Let's face it, Jay-Z is the bar in which we compare rappers to because he is the best. PERIOD

[antidope]

i don't like eminem at all, but i respect his work, talent, and his status as a legend. i wouldn't sit her and say "nas is flat out a better artist than him" solely based of my dislike for dude.

But that is not why I am saying it. I truly in my heart of hearts do not believe Nas is better than JAY-Z. Why? Because no one is better than JAY-Z. It wouldnt matter if I loved the guy, because in my book JAY-Z is the unquestionable best. I love Eminem, I've bought all of his albums and have a sizeable amount of his non album music, but JAY-Z is flat out better than him, and everyone else. In my opinion of course.

 

[ninjahood]

Let me simplify it. You say Jay is the best, why?

Lyrics = No. Nas, Em are lyrically better

Album Sales = No. Em has dusted him

"Song Making" = No. Em (even 50 has better song making abilities), Give Ye time and he will be at the top of this list if he is not already.

Because he brought us (place favorite Jay album here) = No. Illmatic > Jays discography

Its that simple..

It really is that simple.

 

[jthagreat]

I havent seen ninjahood go this hard since sayin it was Jay's fault LL aint sell and that he was better....

 

[shorty doo wop]

i don't like eminem at all, but i respect his work, talent, and his status as a legend. i wouldn't sit her and say "nas is flat out a better artist than him" solely based of my dislike for dude.

But that is not why I am saying it. I truly in my heart of hearts do not believe Nas is better than JAY-Z. Why? Because no one is better than JAY-Z. It wouldnt matter if I loved the guy, because in my book JAY-Z is the unquestionable best. I love Eminem, I've bought all of his albums and have a sizeable amount of his non album music, but JAY-Z is flat out better than him, and everyone else. In my opinion of course.

This makes no cents tho your not even giving any insight on why, your just saying cuz jay is the best

 

[meek meals]

The usual suspects in this forum have been entertaining this argument for over 10 years! We are going to be arguing this point forever

Oh and btw Jay is the best.

Simply put, he's the Mike Jordan of rap.

Until somebody can consistently do these things*:

put out good to classic overall albums with memorable and often insightful lyrics
make not just "headphone" music but %&# that you can rock to in your car or the club
keep themselves relevant year after year (extend their "15 minutes of fame")
influence trends
push the hip hop culture to places it never been

*Just some of the great things he does consistently

in my eyes he will hold the crown PERIOD

Ye is doing this. Drake will be doing this after Kanye.

You can talk about Nas, Em, Pun, Big, Pac, etc. but very few rappers have that perfect combination of quality albums with widespread commercial success and relevance, along with pushing the trends of rap and it's culture to it's boundaries.

 

[nationaltruckerdave]

Alot of ya stuck in jay-z's lap ya dont understand that once u leave those international borders

Its a whole different ball game.

50 is bigger then jay-z globally. Its like how kobe is sooo much bigger then lebron

In china.

Jay-z before Beyonce wasnt anyone serious internationally. Its like how lil wayne is HUGE

Here but across those borders he's just another rapper.

50 is big where they dont speak english and cant understand how wack he is

FOH famb, you been a niketalk rapper for like 8 years and you still ain't get a lick of fame or popularity .. You never gonna signed

Keep making them corny songs and videos

GGGGGG G-Unit

 

[i skate nikes]

We can keep doing this all day long. When you look at the basis for your argument from a logical standpoint instead of fusing two people into one (Eminem sold more and Nas is better) and twisting the criteria your agenda, it becomes painfully obvious that you have no leg to stand on here.

 

[meek meals]

Let me simplify it. You say Jay is the best, why?

Lyrics = No. Nas, Em are lyrically better

Album Sales = No. Em has dusted him

"Song Making" = No. Em (even 50 has better song making abilities), Give Ye time and he will be at the top of this list if he is not already.

Because he brought us (place favorite Jay album here) = No. Illmatic > Jays discography

Its that simple..

But that's just it . . . Jay has the best combination of all those qualities. When was the last time Nas had a hit? When was the last time 50 had a hit? Em makes hits, but hits that can't really be put in the same lane as what rap is today IMO. Who was blaring Not Afraid or Love The Way You Lie out of their cars. Em survives off of a certain demographic.

Jay has the best combo of hits, lyricism, discography.

Jay is hands down the most versatile and well-rounded rapper/career of all time.

 

[shorty doo wop]

Let me simplify it. You say Jay is the best, why?


Lyrics = No. Nas, Em are lyrically better


Album Sales = No. Em has dusted him


"Song Making" = No. Em (even 50 has better song making abilities), Give Ye time and he will be at the top of this list if he is not already.


Because he brought us (place favorite Jay album here) = No. Illmatic > Jays discography


Its that simple..

But that's just it . . . Jay has the best combination of all those qualities. When was the last time Nas had a hit? When was the last time 50 had a hit? Em makes hits, but hits that can't really be put in the same lane as what rap is today IMO. Who was blaring Not Afraid or Love The Way You Lie out of their cars. Em survives off of a certain demographic.​

Jay has the best combo of hits, lyricism, discography.​

Jay is hands down the most versatile and well-rounded rapper/career of all time.[/CENTER]
​

While that is true it still does not make him a better RAPPER than his peers
Just cause you can rap for hood dudes make bangers for basketball pregame routines and have songs that play on the radio that appeals to females doesn't mean he is better at RAPPING​

 

[Hahahaha]

But that is not why I am saying it. I truly in my heart of hearts do not believe Nas is better than JAY-Z. Why? Because no one is better than JAY-Z. It wouldnt matter if I loved the guy, because in my book JAY-Z is the unquestionable best. I love Eminem, I've bought all of his albums and have a sizeable amount of his non album music, but JAY-Z is flat out better than him, and everyone else. In my opinion of course.

Have you heard Kingdom Come, Blueprint 2 & 3, half of Vol. 1? I just don't understand how someone can feel like that.

 

[ninjahood]

I havent seen ninjahood go this hard since sayin it was Jay's fault LL aint sell and that he was better....

his last album (which was under jay's helm) was da only one that aint catch a gold or platinum plaque

even his 2006 album went gold.

 

[ninjahood]

But that is not why I am saying it. I truly in my heart of hearts do not believe Nas is better than JAY-Z. Why? Because no one is better than JAY-Z. It wouldnt matter if I loved the guy, because in my book JAY-Z is the unquestionable best. I love Eminem, I've bought all of his albums and have a sizeable amount of his non album music, but JAY-Z is flat out better than him, and everyone else. In my opinion of course.

Have you heard Kingdom Come, Blueprint 2 & 3, half of Vol. 1? I just don't understand how someone can feel like that.

add vol. 3, da best of both worlds.

 

[bigrockford]

But that's just it . . . Jay has the best combination of all those qualities. When was the last time Nas had a hit? When was the last time 50 had a hit? Em makes hits, but hits that can't really be put in the same lane as what rap is today IMO. Who was blaring Not Afraid or Love The Way You Lie out of their cars. Em survives off of a certain demographic.​

Jay has the best combo of hits, lyricism, discography.​

Jay is hands down the most versatile and well-rounded rapper/career of all time.​

Thats your argument? I think 50 is beating him in every one of those categories except lyrics. And 50 may not be more lyrical, but his songs will stand the test of time that Jays will not. Jay is like Nike, his product continues to sell out based off of a name. Not quality.

And if you didn't notice Em is better than Jay hands down in every category. Em sells because of a certain demographic? So does Jay, its call New York lol. And Em doesn't rap? Seriously? Thats what your coming with?

 

[sheistbugz]

Jay-Z is hands down the 'best rapper', at least by my definition. He isn't the most talented, but overall he is strong in every category, and has been around for well over 20 years now.
Yea he lost to Nas a few years back, yea Em sold more albums, he can't really be considered the 'best' in any single category, but overall he has a good flow, Blueprint and Reasonable Doubt are classics, he has been relevant since the 90s, has rapped with Big L, Biggie and basically every other rapper in the game today.
His first album was popular, a definite classic and was released in 1996, 17 years later he is still relevant, still played on the radio, still making money. And almost every year in between he has put out 'decent music. Of course I wouldn't say any of his work can be compared to Illmatic, but he is consistently putting out quality work.
He helped bring Hip Hop into the mainstream, and has been around on the radio for 20 years. Nobody else can really compare to him.
Nas, my favorite, has been around that long but he hasn't put out consistent work. He produced the greatest rap album of all-time Illmatic, and sure more recently Life is Good was on point, but he doesn't sell as much as Jay-Z and he has that long *** gap after Stillmatic with just mediocre work.​

 

[Bend_The_Knee]

Thats your argument? I think 50 is beating him in every one of those categories except lyrics. And 50 may not be more lyrical, but his songs will stand the test of time that Jays will not. Jay is like Nike, his product continues to sell out based off of a name. Not quality.

 

[Baby Face Nelson]

add vol. 3, da best of both worlds.

add The Dynasty which Beans sonned him throughout his own album! Why should Eminem be overlooked because he appeals to a certain demographic? You Jay-z stans are so blinded by his nuts its unbelievable. You know whites purchase more Hip-Hop albums than any other race right? Hell there are more white people at Jay-z concerts than blacks, so Eminem and Jay have the same target market. I keep hearing Jay-z is this great story teller, but there is nothing he has composed that tell the stories "Rewind" or "I Gave You Power", and that is just to name a few.

 

[Majorbread]

But that's just it . . . Jay has the best combination of all those qualities. When was the last time Nas had a hit? When was the last time 50 had a hit? Em makes hits, but hits that can't really be put in the same lane as what rap is today IMO. Who was blaring Not Afraid or Love The Way You Lie out of their cars. Em survives off of a certain demographic.​

Jay has the best combo of hits, lyricism, discography.​

Jay is hands down the most versatile and well-rounded rapper/career of all time.​

This. He may not be #1 in any single category but collectively ain't nobody seein him

 

[Remy LeBeau]

add The Dynasty which Beans sonned him throughout his own album! Why should Eminem be overlooked because he appeals to a certain demographic? You Jay-z stans are so blinded by his nuts its unbelievable. You know whites purchase more Hip-Hop albums than any other race right? Hell there are more white people at Jay-z concerts than blacks, so Eminem and Jay have the same target market. I keep hearing Jay-z is this great story teller, but there is nothing he has composed that tell the stories "Rewind" or "I Gave You Power", and that is just to name a few.

Not to mention the other white artist that haven't reached a piece of Em's success

 

[frankthetank]

So there are legit people thinking Jay-Z is better than Tupac? Biggie? Nas? and Em? 

 

[nationaltruckerdave]

So there are legit people thinking Jay-Z is better than Tupac? Biggie? Nas? and Em? 

Jay-Z is way better than Tupac, Tupac is extra overrated

 

[frankthetank]

Jay-Z is way better than Tupac, Tupac is extra overrated

Overrated?? That's why every rapper wants to be like Pac? Dude changed the game. He came in and shook the world, with his flow, lyrics, and attitude. No rapper will ever have a movement like that. And he was 25 when he passed. You're telling me Jay-z who is influenced by Pac, has above average lyrics, and an ok flow is better, come on you can't be serious

 

[ninjahood]

So there are legit people thinking Jay-Z is better than Tupac? Biggie? Nas? and Em? 

Jay-Z is way better than Tupac, Tupac is extra overrated

All eyez on me dropped in 96 and made jay-Z look like a LIL *****...cuz he was at that time.

 

[meek meals]

Jay-Z is way better than Tupac, Tupac is extra overrated

Overrated?? That's why every rapper wants to be like Pac? Dude changed the game. He came in and shook the world, with his flow, lyrics, and attitude. No rapper will ever have a movement like that. And he was 25 when he passed. You're telling me Jay-z who is influenced by Pac, has above average lyrics, and an ok flow is better, come on you can't be serious

how in blue hell is hov inspired by pac

 

[Hahahaha]

The closing argument is it's on record and video, Jay was a huge NaS fan. Dude was dying to do a song with his idol. Has NaS ever said anything like that about Jay? No

 

[meek meals]

Cant take anyone saying 50 seriously. He hasnt been relevant in rap since maybe 09. That sales battle with Ye in 07 with Graduation was ironic looking back. Beginning of brighter instrumentals and start of the non thug being dominant in rap.