Nas vs Eminem. Who's the greatest post Tupac and Biggie modern lyricist?

[the traveler]

In my book, there are only 3 mainstream rappers that are at the very, very top of the rap game. I'm talking lyrics, persona, legend, all of that. Those 3 emcees are Nas, Jay-Z, and Eminem. Recently, after hearing how many lyrics that Jay-Z bit, he's no longer a respectable rapper to me. That leaves 2: Eminem and Nas. These two guys in my opinion are the two best living modern lyricist in rap today.

How can you rate whom is better? Well, I've been re-listening to a few songs that they've done and came upon Rock Bottom and Drunk by Myself. These songs are very similar in context and I think they're a good way to judge who is the better lyricist. Who can hit the topic in a better way, pull you in, offer deep poetic lines, and make you believe in their emotion.


So, which song do you think was better? Who had the better lyrics? Which was the better beat? --they're both dope as ****.

****, I don't think it gets any more similar. The two songs were released around the same times. Rock Bottom, I think was written around 1998 when Eminem was on the verge of commiting suicide--heard it from a show or book on him that I saw. Drunk by Myself is one of Nas's most introspective songs. Written around the Nastradamous era, it shows a side of Nas we don't see too much.

I was going to post both songs on soundclick incase anyone hasn't heard both, but for some reason, soundclick never works on my comp. So, I'm just going to post the lyrics. You be the judge.

For anyone that hasn't heard both and wants to, just download the songs on Limewire or whatever p2p program that you use.

Eminem- "Rock Bottom"

Aiyyo!
This song is dedicated - to all the happy people
All the happy people - who have real nice lives
And who have no idea what it's like, to be broke as ****

[Verse One]
I feel like I'm walkin a tight rope, without a circus net
Poppin perkaset, I'm a nervous wreck
I deserve respect; but I work and sweat for this worthless check
I'm bout to burst this tech at somebody to reverse this debt
Minimum wage got my adrenaline caged
Full of venom and rage, 'specially when I'm engaged
and my daughter's down to her last diaper, it's got my ass hyper
I pray that God answers, maybe I'll ask nicer
Watchin ballers while they flossin in they Pathfinders
These overnight stars becomin autograph signers
We all long to blow up and leave the past behind us
Along with the small fry's and average half pinters
But playa haters turnin ***** like they have vaginas
Cause we see them dollar signs and let the cash blind us
Money'll brainwash you and leave yo' ass mindless
when snakes slither in the grass spineless

[Chorus: repeat 2X]
That's Rock Bottom - when this life makes you mad enough to kill
That's Rock Bottom - when you want somethin bad enough to steal
That's Rock Bottom - when you feel like you've had it up to here
Cause you mad enough to scream but you sad enough to tear

[Verse Two]
My life is full of empty promises and broken dreams
I'm hopin things look up; but there ain't no job openings
I feel discouraged, hungry and malnourished
Living in this house with no furnace, unfurnished
And I'm sick of workin dead end jobs with lame pay
And I'm tired of being hired and fired the same day
But **** it, if you know the rules to the game play
Cause when we die we know we all going the same way
Cause it's cool to be player, but it sucks to be the fan
When all you need is bucks to be the man, plus a luxury sedan
I'm comfortable and roomy in a six
But they threw me in the mix with all these gloomy lunatics
who walk around depressed, and smoke a pound of sess a day
And yesterday went by so quick it seems like it was just today
My daughter wants to throw the ball but I'm too stressed to play
Live half my life and throw the rest away

[Chorus]

[Verse Three]
There's people that love me, and people that hate me
But it's the evil that made me this backstabbin deceitful and shady
I want the money, the women, the fortune and fame
if it means I end up burnin in hell scorchin in flames
if it means I'm stealin your checkbook and forgin your name
This lifetime bliss for eternal torture and pain
Cause right now, I feel like just hit the rock bottom
I got problems - now everybody on my blocks got 'em
I'm screamin like them two cops when Tupac shot 'em
Holdin two glocks, hope your doors got new locks on 'em
My daughter's feet ain't got no shoes or socks on 'em
And them rings you wearin look like they got a few rocks on 'em
And while you flauntin 'em I could be takin 'em to shops to pawn 'em
I got a couple of rings and a brand new watch, you want 'em?
Cause I ain't never went gold off one song
I'm runnin up on someone's lawn with guns drawn

[Chorus]
----------------------------------------------------------------

Nas- "Drunk by Myself"

Uhh,Uhh, Where am I going?
Where am I? Yo, it's ill

[Verse 1]
Yo my wife's tired of ****ing me
Life tries ducking me
Luckily I find 'em just at the right time
Mack in my right arm, Tequila bottle in
My left arm like Cristian
Watching my life go.. can't do myself in
Wolves in the night yo, hells men
Two revolvers I can let twelve spin
Hop in my Benz, push it to the limit
Buck-sixty, who wit' me? My cris, two well
Twisted blunts and inner conscience
Telling me that I aint ****
No matter how much cash I sit with
Still gotta ask the lord for forgiveness
My precious baby girl came like forty nights of rain
To replenish my adolescent brain
Blessed be her name, before her birth I was insane
So I drive to cool the pressure down, delay the pain
I ate from these poisonous ****ed up streets
Tasted larceny, it was sweet, I starved for more to eat
Though I took, that was to live, hope God will forgive
As odd as it is, the more I gain the harder it is
To maintain, bitches playin' games
*****s snitchin', I aint saying names
But y'all *****s better watch how y'all slang
Lost so many close *****s, drunk, almost crashed
I'm going too fast, highway patrol had just flash
Lights in my rearview, if they stop me I hope they lock me
Instead they speed ahead
Yo ***** watch me

[Chorus]
I'm drunk by myself, gun under my seat
I don't want none of my peeps caught up in none of my beef
I'm a ride to the end of the road if I have to
Praying no car speeds by for me to crash to
Steering wheel in my hand
Trying to hold it steady
Anything in my way is dead
Cause that's the way I feel, I am already
When I'm drunk by myself alone in the zone
Drunk by myself

[Verse 2]
Heard *****s hate me, but I hated too once
Been in the shoes of a Wolf in the night when he hunts
For every shell *****s bust, we bust at ourselves
Can't tell them *****s nothing though, bullets wake 'em up well
Take them to hell
Stick up *****s once ran up on me
My deckited lifestyle attracted sharks on me
I aint your mark homey
It's hard to look straight, my foot on the brake
Spilling my bottle not even shook of the Jakes
Could hardly look both ways, put out the haze, blurry vision
Thinkin about the time in my life before I was on televison
Hella women, jealous *****s up in my vision
Since we all hood, *****s expect kilos
But what they not seeing is police expect repo
Only if I could take care of everybody, intoxicated
Windows up blastin A.C. going wherever instinct takes me
I hate it when I'm like this
The bottle's my accomplice

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
The reason that I want to be alone
Tired of all the things that went wrong
That would have went right if I would have did it on my own
Take another swigg
The more I drink, the more I think bad thoughts
Fake friends who hung around who wanna bring you down
Not knowing who to trust, rumors about *****s coming through
Supposedly to shoot at us, not knowing what was true
Or what to believe, that's why I'm on the low lately
Choosing a Henny bottle over a friend, drivin again
To keep my mind off that weak ****
There's love through it all, things to live for
I swerve, almost crashed into a wall
Think about the good, find myself laughing
Turn the cell off, no way to be reached
Know I'm near my crib, trying to see my way through the streets
Reminded of the positive, I take my drunk ass home
Start feeling out of it, can't wait to get out of this whip
Bring my ass to the crib
I'm tired...

[Chorus]

[the traveler]

This is a very hard choice to me. Personally, I like Drunk by Myself better. I feel that the instrumental is better than the Rock Bottom instrumental. The symphony on the hook is haunting and the whole orchestra vibe to the beat is sick. Rock Bottom instrumental is good also, I just prefer the Drunk by Myself.

Lyric wise it's really hard to judge. I'm a have to come back on that one and make my final decision.

[IAm...]

uhhhhhh ok

[the traveler]

Gotta go with Nas.

[PALM_BEACH_CREW]

I'm gonna go with "If I had..." by Eminem.

Yeah, that's right.

[El Guapo]

i didnt see there was only one song each, but nas easy for me!!!

[2nd II none]

Method man. "bring da pain"

[Texasboy34]

When Eminem isn't making songs about farts, and dumb **** like that he is a ****in beast with the pen. Peep an old pre-Dre song called "Infinite"... He also spits flame on "Till I Collapse"...

They both are capable of really making you think, and both have come out with 1 classic album a piece (Mathers LP and Illmatic)... Both have put out really bad albums as well (Nastradomus, Encore)... and the rest of their work is good/pretty good. I dunno thats kind of a toss up to me. I will say that when Em guest spots on someones track it doesnt matter who it is he always outshines them..whether its Jay Z, 50 Cent, Game, Dre...etc He ALWAYS has the best verse on the track... so I gotta go with Eminem.

With that said Rakim = GOAT

[the traveler]

both have come out with 1 classic album a piece (Mathers LP and Illmatic)... Both have put out really bad albums as well (Nastradomus, Encore)... and the rest of their work is good/pretty good. I dunno thats kind of a toss up to me. I will say that when Em guest spots on someones track it doesnt matter who it is he always outshines them..whether its Jay Z, 50 Cent, Game, Dre...etc He ALWAYS has the best verse on the track... so I gotta go with Eminem.

With that said Rakim = GOAT

What about Bad meets Evil? Royce seemed to have the better verse to me. Funny that you say Nastardamous was a bad album, because to me, it was one of the more lyrical albums out there-- Some of us have angles, Last Words, Project Windows, Life We Chose, Family-- those are all classic lyrical songs.

I honestly feel that Nas is the better lyricist due to the fact that he's able to illustrate a wider range of topics and emotions. Eminem seems to come from antagonistic view. It just seems like he's so limited in his lyrical personality. I've seen a bunch of sides from Nas. He has written from different perspectives and he always comes with new topics. He's also not afraid to be controversial, like Eminem.

[Texasboy34]

What about Bad meets Evil? Royce seemed to have the better verse to me. Funny that you say Nastardamous was a bad album, because to me, it was one of the more lyrical albums out there-- Some of us have angles, Last Words, Project Windows, Life We Chose, Family-- those are all classic lyrical songs.

I honestly feel that Nas is the better lyricist due to the fact that he's able to illustrate a wider range of topics and emotions. Eminem seems to come from antagonistic view. It just seems like he's so limited in his lyrical personality. I've seen a bunch of sides from Nas. He has written from different perspectives and he always comes with new topics. He's also not afraid to be controversial, like Eminem.

Bad meets Evil was a whole album of stuff so if Royce did get Em on a verse or 2 then I wouldnt be surprised at that. I was talking about guest appearances. Also, they are both different type of lyricists. Eminem is more about word play, and using that to get what he has to say off his chest. At that piece of it I think Em is tops... I think Em's flow is better. I agree with you about the subject matter, and I think Nas is more rounded in that aspect of it. Nas might be a little deeper with the words too. You could argue either way really. Its all subjective honestly.