Check out Funcrusher Plus by Company Flow. It was EL-P's debut and while it may be lyrically very sophisticated and not as accessible as RTJ,that's definitely what they were going for. It also has one of the most badass album covers ever. Also check out The Cold Vein by Cannibal Ox. It was one of the first rreleases on El-P's Def Jux label and he produced the whole album and the production is all around amazing and Vast and Vortal (The two MC's in Cannibal Ox) are lyrically very proficient.