Illmatic is one of the greatest rap albums of all time -- heck, I'd put it up as one of the best albums of the 90s. But I don't think anything since has been great. Nas is one of the greatest ever, but I think he peaked early and has fallen off a bit since. I don't even know if it's that Nas isn't as good as he was then, it's just that Illmatic was so great, that the expectation for everything else is unachievably high.
Finally a voice of reason. Nas is one of the most creative lyrcists EVER. Anybody who doubts should go back and listen to "Rewind" on the "Stillmatic" album. The Lost Tapes is another good album lyrcially, and I shouldnt have to say a word about Illmatic.
Excellent points. Rewind is incredible. I still marvel at "One Mic" everytime I hear it. The way he starts off and builds up on the first 2 verses then on the last verse he starts off climactic and ends with a crawl. It's just beautiful the things he can do. Of course I still have to vote for pac over him because I think pac is the G.O.A.T.
Elite 8 EAST REGION 1) Eminem SOUTH REGION 1) Tupac WEST REGION 2) Outkast NORTH REGION 2) N.W.A That Nas and Tupac matchup was tough
I don't think Nas is the best rapper because you have to have more mainstream appeal than he does, but I do think Illmatic is the best rap album, lyrically, and it is not even close. Listen to the last verse of "One Love". Unbelievable. Nas has had a problem since Illmatic because it can never be topped. His albums since are really good, maybe not great, but very good with a lot of hit songs.
I don't understand how Outkast got this far. They're first few albums were OUTSTANDING. But this last one was so freakin' overrated, its sickening.
Yeah, but they weren't outstanding enough to be in the Elite 8. Plus, the suckiness of the last one takes a little of the shine off the originals.
A Tribe Called Quest Nas Outkast N.W.A _________ Nas came out strong -- but then he decided to become Nas Escobar, which resulted in monumentally overdone hooks and choruses that were incomparable to his first (masterwork) album. K.I.S.S. Life's a b**** and then you die...
Scoring update through Cdah's picks: Eminem 14, A Tribe Called Quest 8 Tupac 18, Nas 4 Outkast 11, Run-DMC 10 NWA 20, Wu-Tang Clan 2
