It’s been a minute since we dropped something thought provoking for you, so we think it’s about time to drop something for you to think about. This weekend, your boy J.O. [that's myself for those who don't know] and Stig [our other E.I.C.] were just chillin with the crew, and that topic jumps up again. I think by now, we all know what the “Great Debate” is. Jay-Z versus Nas.
“I from where n****s pull your car, and argue all day about/Who’s the best MC’s, Biggie, Jay-Z, and Nas?” – Jay-Z “Where I’m From”
Maybe the God-emcee knew where his career was headed. It’s near the end of 2009 and still, the “Great Debate” continues. We are all sitting around watching football, and when the debate starts, the calm, mild mannered brothers around the table get hype, quickly. We post up, listening to all the banter back and forth; “Jay-Z got all these great albums,” “Nas got mad quotables,” “Jigga’s got papers,” “Nas holds the struggle down.”
A variety of all the same. Except for the first time, I get a new perspective. There is really starting to be a backlash from this long debate. One of the newer perspectives that arise comes in the form of an anti-Jay-Z backlash. A new common perspective is that Jay-Z fans elevate him so much that it caused people to hate him. I dig Jay, and Reasonable Doubt is one of my favorite albums ever. I just picked up Blueprint 3, and I think it’s pretty hot. I also dig on Nas, and Illmatic is a classic. I’m anticipating that Distant Cousins LP with Damien Marley. I am a big fan of both.
I haven’t seen this big a division between Jay and Nas since “Ether” and “Takeover.” The ironic part of it all, is that they are currently cool, no beef, Jay has (or had) Nas on the label. Just picked up some audio with Nas and Jay touring Europe, though most of the audio has been deleted, we got a little gift for you. Listen and/or download….but listen nonetheless.
Worst enemies wanna be my best friends. Best friends wanna be enemies like that's what's in.
Another notion I heard was that Jay-Z is better on the basis that his rhymes are easy to recite. Cats were yelling across the room, spit a Jay-Z verse, which is pretty easy or hard, depending on the song, its’ popularity, so on and so forth. Then our Jay stan yells to spit a Nas verse. I’m not going to lie, while I can spit more Jay verses, Nas a few real memorable ones. But you can’t determine who is better based on if you can spit the lines. I can probably recite, no, DEFINITELY recite more Kris Kross lines than Nasty Nas, but that in no way means that Kris Kross is superior. It miffed me a bit to hear that. Nas has been known for having dynamic, and often advanced concept raps. Jay-Z uses more common words, but his usage of words is unrivaled.
I like to refer to sports, my default settings, when comparing Nas vs. Jay-Z. I call it Michael and Shaq. There is no doubt that Shaq is the most dominant big man ever. All the past greats had the height advantages, but Shaq would have abused those other great centers because of sheer power. I give Nas the Shaq designator. Nas is a beast on the mic, and his word play and story telling is his dominant trait. Both Nas and Shaq have this primary trait in common; they never get the respect they truly deserve because their games aren’t flashy. But they get the job done, and are not going to be dominant by one person, ever.
Jay-Z gets the Jordan comparison, and he get this because of his overall appeal. His staying power, his length at the top, and his ability to dwarf his peers because of his sheer skill at winning. Plus the retire/ un-retire drama doesn’t hurt Hov get this title. Album after album, Jay delivered winning product. In the streets and the suburbs, Jay-Z and Jordan enjoyed success, fame, and their size fits their accomplishments.
The problem arises when people try to compare Jordan versus Shaq. Jordan has more titles than Shaq, sure, but Shaq can’t shut Jordan down in his comfort zone, the wings. In the post, however, Shaq would murder MJ.
Just like the Shaq/Jordan example, Nas and Jay dominant their respective fields. Street stories and block tails are Nas’ post. No one does that better than Nasty. The “Ether” was Nas grabbing the rock at the post, pivot, turn and slam. The “Takeover” was a good effort, I mean, all those Jumpman poses were dunks, gotta go to the post to make those moves, but in Jay’s case, the post is Nas’ territory, and when he decided to go into Nas’ area, Nas had to punish him, swatting that weak junk out there. I liked “Takeover,” but we still call getting killed in a battle the “Ether,” so what does that tell you? In the wings, or the public view, Jay wins all day. But to those of us who know Hip Hop was born off the block, that was a rather emphatic victory for Nasty.
Either way you stand, be open to both artists, they are a perfect example for Hip Hop’s yin and yang. Neither is the all-encompassing standard, so we NEED both, and its important that people know that. That’s my word…
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