Originally Posted by
Eddie
I hate the "who's the best" argument because no one knows how to fairly judge who the best is. You guys are comparing Eminem, an artist who has been in the game for almost two DECADES now, to artists who just recently got into the game within the past 5-8 years. If you're going to compare artists, make sure they're
A) From the same generation of the Hip-Hop culture, and
B) Make sure their styles are at least somewhat similar
Pac and Biggie ? Of course they're amazing artists. Two of the best of their time. But that's just it, from THEIR time. Is it really fair to compare two deceased artists who both have been deceased for almost two decades now, to newgen artists who are for the most part still in their prime ? Hip-Hop has changed so much when you jump from the 90s/early millennium style to whatever you'd like to call this new era of "Hip-Hop" lol.
When you've got two completely different styles and you're trying to compare who the best is, it's not a fair judgement. It's like trying to say what's better between Rap and Rock. If you say, for example, Eminem is better than someone like idk... Big Sean. That's ****ing apples to oranges right there dude lol. They're incomparable.
Me personally ? I don't think Eminem is the best. He's a damn good artist, but his newer stuff just doesn't sit well with me. To me, Em went from deep story lines where you could feel the emotion in his words, to just rapping quickly about damn near anything. Yeah it's a hell of a talent and he's damn near untouchable when you try to compare anyone else to his speed and rhyming skills, but I don't see any real structure anymore in his songs/albums other than a couple that stand out from his newer work. I'm probably gonna get torn a new one for this, but as of right now Drake is probably the best artist, when we're speaking in terms of art. He's stayed true to his style (2008 Drake is really no different than 2015 Drake. Only difference is he's better now). He knows how to use proper transitions in an album, rather than throwing together a compilation of hits with no structure or order to them. He also knows how to properly place these hits into his albums without ruining the structure. His production quality is always up to par if not better. His flow and his voice always match up with the instrumentals he uses, and the instrumentals almost always match up the meaning/mood behind the song. Even the songs he features in are amazing. You can take any shitty rap song out there, but you throw Drake on the feature and Drake makes the song instantly better. I can go on and on defending "soft ass Drake" but there's a reason "soft ass Drake" gets so much hype. It's because he's good. When you look at all of the elements of music, he's the only newer generation artist that really excels in all of the aspects.
There are plenty of lyricists who are amazing and I'd gladly place them in the rank of #1, but they're underground, no-name artists with no achievements. Part of being the best comes from your achievements and being widely known.
/rantover
/kek