I agree with you about Lupe not being clear.. He's a show off with the word play and likes to make his rhymes puzzles to the point where it takes several listens to get one line..He definatly tries way too hard.. But that doesn't mean that he's not great at what he does imo...
I believe that's what makes SOME of his believers think that he's more lyrical. Because some can't initially decipher what he's saying they believe that he's more lyrical. I believe that you don't have to use arabesque wordplay to be an elite lyricist. Biggie saying "I can hear sweat trickling down your cheek, your heartbeat sound like Sasquatch feet...thundering shaking the concrete" to me is just as potent as some lyrical, myrical rapper that tries to run a lyrical clinic on a track but doesn't get their desired effect. Sometimes it's not what type of grammatical sorcery or how many polysyllabic words you use. Sometimes a great, lyrical verse consists of simple words that are put together in a way that potently smacks the listener.
"kicking boring raps, with metaphors is wack, all you motherfvckers need Nordic track!" - Canibus
"all the gimmicks, the wack lyrics, the shyt's depressing, pathetic...please forget it..." - Biggie
"Yo, too many songs, weak rhymes that's mad long. Make it brief Son, half short and twice strong" - GZA