what balanced the group and made Chuck great and I wouldn't argue with you, but that still doesn't take away from the fact The Rhyme Animal was killin shyt from like... 87 to 92 at least.
That's a hell of a run.