Is it fair to say that Nas is a better writer than Jay-z but Jay-z is a better rapper than Nas?

[HNIC973]

Is Jay the better artist or has he just been aligned with popular rnb/hip hop features and the crème de La crème of producers in the game (Neptune’s, Timbo, Kanye)? Is Jay the best artist or has he just gon on the direction of what’s hot at the time?

Let’s look at the top streamed JayZ song vs the top streamed Nas song.

Umbrella,Crazy In Love,Pound Cake, Love All,N***** In Paris,Monster,Holy Grail, Run This Town, Empire State Of Mind,Story of OJ

If I Ruled The World, The World Is Yours, NY State of Mind,10K, Nas AlbumDone, Life’s A bytch, Sorry Not Sorry, Ether, Adam&Eve, Made You Look

Nas list is much different on Spotify
NYSOM
IIRTW
The World is Yours
It Ain't hard to tell
One Mic One Gun
Nas is Like
Represent
The Message
Get Down
Life's a bytch

Jay
nikkaz in Paris
ESOM
Numb/Encore
Run this Town
Why I love you
No Church in the Wild
Gotta have it
Otis
4:44
03 Bonnie & Clyde
Alot of Ye influence

 

[FunkDoc1112]

Kanye is different because he actually has a role in producing his songs which Nas and Jay do not.

In terms of making catchy hooks i don't think there is much difference in Nas and Jay..

But also in reality i feel like Nas actually takes more risks in terms of songwriting, he has a few hooks where he is actually singing mostly all the way through Jay doesn't. really do that.

Where Jay may win is his mind and business acumen when knowing who to bring in for hooks, who to align himself with both producer and singer wise, and having more uptempo bouncy songs. But i wouldn't necessarily say being more commercial makes you the better artist, i would say Mos Def is probably top 5 artists in rap history and he doesn't have the commercial appeal due to how isolated and eclectic he is.

Jay's better at hooks. Nas has admitted hooks are his biggest weakness and has gotten help with them over the years

 

[spliz]

Jay's better at hooks. Nas has admitted hooks are his biggest weakness and has gotten help with them over the years

Both of them have. I would argue that Nas has more hooks where it's just him and he's not being carried by a sample or rnb singer.

 

[FunkDoc1112]

You’re leaving out content.

Jay’s super power, and the area he has an edge on Nas, is his story is more interesting and he taps into his ACTUAL life better than Nas. His stories are more consistently personal. And if you’ve followed him it’s like one big connected story

Perfect example is his feature on Love All. That’s not about lyricism or writing it’s about making you feel it bc you know it’s real.

nikkas wanted to kill me and y'all still with 'em
nikka, y'all chill with 'em, and y'all wonder why we not friends?
Best thing I can do is not build with you
When I could destroy you, that takes some fukkin' discipline

Gives me fukin chills. Any rapper could say a line like that, but it’s different with Jay bc you know it’s FACTUAL, 100% real, you know who it’s aimed at, you know that yes he could destroy him, etc…it makes it and him different

And to add to that, it references a story first told on his first album!

"I had near brushes, not to mention
Three shots, close range, never touched me, divine intervention"

 

[HNIC973]

Nah, never, bro.

Dude was easily Top 5 already, in his career, in '94-'98. I remember when Marley Marl pointed out how everyone was trying to mimic Nas's style, at the time. Everything he touched back, was crazy. The damn Nas mixtapes were selling out everywhere in the city. But it wasn't just hype. He was working at a different level during his first few years from Illmatic to I Am. He was still dope by '08, but his verses weren't getting the game shook, like they did when he was on that run after the first album.

'94-'98, people were saying dude was "the next Rakim". By '08, I remember seeing reviews that said his themes were "all over the place", and his song quality was "hypocritical and inconsistent". And that was true. He lacked direction for a few albums. And whenever he does, the rhymes suffer. He was trying to find himself as an artist during that time. And he even said people were coming up to him telling him to go back to how he was on Illmatic. And he said he couldn't do that because he's not that person anymore. But he said he was tired of talking about and celebrating Illmatic. People kept telling him to go back to that. I think he was getting that from a lot of people. Asking him to go back to that style. But he said he's not and that it's "over', lol.

BIG knew Nas in 95
Eye for an Eye
Fast Life
Verbal Intercourse
Mo Money Mo Murder

 

[spliz]

And to add to that, it references a story first told on his first album!

"I had near brushes, not to mention
Three shots, close range, never touched me, divine intervention"

"Never knew murder till I seen my man get shot, no blood soakin, laying there,
Eyes still open, I got closer then I put my hand on his palm,
He was lookin right thru me yo,
Staring beyond,
What is it he saw? The limos movies and tours? Did he die in vain or represent for the cause? Now I put his name on everything I'm involved, and that's the game if yall can't relate fukk yall(Ill Will)"..

 

[Sccit]

NO

 

[JustCKing]

Both of them have. I would argue that Nas has more hooks where it's just him and he's not being carried by a sample or rnb singer.

I was going to post "I Gave You Power". That song was never a single, but has a classic hook and it's just Nas. He caught flack for "Street Dreams" hook, but that too was crazy. There's even more throughout his entire catalog.

 

[King Ming]

Nas a better lyricist & vocalist

Jay a better beat picker

both are completely different types of rappers

Agreed! Jay live performances are GOAT level... Nas improved tho,

1. Nas
2. Pac
3. Big
4. Jay

 

[Budda]

Jay's better at hooks. Nas has admitted hooks are his biggest weakness and has gotten help with them over the years

Don't agree.

 

[spliz]

I was going to post "I Gave You Power". That song was never a single, but has a classic hook and it's just Nas. He caught flack for "Street Dreams" hook, but that too was crazy. There's even more throughout his entire catalog.

Exactly. And like I pointed our earlier. Stay Schemin was a Nas hook. Alot of Nas' hooks also add to the theme of the song. And let's not act like Jay ain't have no wack hooks like Blueprint 2 for instance.

 

[HNIC973]

Exactly. And like I pointed our earlier. Stay Schemin was a Nas hook. Alot of Nas' hooks also add to the theme of the song. And let's not act like Jay ain't have no wack hooks like Blueprint 2 for instance.

The Austin Powers shyt was " OH - Behave"
Nas was dropping hooks like this at the time
They shootin'! Aw, made you look
You a slave to a page in my rhyme book

 

[skokiaan]

Just like prince and mj....One is an artist the other an entertainer

 

[spliz]

Just like prince and mj....One is an artist the other an entertainer

I don't feel like it's that simple.

 

[DaMos Supreme]

BIG knew Nas in 95
Eye for an Eye
Fast Life
Verbal Intercourse
Mo Money Mo Murder

The 1:23 mark , must have that AC pumping