How could Jay Z be the GOAT when he's never made a good song that wasn't about Jay Z?

[Ronnie Lott]

You are right about the Ghost song, my bad. That was a bad choice. The other 9 songs are all examples of song writing Jay could never do.

I don't want him to do anything. I'm stating factual observations. Jay Z cannot write songs about anything outside of how situations directly affect him. Even if the topic is weighty and relevant like urban decay, poverty, and the illegal drug economy it's always some navel gazing shyt about how it affected him and he gets in his feelings, writing emotional inner dialogues. And he's good at that. But he's limited.

Nas, Pac, Cube, Black Thought, Common, G Rap, Organized Konfusion, Q-Tip, Chuck D, Kendrick, even Rakim and G Rap when they felt like it, the list goes on and on all don't have that limitation.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

No one really thinks Jay-Z is the goat.

His complete lack of meaningful lyrics is one of the reasons why...but only one.

 

[Inspect Her Deck]

Somebody said a song called "Where I'm From" ain't about the person rapping it

Tell me fukkboy, is GZA's Swordsman about swordsmen?

You clearly haven't listened to the song and thought you'd be smart by reading the title. You bolded the wrong word you prick. It's Where I'm FROM, which is Marcy, which is what the song is about. What a nonce.

 

[ThatTruth777]

not a fan or a stan of him but this is 1 song he killed it on

 

[surgical gloves]

If he isn't GOAT, then why did they build a statue of him at the playground on Marcy and Lafayette, right down the street from the Marcy houses?

Spoiler

 

[Pifferry]

No one really thinks Jay-Z is the goat.

His complete lack of meaningful lyrics is one of the reasons why...but only one.

I've seen many people including rappers call Jay Z the GOAT, are you saying that they're lying to themselves?
And Jay Z not having meaningful lyrics is a load of croc.

 

[mobbinfms]

there's probably less than 30 legit classic hip hop albums. now if we're grading on on the early 2000s-present curve, there would be more.

We should try to list them.
This would be my GOAT contenders list.
The first one would probably be Run DMC's debut in 84.

 

[Inspect Her Deck]

We should try to list them.
This would be my GOAT contenders list.
The first one would probably be Run DMC's debut in 84.

We need to make a thread to reach a consensus of sorts on what constitutes a classic album. Need to have an accepted definition and everything. If nobody makes a thread, I'll do it.

 

[mobbinfms]

Aquemini is held in higher regard than ATLiens tbh even though I prefer the latter. But tbh that's NY bias to not see any Southern album on that plateau. For the record, Liquid Swords isn't held in the same regard as those albums. I dare anyone to tell me that isn't a GOAT contender.

That's kind of the problem that Outkast has. The first three albums are definitely classics, but no one particular album stands out as the definitive Kast album. So either they are all GOAT contender albums
Or none of them are.
I'm from CA btw. The Bay. So no NY bias here.
Liquid Swords is probably in my top ten. It's not a GOAT contender though.
Hell on Earth is my number five album. It's not a GOAT contender either though

 

[mobbinfms]

ATLiens is better than any album ever except arguably Illmatic to me. They are 1a and 1b.

I know.
Do you think the core audience sees it that way though?

 

[mobbinfms]

Why because The Source gave it 5 mics? That was a makeup rating for Southernplayalistic and ATLiens. Outkast fans and hip-hop fans in general prefer ATLiens. Aquemini is a classic too though.

i don't think that's true.

 

[mobbinfms]

show me one jay album with out a reach for radio play, or a song that shouldn't be there.

I'll wait...

RD.
And a reach for radio song doesn't necessarily mean a song is bad, although that would be the case more often than not.
Jay can execute those types of songs well.

 

[mobbinfms]

Idk most people I talk to argue Aquemini is better, the peak of their run musically and conceptually etc.

Let's be serious they're both pretty equal it comes down to preference. I prefer ATLiens. Soul Food is in that convo too for sure and even Southernplaya ain't far behind.

That's what I'm saying.
I like Southern the best, but it's tough because Andre became a beast on Atliens.

 

[mobbinfms]

I'm 50/50 on ATLiens vs Aquemeni. Both are equally good, although ATLiens holds a place with me because that was the "flip" album. But as a collective, when Stankonia is considered your "worst" album, you are doing something right.

It seems like everyone agrees with me
You are definitely right about those first three albums
I called it a "problem", but three classics in a row isn't a bad problem to have

 

[mobbinfms]

Liquid Swords is certified in my book. OB4CL is considered a hands down classic, but truth is, it's debatable if that or Liquid Swords was the best album to come out the camp...

I feel this was the sentiment in the 90d. Somewhere down the road LS really receded and OBFCL became the hands down definitive Wu solo album, if not the definitive east coast album of the 90s.