Nas vs. Rakim...has the student surpassed the teacher??

Lustchyld wrote: »

As much of a Nas fan as I am, Rakim pioneered so much and I think affected more emcees style all things considered. Kinda like the Kobe/Jordan debate. Nas has had a brilliant career for the most part but Rakim never really played himself/sold out and although he doesn't drop regularly now, I'd bet anything he hasn't lost a step.

When has nas sold out?

Eh, I think G Rap influenced Nas more.

The ? is the point of typing "ummmm"? Anyway

So let me get this straight, he sold out for sales on IWW with a positive song called if I ruled the world but because it's a r&b hook he's selling out? And don't bring up the content on the whole album cause it's not like illmatic was on some pro black positively ? either. 2, making a record with diddy is selling out now? That's dumb as ? and 3, that owe me vs black girl lost is weak. But let me ask you, is Tupac a sell out?

Verse for Verse, lyric for lyric they're about even.

However, Nas did more with his career. He got better production and made more albums.

Rakim took a hiatus in the mid 90s while Nas, Big and Pac were blowing up. Then he came back in 1997 with The 18th Letter which was cool but it didn't compare to what Puffy was doing in the mainstream (No Way Out/Life After Death) or what spitters like Wu Tang were doing in the underground (Wu tang Forever).

Rakim didn't fall off lyrically, but ever since he broke up with Eric B he hasn't reached his full potential. Back in High school I thought Eric B was the weak link, But when you look back at Rakim's career he made his best music with Eric B. Everybody thought when he went solo he was going to drop the bomb but his solo work has been more like a firecracker than a bomb.

MENACE... wrote: »

Jaydan014 wrote: »

No Rakim is better and makes the better music. Paid In Full is still better than any Nas album

Paid in Full better than illmatic? Rakim isnt as versatile as Nas is when it comes to subject matter.


try again

Dude nas is not better than rakim everything nas has done today is all due to the ? mc. Rakim never compromised his music for mainstream success. That why its easy to say such things like nas is better. Just because nas had alot more success & has more notable material doesnt mean he is better. Paid in full is just as much of a classic as illmatic is. Illmatic was more impactful because of its youthfulness. Around that time mc's like jay,big,rea,ghost,mobb were just hitting the seen. Illmatic was like the introduction to that era. But bar for bar classic for classic impact for impact the ? mc birthed nas period. He is the ? mc for a reason.

ikey_baby wrote: »

MENACE... wrote: »

Jaydan014 wrote: »

No Rakim is better and makes the better music. Paid In Full is still better than any Nas album

Paid in Full better than illmatic? Rakim isnt as versatile as Nas is when it comes to subject matter.


try again

Dude nas is not better than rakim everything nas has done today is all due to the ? mc. Rakim never compromised his music for mainstream success. That why its easy to say such things like nas is better. Just because nas had alot more success & has more notable material doesnt mean he is better. Paid in full is just as much of a classic as illmatic is. Illmatic was more impactful because of its youthfulness. Around that time mc's like jay,big,rea,ghost,mobb were just hitting the seen. Illmatic was like the introduction to that era. But bar for bar classic for classic impact for impact the ? mc birthed nas period. He is the ? mc for a reason.

I hear what your saying, but Rakim took a 5 year hiatus in the mid 90s and Nas came in and snatched the crown.

In the mid 90s, we used to argue all day about who was the GOAT, was it KRS or Rakim? Those were the two choices and every once in a while somebody would throw another name into the conversation but generally speaking those were the two choices, Rakim or KRS.

But Rakim didn't come with the classic 5 mic album. He made us wait for 5 years and dropped a 3.5 mic album.

It may sound silly now, but his debut solo album would have been better with one or two Puff Daddy tracks and one or two Beats By The Pound tracks. And maybe a RZA track.

The same way Puffy Executive Produced Life After Death, that's how Rakim's album should have sounded. A few commercial tracks, a few underground tracks and everything else right in the middle.

Any rapper who can not utter one cuss word or gun bar in his rhymes & still be one of the hardest rappers of all time Is the best ever imo. Dude was basically a gangsta rapper without the gangsta content.