October 4, 2012

Who’s Better Jay-Z or Nas? Classic Debate

Who's BETTER Jay-Z or Nas?

Nas and Jay-Z are two legendary New York hip-hop artist. Nas is from the Queens-bridge housing projects and Jay-Z is from Marcy projects. They both have tremendous respect from their peers and fans. Jay-Z and Nas even had an epic rap battle which still has the world talking about it to this very day.

So I decided to lay in on the matter, since it came up the other day among some of my peers; the classic debate: who’s better Jay-Z or Nas? Let’s run down some of their credentials to see if we can come to a conclusion as to who’s BETTER.

Who’s Better Jay-Z or Nas?

Jay-Z is known as the ultimate rap hustler, but his music is considered top notch as well. His first album was Reasonable Doubt and it was critically acclaimed. Through the years Jay-Z has made many more classics. Some people say he watered down his music as time went on which he admits in songs he created. Other than rap music Jay-Z has excelled in clothes, film, and nightclubs. He’s the epitome of taking hip-hop to the highest levels and using it to open other doors to hustle from. He used hip-hop as the gateway to him to a massive amount of other successes like Michael Jordan used basketball.

Classic Debate: Who’s Better Jay-Z or Nas?

Who's Better Jay-Z or Nas?

Nas is more of a hip-hop poet than a hustler like Jay-Z (not saying Nas doesn’t get his hustle on). Nas rarely compromises his music or integrity. His first album was Illmatic which was considered by many a true hip-hop classic (the name says it all). Nas has hit a few rough points in his career but he still managed to ALWAYS be feared as a lyricist.

The question I asked earlier was who is the BETTER artist? This is a difficult question because they both are total opposites. Jay-Z would say a line like “If it doesn’t make large money what’s the point?” Nas would say a line like “I never asked to be top of rap’s elite, just a ghetto child trying to learn the traps of the street“. Those are two different mentalities therefore it is hard to rate them. It would be like saying who was the better basketball player, Michael Jordan or Bill Russell.