Real talk is Kanye West the best rapper of all time?

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Hes in contention for GOAT hip hop artist, ya. Not Rapper.

This was a bad time to talk about how great Kanye is though.
 
Kanye just feels like unfulfilled potential. After Kanye was hospitalized I went back and listened to his early albums, not just the singles that are still in my playlist. I realized what made him so appealing to me was how he recognized how dumb it is to put all your time and money into buying stuff you don't need for the few moments you can pass off that you are living the life style of a rich rapper or a high fashion model. He recognized the pressure of why people buy those things and act that way and admits he isn't beyond that trap.

That died pretty quickly and we got more usual rapper problems about keeping your women from finding out about each other, drinking too much expensive alcohol, popping too many prescription pills, and not being treated as an equal by other rich people. His lyrics went from something regular people could somewhat identify with to the usual subjects that blend in to everything else on commercial hip-hop stations, but with above average punchlines. I think that is what people miss about the old Kanye. It's not the missing soul samples, it's not the autotune, it's not the more mechanical sound, it's that the subject matter means nothing anymore.

Can't really blame Kanye for rapping about whatever actual conflicts he is dealing with I guess. I'm sure having to rebuy shirts because of bleach spots adds up.
 
you straight up 100% dont know anything about hip hop if you have Lil Wayne that low

0208-lil-wayne-article-1.jpg
 
In terms of sales, accolades, influence, fame, etc I can't think of anyone who comes close to Kanye for how long he has been able to sustain the success that he has had. Sure he suffers from mental illness now and is a completely unstable human being, but many of his hits are timeless to many like me.
the Call of Duty of rappers

I really miss when he was on Earth
 
No. He's a mediocre emcee on his best day, and his rhymes on the whole are typically weaker in terms of wordplay than, say, a dude like Ludacris. And no one is touting Ludacris as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Great producer, though.
 
He's one of the best recording artists ever, up there with people like Bowie and Prince, but he's not the best rapper, even though he is good and sometimes amazing.

The run of albums he's made is something else and he is truly creative and innovative.

I hope he gets well and stays out of the limelight for a bit.
 
How can so many people just dismiss Kanye's lyrics?
Just because he isn't close to the best rapper of all time that doesn't mean his lyrics are worthless or that he doesn't have verses comparable or better than some of theirs.
Jay-Z isn't even a top 30 contender. And Reasonable Doubt is one of my favourite albums.
*inserts profile picture*
Get out of here.
Big
Pac
Nas
L
Pun
Rakim
Ghost
Scarface
Cube
Q
Snoop
Dre
Black Thought
KRS
G-Rap
Reggie Noble
Meth
Gza
Kane
Guru
Eminem
Andre
Mos Def
DMX
Az
Rae
Common
Buckshot
Lamar
Cypress
Busta/Kurupt/Spice 1






Lil Wayne






Kanye







Jay-Z
I piss on this entire list, but for the sake of saving time I'm just going to say there's nothing more disgusting/delusional than a person who believes Big L is even close to Jay Z on any level.
this man speaks truth.
Nah.
 
hate him or love him, jay is a top 10 rapper - that list is ridiculous



this is the best gif ive seen all week



Morricone the GOAT!



nahhh, you're overrating that album just a little and tremendously underrated BP1 & Black Album (his finest works) too
Nope, and I heard Jay's work in a relative vacuum so that's my perception without much outside influence.
 
Real talk, as an artist? Definitely the definitive one of the 21st century so far.

As a pure lyrical miracle spiritual rapper? No way, but he's good at quote-worthy funny/shitty bars like "Put that pussy in a sarcophagus", "Eating Asian pussy, all we need is sweet and sour sauce", or "okay okay okay okay OKAY, beggers can't be choosers, bitch this ain't Chipotle", etc.

As a person? NOOOOOO FUCKING WAY. Man's the emotional equivalent of a raging dumpster fire, and that was before 2016. I've said in the Gaf-hop thread and I'll say it here: if I even hear one positive Trump reference on TG-16, I'm fucking out. I have no time for bullshit like that; if he so much as names a song after Trump in a good way, I'm gone. I'm not here for that kind of callous treatment of your fanbase, and even though Yeezy's my ride-or-die artist, I'd leave it all in a heartbeat.
 
No way man..underground rappers are much better...i think west isbterrible honestly
West has amazing lyrics, he's just not a top 50 rapper because rapping is a separate skill than that, and it has nothing do do with him not being "underground", and Kanye's skill isn't just wrapped up in him being a rapper, it's production and so much more.
 
I piss on this entire list, but for the sake of saving time I'm just going to say there's nothing more disgusting/delusional than a person who believes Big L is even close to Jay Z on any level.

Nah.

Nah, you're wetting yourself over such trivial things..


L is superior in every facet.

🐫
 
West has amazing lyrics, he's just not a top 50 rapper because rapping is a separate skill than that, and it has nothing do do with him not being "underground", and Kanye's skill isn't just wrapped up in him being a rapper, it's production and so much more.


From where I am you can't even be considered as the Goat if you don't write your own lyrics and aren't considered lyrical. You can cypher with no beat you can not cypher with no lyrics. I'll give a pass on freestyles since even some of the dope at emcees can't do it.

Eminem for my standards doesn't choose the best beats ( dope emcees can rap over anything but that's another topic) but that will never disqualify him for the Goat convo. With out beats Kanye is....
 
All time? Dre, Puff and Hov are all immeasurably more successful in terms of sales, influence on young MCs coming into the game, how the impacted the game, etc etc.

Ye might be able to catch them at some point depending on how meant young guys he gets info tge game, but I'm terms of success? No. He's top 10 for sure though.

if you're talking about influence overall, Dre is the only one u mentioned competing with Kanye

if you're talking about current influence on young MCs coming into the game, Kanye beats all three of them handily.



i can see what OP means though. as a hip-hop artist, Ye definitely is in the conversation of best, along with Jay, Pac, and Big. purely in terms of rapping skills, as many pointed out, that's clearly not his strong point. same with Pac, but that doesnt hold him back from being the most popular choice in GOAT conversations
 
From where I am you can't even be considered as the Goat if you don't write your own lyrics and aren't considered lyrical. You can cypher with no beat you can not cypher with no lyrics. I'll give a pass on freestyles since even some of the dope at emcees can't do it.

Eminem for my standards doesn't choose the best beats ( dope emcees can rap over anything but that's another topic) but that will never disqualify him for the Goat convo. With out beats Kanye is....
Exactly, which is why it's always funny when people talk about him beating Jay on WTT (I put their verses on an even keel) when we don't even know what Kanye wrote himself.
Nah, you're wetting yourself over such trivial things..


L is superior in every facet.

🐫
Maybe if you can't process rap.
 
West has amazing lyrics, he's just not a top 50 rapper because rapping is a separate skill than that, and it has nothing do do with him not being "underground", and Kanye's skill isn't just wrapped up in him being a rapper, it's production and so much more.

Maybe if you can't process rap.

Well...

Now if I fuck this model
And she just bleached her asshole
And I get bleach on my T-shirt
I'mma feel like an asshole
 
Dunno bout best but one of my personal favorite all time rappers is Andre Barnes, aka Andre the Giant aka AG of Showbiz n AG. Dude's been killing it for a long while and has gotten better with age. He's probably in my top 10 all things considered.
 
Is Kanye rapping like Ghostface?
No.
But that doesn't mean his lyrics on Heard Me Say or Addiction aren't amazing.
Is he rapping like Lupe?
No but that doesn't mean he doesn't fit perfectly in Flashing Lights or murder Can't Tell Me Nothing.
Etc etc.
And no, there's no justification for putting Big L above Jay.
 
Big
Pac
Nas
L
Pun
Rakim
Ghost
Scarface
Cube
Q
Snoop
Dre
Black Thought
KRS
G-Rap
Reggie Noble
Meth
Gza
Kane
Guru
Eminem
Andre
Mos Def
DMX
Az
Rae
Common
Buckshot
Lamar
Cypress
Busta/Kurupt/Spice 1






Lil Wayne






Kanye







Jay-Z

Jay is indisputable top 10. Kanye & Wayne are in my top 10 too but i wouldnt complain about anyone putting them somewhere from 1-20.

1. 2Pac
2. Notorious B.I.G.
3. Jay-Z
4. Andre 3000
5. Kanye West
6. Dr. Dre
7. Lil Wayne
8. Nas

id say these 8 are a step above everyone else
 
As a person? NOOOOOO FUCKING WAY. Man's the emotional equivalent of a raging dumpster fire, and that was before 2016. I've said in the Gaf-hop thread and I'll say it here: if I even hear one positive Trump reference on TG-16, I'm fucking out. I have no time for bullshit like that; if he so much as names a song after Trump in a good way, I'm gone. I'm not here for that kind of callous treatment of your fanbase, and even though Yeezy's my ride-or-die artist, I'd leave it all in a heartbeat.


Damn I didn't even realize that this is a legitimate possibility. No Ye :(
 
In terms of artistry he's definitely gifted, but in terms of rapping skills, lol he's awful, there are girls in kpop girl groups that rap better than him.
 
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