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

[Cryptocurrency Scarface]

If ATLiens isn't a GOAT contender I don't know what is.

The Fix is up there too

 

[Harry B]

No one is saying that Jay isn't an all-time great rapper. That's not the premise of the thread. OP brought a legit criticism to the table. Fact is, the few songs where he's tried to write outside of himself have fell flat. "Meet The Parents" is one of the most convoluted rap songs I've ever heard.

That's more likely on your capacity and not the song

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

That's more likely on your capacity and not the song

Meet the Parents sounds like the result of a white liberal arts major's hip-hop course final project where they had to write a rap song from an "urban youth's" perspective.

 

[Big Mel]

 

[H.S.]

Meet the Parents sounds like the result of a white liberal arts major's hip-hop course final project where they had to write a rap song from an "urban youth's" perspective.

It's the audio equivalent of that Juelz gif.

 

[ScoopNScore]

How can Jigga be a GOAT when he's a camel ?

Spoiler

I'll see my own self out

 

[DameDawgy]

Lol what is the point of this thread. People in here talking about Jay-Z's lack of "world view". One of the reasons why Jay is so praised musically is using the juxtaposition of his life and dealing with multiple things from racism, fame, success from a hustling mentality, his music is aspirational. Just because he doesn't have many songs where it's just him narrating on a subject means he's any less of an MC. In reality, he's one of the most personal rappers of all time.

Listen to In My Lifetime (Remix), This Life Forever, Wishing on a Star, There's Been a Murder, Dope Man, Never Change, Heaven, all reflective plus observational songs.

 

[Ineedmoney504]

Can't knock the hustle
feelin it
ain't no nikka

all obvious shots for radio play. jay never made a raw hip hop album.

nikka said feelin it. U dudes are clowns. A classic is a album that should be able to reach the masses as well as touch the soul of the genre. All these so called classics that only 5 people heard cause it had no songs to market cause that artist don't have much of a personality ain't counting

Except he can't. The only solid banger Jay Z has that isn't about himself is Fallin'. That song slipped my mind until Piffery mentioned it. Empire State of Mind...eh, pretty good song as well. A couple of fails (Meet the Parents, Minority Report, Ballad of the Fallen Soldier). Out of 12 studio albums, that's pretty bad.

Now compare that the body of work Nas, Pac, Common, Ghost, Black Thought, Scarface, Ice Cube, or KRS, etc.

You know Jay Z pretty much can only rap about Jay Z. You're just being stubborn. Doesn't mean Jay Z isn't an all time great...but it's a legit knock.

Common, ghost or black thought ain't goat contenders

Goat contenders should been able to walk a line wit balance of core music, but still have the ability to reach the masses without selling out

That's the reason, pac, big, nas and jay is pretty universal as top 5

 

[blackslash]

Wait lemme get this straight g
We disqualifying a rapper from Goat contendership because he sticks to using music as an expression of himself in the truest sense of the word, to connect with the ppl?
That's the criteria these dumfck ass nikkaz running wit now
Did I jus see a nikka say jay got no classics?
Did I just see a nikka say wanna be starting something is trash

Yea yall nikkaz some wierdo ass fckboiz

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

Wait lemme get this straight g
We disqualifying a rapper from Goat contendership because he sticks to using music as an expression of himself in the truest sense of the word, to connect with the ppl?
That's the criteria these dumfck ass nikkaz running wit now
Did I jus see a nikka say jay got no classics?
Did I just see a nikka say wanna be starting something is trash

Yea yall nikkaz some wierdo ass fckboiz

 

[JayBaldacci]

nikka said feelin it. U dudes are clowns. A classic is a album that should be able to reach the masses as well as touch the soul of the genre. All these so called classics that only 5 people heard cause it had no songs to market cause that artist don't have much of a personality ain't counting

did i say feelin it was a bad song? no, it's dope. it's still blatant reach for mainstream appeal.

 

[Harry B]

If a nikka can be among the best writers about his own crazy life, how hard is it to make up or tell a story about someone else's life
And the few songs in which he did that are not exceptionally better or worse than an average song of his, just fundamentally different.

Drake will suffer the same post-career analysis fate

The only problem is that theres like 100 million rap fans and only a few dustheads are dumb enough to think that one has to check of every single box to be a great artist (if that's the case we can make 100 threads for 100 factors about 100 different artists). If we go by the original definitions of hiphop, that has nothing to do with hiphop. Being able to freestyle, that's a classic definition of being a emcee.

 

[blackslash]

Shut yo Indian ass up I know u still tight cuz cosby looking to be a free man after u spent so much time caping for dem hoes

 

[mobbinfms]

It's the audio equivalent of that Juelz gif.

 

[SirBiatch]

Both sides of this argument and thread were excellent until this post ruined shyt

great input breh