you aint lying tho
im not tryna overrate lil wayne but the impact he had on hip hop is undeniable. i was in middle school and high school during the 2000s and constantly had his music in rotation. he was on the hottest beats and had so much music dropping it he was my favorite rapper for a long time. i guess it could be more of a personal thing.
but im not tryna downplay the underground of the 2000s either. those guys you mentioned

it was a nonstop stream of great music. i was heavy into the hieroglyphics, little brother, crooked i, talib, mos def, people under the stair, etc. the 2000s was the goat era of hip hop imo.