Styles P Says That Jay-Z Never Reached The Level Of Lyricism Of The Notorious B.I.G.

[spliz]

Just got to add BIG become wildly underrated as a lyricist because lyricism in these settings often gets reduced to things like rhyme schemes or slick talk with double meanings. Which are aspects. But BIG was so efficient and potent lyrically.

Good example being "I drop unexpectedly like bird shyt." Nothing complicated about that but it's a perfect description. Listening to a BIG song was like watching a movie.

Or when he said "ain't shyt changed, except the number after the dot on the Range" you knew exactly what he was talking about if you was into cars back then. Whereas Jay spent the whole outro on Imaginary Players explaining his "bigging up his brother" version of that bar.

Biggie had alot of control over his lyrics and what he said. Which is an underrated trait. And what makes him potent especially later in his life.

 

[LiveFromLondon]

I think Jay & Nas are a little better than Big lyrically but he's the better artist then both. Big could do everything they could do but Jay & Nas couldn't do everything Big could do

Biggies music was mostly surface level, Nas and Jay had more depth. Some of Biggies songs are good stories with cartoonish scenerios and characters where you have to suspend belief whereas Nas and Jay are more heartfelt. He did improve on Life after Death though

 

[Shadow King]

Definitely don't agree with you bro. If Big made: Nikkas Bleed/Suicidal Thoughts/Somebody's Got To Die/My Downfall/You're Nobody......which are all phenomenal records that you can make a movie to because they're so vivid, why wouldn't you think he could make a record like those at a high level? To me, I have no doubt he could just because of how nice he was when he was alive

All of these are great storytelling records but don't have that left field factor to it. Fetus is about not even being born yet. Rewind is literally telling a story backwards and coherently rhyming sentences backwards to illustrate the point.

Biggie gave you The Wire or Sopranos, strictly rooted in reality and so much so that you can't deny it. Nas could give you some Twilight Zone/X-Files shìt...built on realistic settings but with a key theme that's bizarre enough to be out of mind before it was delivered to you but plausible enough once you're dealing with it.

 

[Shadow King]

Biggies music was mostly surface level, Nas and Jay had more depth. Some of Biggies songs are good stories with cartoonish scenerios and characters where you have to suspend belief whereas Nas and Jay are more heartfelt. He did improve on Life after Death though

What records did Biggie make that were cartoonish?

Jay more heartfelt

 

[Knicksman20]

Biggies music was mostly surface level, Nas and Jay had more depth. Some of Biggies songs are good stories with cartoonish scenerios and characters where you have to suspend belief whereas Nas and Jay are more heartfelt. He did improve on Life after Death though

I guess that's your opinion but I think you might be in the minority with some of it lol. Take for example Arizona Ron from Tucson. His whole story sounds like it could be true from his description

 

[Knicksman20]

All of these are great storytelling records but don't have that left field factor to it. Fetus is about not even being born yet. Rewind is literally telling a story backwards and coherently rhyming sentences backwards to illustrate the point.

Biggie gave you The Wire or Sopranos, strictly rooted in reality and so much so that you can't deny it. Nas could give you some Twilight Zone/X-Files shìt...built on realistic settings but with a key theme that's bizarre enough to be out of mind before it was delivered to you but plausible enough once you're dealing with it.

I can definitely see where you're coming from

 

[Piff Perkins]

I'm gonna need you guys to explain what you think "lyrical/lyricist" means, and I also need an explanation on what you think an MC is. Because folks throwing around some WILD statements right now lol. We got people saying Biggie wasn't lyrical but Pac was. What's going on lol.

 

[Krs2]

This conversations are never objective cause the truth is nikkas just don't like jay as a person as much as they like other dudes and most of. The opinions are really based on that

I said before jay will only get real. Praise after death.

 

[boogers]

Not saying @boogers is doing it but I always felt this was a good example of how some people (especially in media) shyt on Nas while displaying their bias. In any other medium we understand similar settings doesn't mean one thing is just like another thing. Goodfellas and Casino are both mob films with similar themes...but they are NOT the same film. 1984 and Animal Farm are both dystopian satires by the same author....but they are NOT the same novel. Yet both these tracks contain inanimate objects and people act like it's the same or Nas bit it. One is more of a broad metaphor about gun violence with a bullet teaching the lesson. And the other features a gun as a living, breathing, emotional character from a 1st person perspective. Not the same thing lol. But if you hate Nas or want to discount his success you gotta shyt on the song. I remember Young Guru doing it AND saying Nas didn't come up with the hook on Gimme Yours within one minute in the same interview lmao. Brehs just gotta downplay Nas at every turn.

oh i dont think Nas bit it at all. besides, all three tracks are from different perspectives. stray bullet IS the bullet. gave you power is the GUN.

if anyone bit here, its Pac!

 

[L. Deezy]

Clark Kent put it best: Big is a better rapper while Jigga is the better MC

Clark just being Clark.

Them two nyggas is one in the same. 2 great rappers

 

[L. Deezy]

I seriously think if Big had lived and everything played out. Jay and Rocafella would probably eventually beefed with Big and Bad Boy

two of the most egotistical camps ever in NY. Big was already sending shots with that conscious of your nonsense in 88 line....

 

[Pop123]

Just got to add BIG become wildly underrated as a lyricist because lyricism in these settings often gets reduced to things like rhyme schemes or slick talk with double meanings. Which are aspects. But BIG was so efficient and potent lyrically.

Good example being "I drop unexpectedly like bird shyt." Nothing complicated about that but it's a perfect description. Listening to a BIG song was like watching a movie.

I agree with you and know exactly what you’re saying…but then you used a Big line of him doing slick talk with a double meaning as an example of him being different than the slick talk with a double meaning dudes, lol.

Multis has damn near run its course with me, , at this point it's almost a crutch to not actually say anything because you’re rhyming well. But the slick smart wordplay and shhit?? Nah, that gotta be in the toolkit heavy if you're nice, imho of course. Biggie's flow is what made him better than most, you can argue he had a better flow than Jigga and Nas, . And he was sick with the rhyming, it was just scattered more, it wasnt the basic 123 Jadakiss, Griselda, Fabolous, type shhit. Big one of them ones…its just silly when people rank him so high, imo, cause they took him so soon, he was only here to see one album drop

 

[spliz]

oh i dont think Nas bit it at all. besides, all three tracks are from different perspectives. stray bullet IS the bullet. gave you power is the GUN.

if anyone bit here, its Pac!

Yea Pac bit and the Outlaws even admitted it.

 

[spliz]

I can definitely see where you're coming from

Biggie was like Spielberg. Nas was like Scorcese, Kubrick, and Edgar Allen Poe. Lol.

 

[pointproven214]

I agree with you and know exactly what you’re saying…but then you used a Big line of him doing slick talk with a double meaning as an example of him being different than the slick talk with a double meaning dudes, lol.

Multis has damn near run its course with me, , at this point it's almost a crutch to not actually say anything because you’re rhyming well. But the slick smart wordplay and shhit?? Nah, that gotta be in the toolkit heavy if you're nice, imho of course. Biggie's flow is what made him better than most, you can argue he had a better flow than Jigga and Nas, . And he was sick with the rhyming, it was just scattered more, it wasnt the basic 123 Jadakiss, Griselda, Fabolous, type shhit. Big one of them ones…its just silly when people rank him so high, imo, cause they took him so soon, he was only here to see one album drop

To me if u rhyming basic u wack and I don't care how clever your lines are but if u can be clever while rhyming complex and have a great flow then imo u one of the greats.