Is it fair to say that Nas is a better writer than Jay-z but Jay-z is a better rapper than Nas?
- Thread starter Pop123
- Start date
. Yay or nay?
how is he defining writer and rapper?
Metal Face
Superstar
Nas a better lyricist & vocalist
Jay a better beat picker
both are completely different types of rappers
Jay a better beat picker
both are completely different types of rappers
GreenGhxst
Veteran
Nah, it ain't that simple
Jay just marginally better all around
I remember Jay's raps
I don't remember Nas' raps like I remember Jay's raps
Jay is a better writer and artist
Jay just marginally better all around
I remember Jay's raps
I don't remember Nas' raps like I remember Jay's raps
Jay is a better writer and artist
Piff Perkins
Veteran
Jay is Marshall Faulk. More versatile, does more things. Nas is Barry Sanders. The best.
I shoulda recorded him lol, nobody can tell me ish about Rap but he was sayin some ish. He said Nas is like a natural poet who is also really good at rapping, whereas Jay-z is a natural rapper who also could be really good at writing poetry.
how is he defining writer and rapper?
Nah, it ain't that simple
Jay just marginally better all around
I remember Jay's raps
I don't remember Nas' raps like I remember Jay's raps
Jay is a better writer and artist
I’m the opposite the amount of Nas lines I’ve used in real life situations, I’ve had my friends in awe at my intelligence until I tell them it’s a Nas bar lol.
For example ‘ Some say hate is confused admiration’
Sir Richard Spirit
Superstar
Yes
Iverson_64
Superstar
Honestly, Jay just has better beat selection and more of an appetite for commercial/broad appeal.
Nas, by contrast, uses above average beat selection that's more hip hop oriented and has always limited the amount of commercial sounding songs he drops. Even comparing Illmatic to RD, RD has features of MJB and Foxy Brown while Illmatic is pure boom bap.
And even other Nas albums that have the occasional radio hit are mostly full of lyrical songs not made for the radio besides the single.
Nas, imho, is the better writer AND rapper. I always preferred Nas's mic presence and voice over Jay's. Jay has a nice voice too but sometimes it comes off too whiny and awkward to me at times. I can't explain it. And, lyrically, Nas is sicker than Jay when it comes to storytelling, rhyme schemes, metaphors, song topics, etc.
That said, I think Jay has slicker wordplay but some of that wordplay is forced af like Lil Wayne's. I remember brehs gassing up Jay's verse on "What's Free" on that Meek Mill album saying that Jay had the verse of the year and half of the bars on that track were forced af like the "Sign I failed" line that was supposed to be a play on Seinfeld or the jive turkey line. Not to mention that a good portion of the shyt didn't even rhyme and he started doing that weird Spoken word type flow. I've never been more disappointed at a so-called "top tier" Jay verse than that song.
I felt a very similar way about his "Neck & Wrist" verse which was also gassed up online but I wasn't impressed with the wordplay or even flow on that joint. Jay's flow was still on that off beat Spoken word wave while using some forced bars like the Faizon Love sub in the beginning.
But this is something I noticed with Jay and Nas in general. People hold Nas to a higher standard in terms of lyricism, flow, or even catalog. Jay, on the other hand, is much more marketable so, if he does the absolute bare minimum in terms of lyrics, flow, and subject matter, he'll get more props and praise for it because it came out of Jay Z's lips.
Overall, though, both are elite and top 10 DOA and that's all that matters. They have their strengths and weaknesses.
Nas, by contrast, uses above average beat selection that's more hip hop oriented and has always limited the amount of commercial sounding songs he drops. Even comparing Illmatic to RD, RD has features of MJB and Foxy Brown while Illmatic is pure boom bap.
And even other Nas albums that have the occasional radio hit are mostly full of lyrical songs not made for the radio besides the single.
Nas, imho, is the better writer AND rapper. I always preferred Nas's mic presence and voice over Jay's. Jay has a nice voice too but sometimes it comes off too whiny and awkward to me at times. I can't explain it. And, lyrically, Nas is sicker than Jay when it comes to storytelling, rhyme schemes, metaphors, song topics, etc.
That said, I think Jay has slicker wordplay but some of that wordplay is forced af like Lil Wayne's. I remember brehs gassing up Jay's verse on "What's Free" on that Meek Mill album saying that Jay had the verse of the year and half of the bars on that track were forced af like the "Sign I failed" line that was supposed to be a play on Seinfeld or the jive turkey line. Not to mention that a good portion of the shyt didn't even rhyme and he started doing that weird Spoken word type flow. I've never been more disappointed at a so-called "top tier" Jay verse than that song.
I felt a very similar way about his "Neck & Wrist" verse which was also gassed up online but I wasn't impressed with the wordplay or even flow on that joint. Jay's flow was still on that off beat Spoken word wave while using some forced bars like the Faizon Love sub in the beginning.
But this is something I noticed with Jay and Nas in general. People hold Nas to a higher standard in terms of lyricism, flow, or even catalog. Jay, on the other hand, is much more marketable so, if he does the absolute bare minimum in terms of lyrics, flow, and subject matter, he'll get more props and praise for it because it came out of Jay Z's lips.
Overall, though, both are elite and top 10 DOA and that's all that matters. They have their strengths and weaknesses.
This is pretty much it… I’m a Nas stan, and damn near a Jay one too. Nas is a poet, but as fans we do sometimes fail to realize that lyrics are just a component of the full body of what makes music. Jays music is more digestible to the masses.
Black Excellence
All Star
Jay is good at simplifying complex lines, because of this it allows him to be versatile as a writer.
Nas is capable of simplifying his lines but it doesn’t have the same impact of his more elaborate verses.
Nas is capable of simplifying his lines but it doesn’t have the same impact of his more elaborate verses.
I’ll say this… Nas is an incredible lyricist, but Jay might have the edge when it comes to songwriting. Which is why Jay has probably penned more songs for other artists. Funny, now that I’m older, I realize Biggie excelled at both of these and probably has them beat.
Black Excellence
All Star
Biggie is really, really special as a writer. I’m going through a re-listen of his music and the way he’s able to SEAMLESSLY incorporate his humor with his rapping is astounding. Most rappers are focused on…rapping, but Biggie was inserting actual personality, dark humor while simultaneously delivering witty verses. I think he’s somehow underrated in that regard.
Jay has elite songwriting but I feel like a lot of Nas best examples of songwriting aren’t even know to the masses in terms of full composition of a song, I think this a lot down to marketing and Jay being the more business savvy artist.
For example
Feels like this should have been a single.