Nas should be crowned the greatest rapper of all time. Three 5 mics albums, classic. Who else has stayed longer in the game, and still consistent, still delivering mad flows.
A lot of people would say, what about tupac and biggie. Let us leave sentiment aside, those two rappers were in the game like 3-4 years before they died and became immortalized. Think about it, if they were alive, would they still be waxing strong? Would they still be dropping relevant albums? Nas has dropped 9 albums since his debut (illmatic) in 1994. All going gold and platinum, you check on the facts.
I know people would say Jay-z is better. I do not doubt that jay-z is a better business man, and sales more album than nas, but ask yourself, can jay-z go bar for bar with nas. He just makes better commercial songs. When it comes to the lyrics, nas would murk him. Everybody know that, but they know a lot of people want to relate with jay's success in the rap game.
Jay-z knew he had one road block to cross in 2001, that was why he went at nas. He had everything, but knew he had to kill the sleeping lion, but the lion happened to put a dent in his career with "ether".
A lot of other rappers know nas is the d don, ask lupe fiasco, ask common, ask jadakiss, jarule, kanye west, dj premier, eminem, the game, all this rappers, one time or the other hae made remarks in the tune that is the greatest rapper. Even jay-z knows that. In one of his old songs, on his second album, he rhymed, "I'm from marcy, where people park cars and argue who's the best rapper, biggie, jigga or nas.

won't go into long stories but I like 'em rappers in this order:

Biggie
2Pac
Nas
Eminem
DMX
Redman & Methodman
Jay-Z

the first two are dead so Nas reigns in my world now

NaS= d greatest rapper.DEAD OR ALIVE.
Illmatic= d greatest art work ever made. I want to be buried with this album!

x

Nas isnt the greatest rapper of all times, he is ONE of the greatest.

nasir ibn olu dara is d king . . i still gat all his records from 'illmatic' to 'nigger' . . wurrd!

oh well NAS is cool sha
one of the finest

so often people confuse 'the greatest rapper' with 'the best rapper', and 'the best rapper' with 'the best lyricist'.
the best lyricist is not necessarily the best rapper(simply put, the best rapper is the dude who makes the best rap music).
and the best rapper is not necessarily the greatest rapper(there are so many factors that determine who the greatest is).

that being said, nas is definitely NOT the greatest rapper, he's not even in the top 3(2pac, biggie, jay-z in no particular order).

jay z IS the best rapper alive.why? he makes/he's made better music than any other rapper(including nas), simple!

as for the best lyricist, there are so many candidates(nas inclusive), with so little btw them its almost impossible to single one out and call him the best. so i'm not going to.

ritchboy:

so often people confuse 'the greatest rapper' with 'the best rapper', and 'the best rapper' with 'the best lyricist'.
the best lyricist is not necessarily the best rapper(simply put, the best rapper is the dude who makes the best rap music).
and the best rapper is not necessarily the greatest rapper(there are so many factors that determine who the greatest is).

that being said, nas is definitely NOT the greatest rapper, he's not even in the top 3(2pac, biggie, jay-z in no particular order).

jay z IS the best rapper alive.why? he makes/he's made better music than any other rapper(including nas), simple!

as for the best lyricist, there are so many candidates(nas inclusive), with so little between them its almost impossible to single one out and call him the best. so i'm not going to.

Well said hombre

Ask NaS what rapping is.

He says,'this is exercise till d microphone dies".

Is there a better and iller defination?
NO!
NaS is truly great.

Without prejudice to what y'all have said, Best and Greatest as earlier noted, are two very different words.

In the overall analysis, Biggie would qualify as the best ever. Dead or Alive. Generally, his rap artistry is awesome. Sadly his career was short-lived.

By the same token, Pac would qualify as the greatest. Dead or Alive. His legacy is astounding. It eclipses that of other rappers by miles. And he's really prolific.

Unfortunately both are dead.

Amongst the living, Nas IMO is the best. Not necessarily the greatest. Greatest is open-ended. Rakim and some other real ol' gees are still alive. But the best? Definitely Nas.

And hey - leave record sales out of this. That's not a parameter for judging rappers' skills. ^{How many records has Rakim sold?} How can Nas be compared with P. Diddy? Just because "Puff Daddy & the Family - No Way Out" album sold like hotcake means he's better than Nas or what? Do you know how many rappers Diddy featured on that album? With rappers like Biggie, Mase (in his prime), Jay-Z, The Lox - should you be surprised it sold?

You know how Mase pulled it off in "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", how Biggie/Mase ripped "Been Around the World".

Forgotten "Throw Ya' Hands Up", "It's All About the Benjamins"? Forgotten "I Got the Power" with The Lox and "Young G's" with Biggie and Jay-Z?

Diddy didn't even write the lyrics for "I'll Be Missing You". He employed Sauce Money to do that.

And of course 'Victory' feat. Busta Rhymes and Biggie is the best. That track remains one of the greatest rap joints of all time. The whole song is real tight and amazingly, Puff managed to pull it off, mainly because of Biggie's flow and Busta going crazy on the chorus

Nuff said. Thread never said "Best-Selling Rapper".

To the above dude,
Did you get this write up off a website??

i dont agree that nas is the best. there's better and more successful and more lyrically inclined.

lol. . . like who? (Just curious!)

In an ideal world Nas should be the best lyrically but that is not the case here.

shotster50:

To the above dude,
Did you get this write up off a website??

^{*does it sound like an above NL average posting? *}

[/quote][quote author=shotster50 link=topic=198123.msg3178514#msg3178514 date=1228362623]
In an ideal world Nas should be the best lyrically but that is not the case here.

Don't understand you. You mean ". . .Nas should be the best financially but that is not the case here"?

Dead or Alive, Pac and Biggie are miles ahead of Nas.

Alive, Nas is lyrically ill and no one out there can touch him.

Thought I read this somewhere,

Wake up!

Nas is one of em greatest no doubt. I rate him the best right now considering 2pac is dead. But all in all 2pac is the best rapper i've ever listen to in my life. I still listen to him and feel him anyday.

And i think we shouldn't deviate from the topic of discussion, we're not talking about how succesful they are but how good they are

You just spoke the truth like your village oracle

Nas is the greatest rapper of all time.
you dont have to be dead to be a legend.

Beginning with his classic debut, Illmatic (1994), Nas stood tall for years as one of New York City's leading rap voices, outspokenly expressing a righteous, self-empowered swagger that endeared him to critics and hip-hop purists. Whether proclaiming himself "Nasty Nas" or "Nas Escobar" or "Nastradamus" or "God's Son," the self-appointed King of New York battled numerous adversaries for his position atop the epicenter of East Coast rap, none more challenging than Jay-Z, who vied with Nas for the vacated throne left in the wake of the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1997 assassination. Such headline-worthy drama informed Nas' provocative rhymes, which he delivered with both a masterful flow and a wise perspective over beats by a range of producers: legends like DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Pete Rock; hitmakers like Trackmasters, Timbaland, and will.i.am; street favorites like Swizz Beatz, Megahertz, and the Alchemist; and personal favorites of his own like L.E.S., Salaam Remi, and Chucky Thompson. Nas likewise collaborated with some of the industry's leading video directors, including Hype Williams and Chris Robinson, presenting singles like "Hate Me Now," "One Mic," and "I Can" with dramatic flair. Throughout all the ups (the acclaim, popularity, and success) and downs (the expectations, adversaries, and over-reaching), Nas continually matured as an artist, evolving from a young street disciple to a vain all-knowing sage to a humbled godly teacher. Such growth made every album release an event and prolonged his increasingly storied career to epic proportions.

Born Nasir Jones, son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade, trading classrooms for the streets of the rough Queensbridge projects, long fabled as the former stomping ground of Marley Marl and his Juice Crew as immortalized in "The Bridge." Despite dropping out of school, Nas developed a high degree of literacy that would later characterize his rhymes. At the same time, though, he delved into street culture and flirted with danger, such experiences similarly characterizing his rhymes. His synthesis of well-crafted rhetoric and street-glamorous imagery blossomed in 1991 when he connected with Main Source and laid down a fiery verse on "Live at the Barbeque" that earned him up-and-coming notice among the East Coast rap scene. Not long afterward, MC Serch of 3rd Bass approached Nas about contributing a track to the Zebrahead soundtrack. Serch was the soundtrack's executive producer and had been impressed by "Live at the Barbeque." Nas submitted "Halftime," and the song so stunned Serch that he made it the soundtrack's leadoff track.

Columbia Records meanwhile signed Nas to a major-label contract, and many of New York's finest producers offered their support. DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Pete Rock entered the studio with the young rapper and began work on Illmatic. When Columbia finally released the album in April 1994, it faced high expectations; Illmatic regardless proved just as astounding as it had been billed. It sold very well, spawned multiple hits, and earned unanimous acclaim, followed soon after by classic status. The two years leading up to Nas' follow-up, It Was Written (1996), brought another wave of enormous anticipation. The ambitious rapper, who had begun working closely with industry heavyweight Steve Stoute, responded with a significantly different approach than he had taken with Illmatic: where that album had been a straightforward hip-hop album with few pop concessions, the largely Trackmaster-produced It Was Written made numerous concessions to the pop-crossover market, most notably on the two hit singles, "Street Dreams" and "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)." These singles -- both of which drew from well-known songs, Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and Kurtis Blow's "If I Ruled the World," respectively -- broadened Nas' appeal greatly and awarded him MTV-sanctioned crossover success. This same crossover success undermined some of his hip-hop credibility, however, and a minor backlash by purists resulted.

Nas addressed his critics on "Hate Me Now," the second single from his next album, I Am (1999). The album had originally been planned as a double-disc concept album comprised of autobiographical material, but when some of the tracks were leaked, I Am was scaled down and released as a single disc, with the DJ Premier-produced "Nas Is Like" chosen as the lead single. Besides "Nas Is Like" and "Hate Me Now," which both broke into the Billboard Hot 100, "You Won't See Me Tonight" and "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" also charted as singles. Originally scheduled by Columbia as a follow-up album comprised of the pirated material from the I Am sessions, Nastradamus (1999) -- released in time for the holiday shopping season, roughly six months after its predecessor -- was instead comprised almost entirely of new material, recorded quickly to meet the late-November release date. Nastradamus signaled a drop-off in quality as well as sales. The album failed to garner the abundance of critical praise that had become customary for Nas. Moreover, unlike its two predecessors, Nastradamus failed to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at number seven instead, and failed to go double platinum. Though relatively disappointing on these counts, Nastradamus still went platinum and spawned two charting singles, "Nastradamus" and "You Owe Me," so the album wasn't a failure, just disappointing.

In the late-'90s wake of the Notorious B.I.G.'s assassination, Nas reigned atop the New York rap scene alongside few contemporaries of equal stature . In addition to his endless stream of hits by the industry's most successful producers -- "If I Ruled the World" (produced by the Trackmasters), "Hate Me Now" (Puff Daddy), "Nas Is Like" (DJ Premier), and "You Owe Me" (Timbaland), among others -- he popularly co-starred in the Hype Williams-directed film Belly (1998) alongside DMX and contributed to the soundtrack. Furthermore, Nas led a short-lived supergroup of New York rappers known as the Firm (also comprised of rappers Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature, with producers Dr. Dre and the Trackmasters) and assembled a broad coalition of fellow Queensbridge rappers for the QB Finest compilation (2000). Amid all of this publicity, though, criticism began to mount. For every crossover fan Nas won with his dramatic MTV-aired videos, he lost support among purists, some of whom felt he had sold out and abandoned hip-hop ideals in favor of commercial success. The relative disappointment of Nastradamus was symptomatic of this downturn.

A series of incidents in 2001 provided a key turning point for Nas' decline. The rapper's personal life was becoming increasingly complicated, as he encountered relationship trouble with the mother of his daughter and, of greater consequence, as his mother began suffering from cancer. To make matters worse, longtime rival Jay-Z pointedly dissed Nas on "Takeover," the much-discussed leadoff song from his acclaimed Blueprint album (2001). Among other charges, Jay-Z called out Nas for not having put out a "hot" album since Illmatic, and also alluded to sleeping with the mother of Nas' daughter. It didn't help that Jay-Z had risen atop the New York rap scene, giving him ample justification to call out Nas, who had fallen from favor and receded from the public eye while he dealt with his personal issues. Nas responded strikingly in December 2001 with Stillmatic, the title a reference to his classic Illmatic album, which had been released nearly a decade earlier. Stillmatic opened with the song "Ether," a very direct response to Jay-Z, followed by the aggressive lead single "Get Ur Self A, " These two songs in particular rallied the streets while the moving video for "One Mic" received heavy support from MTV. Throughout 2002, Nas continued his comeback with a number of guest appearances, among them Brandy's "What About Us?," J-Lo's "I'm Gonna Be Alright," and Ja Rule's "The Pledge," as well as yet more news-making controversy, this time involving his no-show at popular radio station Hot 97's annual Summer Jam.

Amid all of the drama, Nas managed to salvage his esteemed reputation and reclaim his lofty status atop the New York scene. Stillmatic earned immediate acclaim from fans and critics alike and sold impressively, while Columbia furthered the comeback campaign with two archival releases, one of remixes (From Illmatic to Stillmatic [2002]), the other of outtakes (The Lost Tapes [2002], which notably includes some of the pirated I Am material). Then at the end of the year Columbia released a new studio album, God's Son (2002), and Nas once again basked in widespread acclaim as the album sold well, spawned sizable hits ("Thugz Mansion," "Made You Look," "I Can", and received rampant media support. Two years later Nas returned with Street's Disciple (2004), a sprawling double album that delved deeply into various issues, most notably politics and his impending marriage to Kelis. The two-sided "Thief's Theme"/"You Know My Style" single dropped in summer 2004, several months before the album's release, and was followed that fall by the proper lead single, "Bridging the Gap."

Street's Disciple came and went, however, without the level of commercial success that had become customary, as it struggled to go platinum. More troubling, new kid on the block 50 Cent took a swipe at Nas on "Piggy Bank," a call-out song on The Massacre (2005), further bringing the veteran rapper's status into question. In a surprising turn of events later that year, Nas made a surprise appearance at Jay-Z's much-hyped I Declare War concert in October 2005. Together the two rivals performed "Dead Presidents," Jay-Z's 1996 debut single; the classic song, produced by Ski Beatz and featured on Reasonable Doubt (1996), features a prominent sample of "The World Is Yours," a 1994 classic by Nas. The reconciliation of Jay-Z and Nas opened the door to a deal with Def Jam. The record label, overseen by Jay-Z as president at the time, signed Nas and, in turn, released Hip Hop Is Dead (2006). The album didn't sell especially well, but it did inspire a lot of commentary about the state of hip-hop and included a much-anticipated collaboration with Jay-Z, "Black Republican." A politically charged self-titled album, at one point considered to be titled N*gger, materialized in 2008, and not without some controversy of its own
and for those who don't now now u know, nas shits on pac,pac ain't deep,biggie gave his life to the game,jay-z too bubble gum to be given a thought and for those who think much abt jay-z ya'll should go check him out at www.sellout.com

@alisigwe
Well said hombre except the following:

nas shits on pac,pac ain't deep,biggie gave his life to the game

Pac ain't deep? Nas shits on Pac?

Biggie?

^{*explain o before I bring a heated debate on *}

Nas' da bomb but Pac and Big are miles ahead of him dawg.

@doggmann,
u said well. U DONT NEED TO BE DEAD TO BE A LEGEND!

Whether 'one of d greats' or 'd greatest'. Whats clear to a normal mind is that NaS is a great guy!

Bamsyle:

@alisigwe
Well said hombre except the following:
Pac ain't deep? Nas shits on Pac?

Biggie?

^{*explain o before I bring a heated debate on *}

Nas' da bomb but Pac and Big are miles ahead of him dawg.

guy,u can't say pac and biggie are miles ahead of nas just cuz they died during their prime,most times i found it hard to place nas above pac,i first started listening to pac,baby don't cry and all all eyez really caught ma eyez abck in d dayz,but i swear to ya nas gat more things to say than pac,nas definitely brings out the beat ouuta the game,thats why he's mad hiphop is been comercialized this way,the untitiled album didi great wonders for him,i owe ma passion for hiphop to nas,he's probabaly the saviour of the rap game,go check slave and the master,u'll understand wht he feels abt the ghetto,before the track started he encouraged peeps still in the ghetto,talked abt hope and all that,before sampling a scene from ''the roots'' where the white masters flooged kuntu and gave him another degrading name just to make him feel inferior,nas silences whites and he's shuting their mouth year by year,he puts himself in sacrificial position where he could be slayed aor mayed,peeps thought he'll be assasinated after tihs lp.but suddenly he trooples lil wayne at billboard top album sales last week,if pac was still alive i guess he'll still be livivng in d past cuz he's already a legend,and wouldn't want to be bugged,nas accepts criticism and doesn't front when he gats bugged,when 50 dissed him with window shopper,nas simply replied by saying that before 50 started dreaming of rocking jewels and fly foot wears,he's been doing it,so who's the window shopper?humility is he's greatest point and ma eyez will never be shut out the stairz as far as nas still lives on,
nuff said

alisigwe:

guy,u can't say pac and biggie are miles ahead of nas just because they died during their prime,most times i found it hard to place nas above pac,i first started listening to pac,baby don't cry and all all eyez really caught ma eyez abck in d dayz,but i swear to ya nas gat more things to say than pac,nas definitely brings out the beat ouuta the game,thats why he's mad hiphop is been comercialized this way,the untitiled album didi great wonders for him,i owe ma passion for hiphop to nas,he's probabaly the saviour of the rap game,go check slave and the master,u'll understand wht he feels about the ghetto,before the track started he encouraged peeps still in the ghetto,talked about hope and all that,before sampling a scene from ''the roots'' where the white masters flooged kuntu and gave him another degrading name just to make him feel inferior,nas silences whites and he's shuting their mouth year by year,he puts himself in sacrificial position where he could be slayed aor mayed,peeps thought he'll be assasinated after tihs lp.but suddenly he trooples little wayne at billboard top album sales last week,if pac was still alive i guess he'll still be livivng in d past because he's already a legend,and wouldn't want to be bugged,nas accepts criticism and doesn't front when he gats bugged,when 50 dissed him with window shopper,nas simply replied by saying that before 50 started dreaming of rocking jewels and fly foot wears,he's been doing it,so who's the window shopper?humility is he's greatest point and ma eyez will never be shut out the stairz as far as nas still lives on,
nuff said

Hombre read my post again.

Word for word.

Where did I claim Pac and BIG are ahead of Nas because they died in their prime?

I've said it time and time again - I DO NOT rate artistes based on anything else but their artistry, talent, skill. Whether they're tall or short, white or black, indigo or yellow , dead or alive, etc. is none of my biz. All I care about is their abilities.

That said, I think we can now join issues.

To start with, I dislike unfounded speculations. Pac's dead agreed. But that doesn't give you any reason to speculate. What do you mean by "if Pac's alive he'll be living in the past and wouldn't want to be bugged"? How did you arrive at that conclusion? With that restless soul? The aggressive spirit? The in-yo'-face attitude? The strong will? Hombre you know nada about Pac. Well, gratefully you used the word "guess". You guessed wrong.

Nas hasn't got more thangs to say than Pac. Musically, both cats are street/ghetto- inclined. They are both poets. Both deep. Both prolific. Both intelligent. They're comparable to each other. Pac spoke about life in the projects, black on black violence, white on black violence, love and companionship, courage, hope, politics, etc. Nas reps the same issues. I see no difference. Maybe Pac sounds more aggressive. That's all. Listening to both cats, it's not difficult to know where they're coming from and where they're going. They may have one overriding message in all their songs. But each song has that extra edge to it. Something fresh. They both addressed family, communal and world issues. They both rep the black community. So what are you on? I won't even say either had more to say than the other.

"Baby Don't Cry" and "All Eyez On Me" are not the only joints Pac reeled out in his days. You said Nas silences whites. What about Pac? What happened to tracks like "White Man's World"? What happened to "Trapped"? "Changes"?

Humility? So Pac was. . . erm. . . proud? When cats in his days were busy bragging about gucci, fendi, rolex, house-on-a-hill and what-nots, this cat was always speaking straight from his heart. Listen to any Pac album. You hardly find him bragging. He was always talkin' bout real-life issues. Which cat had the ability to kill cats in "Against All Odds" and "Bomb First" and come back to tell us "Keep Ya Head Up" and "Baby Don't Cry"? Pac had the spirit of a lion and the heart of a lamb. Don't be fooled by all that 'thug life' and stuff. He was like you and me. Very down-to-earth. Wasn't carried away by the legendary status and accolades conferred on him.

Nas is great.

But Pac and Biggie?

Don't go there.

@ Bamsyle.

When I said Nas ideally should be the best but isnt, you were breathing down my neck,
Personally, I don't think anybody will be as great as Pac was and still is as far as Rap music is concerned (when I say great, I mean influence on people). His music/lifestly/messages is far reaching than you would probably dream of from a block in  Marin City to Moscow, there is an odd chance you will find some kind of Pac's memorabilia around the world.  Pac kind of managed to be seen living the life of a gangster  and at the same time had that  consciousness of what was going on in black America and black people in general as a whole which he infused in his music.  These lyrics  have struck chords worldwide and people from different backgrounds both white and black can point to something they can relate to in his music.

That said Pac and Nas are my fav rappers anytime anyday.

Nah I didn't breathe down your neck homie.

You said "in an ideal world Nas should be the best lyrically but that is not the case here".

Lyrically? Maybe I didn't really understand what you meant. I thought you meant to say "financially". But if really you mean 'lyrically', then i still disagree.

I'm a Nas fan too. But IMO, Nas ain't as lyrically dope as Pac. Nas is deep no doubt but not as deep as Pac. A lot of peops have argued that Pac is overrated. I don't agree. Pac in his days said thangs that'll outlive him for many years to come. His words are way too heavy to be downplayed. Nas atimes can employ very complex themes. Like he rapped a song from end to the beginning - not vice versa as should normally be. I mean, which rapper does that?

But then Pac raps verses that can move not only units but people. He raps his heart out. He moves you to love peops, to love love, to think, to think again, to think again, to swing into action - whatever. He convinces you. No bragging, no boasting. Simply heart-felt verses. Very down-to-earth.

Some folks - when they be sayin' Pac's the greatest, they say it like "Well, everyone says he is so who am I to disagree"?

They say it like he doesn't deserve it.

He does.

He did not become the G.O.A.T by luck. Or accident.

That title wasn't thrusted on him.

He worked hard for it.

Two rappers are the world's first 2 IMO. Pac - the greatest cos of what he said says. Biggie - the best cos of how he said says what he said says. Pac for the legacy, the impact, the content. Biggie for the skill, the artistry, the delivery.

And Nas comes after those 2.

@ bamsyle
hom boy,before we start this points sharing proper,i'd love to ask if u've really checked out ''illmatic'',i knw it's old but tell me what u really think of the album,not what peeps think,but ur own review of the lp,i'd love to inform u that ''it was written'' was directed to pac,before pac replied with ''all eyez on me'',thu nas was too young to be given a thought back then,still pac was too scared to call out his name like he did to big, like they say ''skillz counts more than willz'', halla

Let me reply as quickly as possible cos I'm in a hurry.

'Illmatic' is one of the greatest hip hop/rap albums ever. But mind you, we're talkin' bout the greatest rapper here, not the greatest album. . .

Please explain how 'It Was Written' was directed to Pac? Some peops have argued that 'If I Rule The World' took an indirect shot at Pac, but it's not clear how this is the case. Remember Pac even rapped on the same beat and dissed Nas on it.

FYI, Pac whupped Nas up big time in 'Against All Odds'. I'm not aware that Nas replied or dissed Pac ever.

One thing I can quickly tell you is that Nas has always held Pac in high esteem. Do your research, he respects Pac a lot. Even after he dissed him. You would agree that Pac was a restless guy. And somewhat paranoid. Watched his back at all times. Felt misunderstood by a lot of cats. So he dissed 'em. Nas was one of 'em.

But then in case you do not understand me, Nas is a very great rapper. He's awesome. Got a great deal of content. And he has worked hard to get where he is. But I just think Pac's got more legacy, more influence, more presence, more dexterity.

I'll be back later. . .