Picking the most underrated rapper in a city of 3,000,000-plus is a Sisyphean endeavor, but if you had only one ballot to cast, Leimert Park-based Co$$ would be a smart pick. Over the last 18 months, the close affiliate of Warner Bros.-signed Blu has quietly assassinated the few guest appearances he's been on since his sorely unsung last mixtape, "Tomorrow's Yesterday."

And his latest, "Revelations," is an adamantine hour of head-nodding beats and face-slapping rhymes. Signed to Tres Records, Co$$' official debut, "Before I Awoke," has been frequently delayed, with a release date tentatively slated for late winter/early spring of 2011. Thankfully, he released "Revelations" on Thursday to the tune of instant praise throughout the blogosphere. It helps that he had a prominent guest spot from Freddie Gibbs on "Gone," which immediately garnered the attention of the Internet army that Gibbs has rapidly assembled.

In fact, Co$$ might have more in common with Gibbs than any other local product. Not just thematically, but in their approach to rhyming. Los Angeles has dozens of highly gifted rappers, but most water down their product with crossover attempts. Gibbs and Co$$ exist with only one goal in mind: to go hard with hypodermic flows and lyrics consumed with cement and steel.

He might lack the flash and swag of many of his more popular peers, but for those weaned on Ras Kass and Saafir, Co$$' revelations will ring prophetic. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.