Jay-Z: American Gangster Preview (Reasonable Doubt Pt. 2?)

[Truth]

Rakim,KRS,Chuck D,LL, Slick Rick, Scarface,Kool G Rap........I could keep going

lol. Its tough, so many great rappers...

[Mozza]

Rakim,KRS,Chuck D,LL, Slick Rick, Scarface,Kool G Rap........I could keep going

Hahaha. You're not being serious surely?

[Smokin']

Chuck D? Are you kidding me?

[res]

Did Kool G Rap invent that style he uses?

As far as anyone knows.

[res]

Reasonable Doubt can fairly be considered a top 5 album but I don't think Jay Z cannot be considered a top 5 rapper. Reasonable Doubt by itself is not enough to put him there.

[Truth]

Reasonable Doubt can fairly be considered a top 5 album but I don't think Jay Z cannot be considered a top 5 rapper. Reasonable Doubt by itself is not enough to put him there.

Personally I thought The Blueprint, The Black Album and In My Lifetime vol. 1 were classic aswell. Vol. 1 is a close call because of a couple songs he should have left off it. Many also don't agree with me on the Black album but I think that was an incredible album, just my opinion.

[MetalVomit]

Chuck D? Are you kidding me?

Jay-Z ahead of Chuck D? Certainly, you're the one that's attempting the kidding.

[Truth]

Jay-Z ahead of Chuck D? Certainly, you're the one that's attempting the kidding.

Chuck D named Jay-Z as "the greatest emcee of all time" and "the embodiment of all of the emcees up to his point". He also said a few years back that Nas "couldn't compare".[7] -wiki
Halftimeonline: Why is that?

"Chuck D: Because he is the embodiment of all of the emcees up to his point. Just like Jordan you have to admit he’s the best because he is the embodiment of all of the players up to his point. You had Doc, Elgin Baylor, the tenacity of Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and then he had to come through Isaiah and then you finally say Jordan. Same thing with Jay-Z you have Mele Mel the power, Kool Moe Dee the wit and execution, you have KRS-ONE who’s the most feared rapper of all time, and one of the most innovative rappers in Rakim. Jay is the epitome of all of those guys up to his point. The bottom line that told me he was the top dude is his performance. Once he played the Hard Knock Life tour in 97 and had to come on after DMX was putting it to his ass. That took a lot of courage and ability for him to get out there and he did it. From there I said this dude is messing with different levels. I think he carries the standard and he’s fearless in his stage show. When people try to debate me I’m usually like have you ever performed on a stage at a high level before? One of the biggest problems of rap music and hip hop are that the books written about it are rarely done by the cats who were on stage or behind the tables. Walt Frazier just put out a book called ‘The Game Behind The Game’ now I’m reading that book! Too many books about hip hop are written by cats who just liked it. It’s like do you understand what it is to be in a stadium and perform at a high level. I’m not necessarily saying one person’s grade is higher than another’s but I definitely know what I’m talking about. There’s gonna be people past Jay-Z but I think he has epitomized the standards of what it is to be the best.

Halftimeonline: A lot of people’s criticism of Jay-Z has always been that he chooses not to live up to his potential and dumbs down his music. He never makes a song as intricate as say Nas although we all know he could.

Chuck D: But Bill Russell blocked shots without blocking them. Jay-Z says something dynamic and intricate in his simplicity. Another thing is he is carrying a wit that a lot of other cats don’t have the maturity to carry. You can’t be young and have wit. You need some kind of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to have a quick wit. You also have to have the skill to bring that across in a rhyme. He dumbed it down but it’s like a person like Kobe Bryant who could get 15 assists but decides to go to the hoop. Do you have problems fundamentally with that? Maybe but based on his abilities you know that he could. Same with Jay-Z he could easily be as deep as somebody else. I dig Talib and Mos Def and people ask me what’s the difference between a Mos Def and myself and I say I came with a team. We were like the ‘89 Detroit Pistons. I’ve never been an individual but if you talk about individual rhymers I’ve never cared too much about them anyway because an individual can only do so much. I think Jay-z, as an individual, pulled out all the stops on the Hard Knock Life Tour. He put out a little circus around him. It’s all about performance gentleman. Name your five favorite rappers and I’m gonna interject."
-


I guess Chuck thinks highly of Jay-Z. I wouldn't say greatest of all time but hes up there.

[BG_Knocc_Out]

The thing about Jay is that he's not consistant, and if I recall he has like 9-12 albums out and maybe 3-4 are worth checking out, but thats my opininon, I think he belongs in maybe the 25 top emcee's but NEVER top 5.

[Truth]

The thing about Jay is that he's not consistant, and if I recall he has like 9-12 albums out and maybe 3-4 are worth checking out, but thats my opininon, I think he belongs in maybe the 25 top emcee's but NEVER top 5.

Most people say thats the best thing about him, his consistency. Just goes to show that everybody sees things differently. Its all good. I bet your excited for Wu-Tang's new album...


On a side note, I just found another person who claims to have heard the new Jay-Z album. They are saying its "lyrically heavy", I'm really getting pumped for this cd.