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

[Piff Perkins]

I'd say Jay is better at hooks and the proof is in the amount of hits he has. If you are constantly picking hooks that work on radio and in the clubs I'm gonna say you're really good at picking them, because that's what the hook is supposed to do. That's not to say Nas is bad at hooks. He has some really good ones. But to me picking hooks is a lot like picking beats, and in both categories I think Jay just had a better ear for what was going to work commercially and more laser focus on making sure that shyt was on point on every album.

 

[kes929]

I'd say Jay is better at hooks and the proof is in the amount of hits he has. If you are constantly picking hooks that work on radio and in the clubs I'm gonna say you're really good at picking them, because that's what the hook is supposed to do. That's not to say Nas is bad at hooks. He has some really good ones. But to me picking hooks is a lot like picking beats, and in both categories I think Jay just had a better ear for what was going to work commercially and more laser focus on making sure that shyt was on point on every album.

No way. Nas is better at hooks. Jay just uses other people to do his hooks. Jay has no I gave you power type hooks in his arsenal or even as recent as speechless. Jay is great at choosing popular people to do his hooks which isn’t a knock. Run this town, no church in the wild are good exampless.

 

[Pop123]

Somebody mentioned voice, that goes unmentioned a lot. Nas (used to) has/have one of the dopest voices in rap history...while Jay-z himself has admitted he has a corny ass voice and doesn't like to listen to himself, lol. How you actually sound saying what you're saying might be more important than anything else.

 

[Piff Perkins]

No way. Nas is better at hooks. Jay just uses other people to do his hooks. Jay has no I gave you power type hooks in his arsenal or even as recent as speechless. Jay is great at choosing popular people to do his hooks which isn’t a knock. Run this town, no church in the wild are good exampless.

I don't care who did the hook, the question was who has better ones. I'm gonna go with the guy who has dozens of hits with memorable hits casual fans recognize. No one here would say the Just A Moment hook doesn't count as much because Nas didn't sing that. Nas heard the track, realized it was perfect already, and let it be. Nor would anyone discount Nas' biggest hit, If I Ruled The World, because he didn't do the hook. That's a perfect track, and if Nas had ten more of those he'd really be unstoppable in rap debates lol. shyt would be unfair.

 

[Pop123]

I don't care who did the hook, the question was who has better ones. I'm gonna go with the guy who has dozens of hits with memorable hits casual fans recognize. No one here would say the Just A Moment hook doesn't count as much because Nas didn't sing that. Nas heard the track, realized it was perfect already, and let it be. Nor would anyone discount Nas' biggest hit, If I Ruled The World, because he didn't do the hook. That's a perfect track, and if Nas had ten more of those he'd really be unstoppable in rap debates lol. shyt would be unfair.

To me they're both kinda ehh at hooks, .

What real billboard hits does Jay-z have without a R&B singer doing the hook? Any at all?

 

[Awesome Wells]

94-96, I don't think anyone was close to him. 97 yea you could say Biggie or Prodigy were better. 98-99 he was amazing but the final product we got for I Am/Nastradamus was questionable. But even then a lot of people had heard the leaks and understood it wasn't a matter of losing talent. Just picking the wrong tracks for the album. In short you aren't gonna find anyone who thinks Nas wasn't a top tier rapper - or the best - at some point during that period. 2001-2002...nothing needs to be said. KONY.

Once you get past that period it becomes more cloudy and you see divergence between casual fans, rap fans, and stans. There are dope songs on all the projects he dropped from 2004-2008 but you aren't going to find casual fans or unbiased rap fans saying he was "the best" then. And those albums don't move the needle in GOAT conversations at all. You can walk into a barbershop full of rap nikkas and none of them are going to list those albums. It's gonna be Illmatic, IWW, I Am, Stillmatic, and Life Is Good, depending on age. Same way the Hov dynamic would be Reasonable Doubt, Vol 1, Vol 2, Blueprint, Black Album. and American Gangster, depending on age.

Very true.

 

[kes929]

I don't care who did the hook, the question was who has better ones. I'm gonna go with the guy who has dozens of hits with memorable hits casual fans recognize. No one here would say the Just A Moment hook doesn't count as much because Nas didn't sing that. Nas heard the track, realized it was perfect already, and let it be. Nor would anyone discount Nas' biggest hit, If I Ruled The World, because he didn't do the hook. That's a perfect track, and if Nas had ten more of those he'd really be unstoppable in rap debates lol. shyt would be unfair.

I’m thinking of it as doing a complete song solo, as well as doing the hook. I’m not looking at it as another person doing the hook. So we are looking at it in two different ways. I don’t count just a moment as a Nas hook, I count that hook as a quan hook. I count I gave you power as nas hook and made you look as nas hook. DOA is an example of a Jay hook, run this town is a Rihanna hook.

 

[FreshAIG]

To me Nas and Jay are number 2-3 best rappers of all-time (Biggie is 1 to me) when it comes to talent.

Who I think is better usually depends on the day. I usually edge peak Nas, just as preference, but both are elite elite lyricist but their strengths are so different lyrically.

 

[kes929]

To me Nas and Jay are number 2-3 best rappers of all-time (Biggie is 1 to me) when it comes to talent.

Who I think is better usually depends on the day. I usually edge peak Nas, just as preference, but both are elite elite lyricist but their strengths are so different lyrically.

You are right. They are completely different both elite.

 

[Cloud McFly]

To me they're both kinda ehh at hooks, .

What real billboard hits does Jay-z have without a R&B singer doing the hook? Any at all?

According to Billboard Top 100…

The Story of OJ (#23)
Dirt Off Your Shoulders (#5)
99 Problems (#30)
Big Pimpin’ (#18)
Can I Get A (#19)
Show Me What You Got (#8)
It’s Alright (#61)
Do It Again (#65)
Roc Boys (#63)
D.O.A. (#24)
Blue Magic (#55)
Money Ain’t A Thing (#52)
Girls, Girls, Girls (#17)
Who You Wit (#84)
Tom Ford (#39)
Hey Papi (#76)

 

[Pop123]

According to Billboard Top 100…

The Story of OJ (#23)
Dirt Off Your Shoulders (#5)
99 Problems (#30)
Big Pimpin’ (#18)
Can I Get A (#19)
Show Me What You Got (#8)
It’s Alright (#61)
Do It Again (#65)
Roc Boys
D.O.A. (#24)
Blue Magic
Girls, Girls, Girls (#17)
Who You Wit
Tom Ford (#39)
Hey Papi

Those positions constitute big hit records? Okay, . “Show me what cha got” , that ish was a dud

I was thinking the Alicia joint and the Mariah joint and the Beyoncé shyts…like smash hits

 

[Cloud McFly]

Those positions constitute big hit records? Okay, . “Show me what cha got” , that ish was a dud

I was thinking the Alicia joint and the Mariah joint and the Beyoncé shyts…like smash hits

Off the list, 7 of the 16 songs are top 25, two of which were top 10, so I’d say that’s pretty good. If you feel it’s not, you’ll get no argument from me because your opinion is your opinion.

 

[spliz]

I don't care who did the hook, the question was who has better ones. I'm gonna go with the guy who has dozens of hits with memorable hits casual fans recognize. No one here would say the Just A Moment hook doesn't count as much because Nas didn't sing that. Nas heard the track, realized it was perfect already, and let it be. Nor would anyone discount Nas' biggest hit, If I Ruled The World, because he didn't do the hook. That's a perfect track, and if Nas had ten more of those he'd really be unstoppable in rap debates lol. shyt would be unfair.

I don't think this is a fair take. Nas has some of GOAT hooks and they sung by him. It's all in the what the goal is. A nikka being better at picking hooks and being better at making hooks is 2 different things. Being good at hooks and making hit records aren't synonymous.

 

[kevlar kohleone]

Jay is Marshall Faulk. More versatile, does more things. Nas is Barry Sanders. The best.

This is what I don’t get about nikkas you’ll throw the word versatile out there 2 Describe jay like Nas ain’t give u Rewind, Gave You Power, Fetus, Book Of Rhymes, We’re Not Alone, 2nd Childhood etc on top of endless storytelling records i.e. Shootouts, Blaze A 50, & let’s not 4get about the positive records like “I Know I Can & If I Ruled The World”. Nas not having the Radio records shouldn’t negate his versatility.

 

[spliz]

According to Billboard Top 100…

The Story of OJ (#23)
Dirt Off Your Shoulders (#5)
99 Problems (#30)
Big Pimpin’ (#18)
Can I Get A (#19)
Show Me What You Got (#8)
It’s Alright (#61)
Do It Again (#65)
Roc Boys (#63)
D.O.A. (#24)
Blue Magic (#55)
Money Ain’t A Thing (#52)
Girls, Girls, Girls (#17)
Who You Wit (#84)
Tom Ford (#39)
Hey Papi (#76)

This is decent. But when u compare it to the sheer amount of hits Jay has. The ones with just him on it is dwarfed. Majority of these aren't his best singles whatsoever.