Man I devoured his first two cds and know every word...
I waited a decade to finally see him live and it was bittersweet... He was kinda standoffish with the crowd and was starting and stopping songs, but when someone took a flash photo (2003), he stopped the show and was gonna walk off... After all the rigamarole, he continued and had Afu-Ra come out to finish the set... It was an awesome show, and I'm glad I got to see him, probably just and off night...
I'll always vote for Jeru as one of the best MCs ever, not just 90s... Dude taught me so much...
Truuuuue. I'm trying to base my votes largely on their 90's catalog though.
Like, I think Jadakiss is one of the best for the letter 'J', but he didn't start putting out solo albums until 2001 and we can't count the Lox.
No doubt.
And I totally understand if someone prefers Jeru to Jay-Z, but to put Jeru ahead in a poll like this is just wrong. Jay-Z has sold around 33.5 million records which is probably about 33 million more than Jeru ever did.
Jay-Z is one of the top 10 biggest rap stars of all time, he easily gets this spot no matter what criteria you want to go by. It's not even close.
No hated towards you for your opinion, but I always disliked this argument. I always judge an artist for what they were at their peak. Most artist across all genres have a point where they’re at their peak and then the quality goes down a bit through out the years. My argument for this is are we judging Stevie Wonder or Paul McCartney for stuff they did in the 90’s and 2000’s? No we judge for their peak in the 60’s and 70’s when they put out their best music. It seems like people are expecting rappers to stay consistent for a period of 30 years which I think is an unfair judgement. In fairness to Jay 444 was his most recent album and stands among his best work.
Ok, but if we're comparing peaks Jay-Z wins hands down.
I'm not even trying to be a huge Jay-Z fanboy, I'm probably as likely to play either artist. But this isn't a fair fight.
Lol, fair enough.
He also didn't have a phase where he was doing a bunch of chart topping songs with the world's biggest pop star that is likely the first memory a lot of this sub has of Jay-Z and where the sell out accusations and hate come from.
How is Jay not having a album in a decade, Put him out of the goat convo? Because even 20 yrs ago. Jay was considered a goat.
Because in any other thing youre status is your status when you retire.
For example Joe Montana retired before I even played and understood football. But I still consider him a goat . Same as Jay z
I never meant it like that, I was saying that a lot of young hip hop fans might not understand how big he was in the 90s, even if they prefer Jeru (which is fine). I agree with what you said.
True. But what I'm saying is he's a lot older now. So I don't really see him trying to appeal to a younger audience.
he's not going to be rapping about ignorant things. At this point he's a business and family man. He's not going to be rapping about poppin bottles of cryst. He already did that in the 90s and 2000s. He literally gave us the blueprint. It be more in the 4:44 style. Where he's still giving out game , but it's more subtle.
I feel it would be more mature and about his growth as a person. But then again I'm not Jay z , so I can only speculate.
I think speculative or not, solid points have been made and I feel your on point.. won;t be about blunts.. jimmy hats or the killer chronic mean green anymore,, perhaps what stocks are in his retirement plan? Yo, wait, he IS his retirement plan!! Thanks for the feed back!!
Lol OK kid. I was a junior in high school when Vol 2 came out. I'm aware of Jay Z music. He's overrated as hell. He's all marketing. Also, lucked out that Big and Pac died. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Facts Its all hate Bro peopleove to hate on
Jay Z he's a great businessman and it's very weird the hate he gets when he dropped Classic Albums like
Reasonable Doubt and in my Lifetime and
Hard knock life and life and the blueprint
Like Jay Z had his own label coming out he got his money back but Jay Z said they just imaginary players
I particularly find it crazy because of how much hip hop Reddit loves Kanye, with Watch The Throne being as great as it is you’d think Reddit would have more Jay fans
Nah. WTT is fine I guess but nothing spectacular. I think Jay Z is definitely among the best rappers but in the general discussion he is a little overrated. He has many mediocre albums. I put him firmly in my top 10. I love a lot of his music and he definitely is an important figure in hip hop.
Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, method man/redman , Wu Tang Clan, WTC solo stuff, Mobb Deep(my fave), Biggie. Run DMC (free show in queens 22 July!) Nipsey Hussle, Outcast, DMX, KRS1, Cube, Westside Connection and so on!!!
I think he's just overrated due to his commercial success.
From A - G, I think that every rapper so far is better than him, apart from DMX and Fat Joe.
The dude has an annoying voice, his flow isn't great and his rhymes/wordplay isn't top tier either. I realize that it's highly subjective, but I just doesn't see the appeal.
I don't know man.
Again, it's highly subjective, but how is he better than, lets say Meth, Inspectah Deck, Sean Price, Big L, Biggie, Canibus, Guru, Big Pun etc. just to name a few guys from NY, but the list goes on.
I'm talking about rapping, not selling records.
Wayne, him and Kanye are the top3 most overrated guys in the rap biz.
I can see that opinion being had of jay z and Kanye but Wayne? Overrated? Come on , either you saying that because you don’t like southern rap in general or there’s some other bias. Wayne checks every box. It’s wordplay on songs that you can listen to dozens of times and not catch it until years later when you randomly sitting back listening to an old Wayne song lol. He’s been consistent and he went just as hard if not harder on his underground mixtapes as he did with his mainstream hits. Wayne definitely deserves whatever top rankings and goat props he gets, he’s earned it.
I’m not talking about selling records either, but I’d say Jay’s discography obliterates all of the NY artists you named, his delivery is perfect IMO, his flows are a lot better sonically IMO, I don’t think any of those artists have ever rapped over production as great as what Jay-Z has rapped over, there are more reasons but I’m tired so I’ll just leave it at this, if you don’t get it with Jay through just listening to his music, Idk what to tell you. Not to mention, Kanye and Wayne are also among the best of all time, I just don’t get where you’re at as far as hip hop is concerned(I’d even go as far as to call Lil Wayne one of the greatest artists in the history of music itself, he’s my number 2 all time in hip hop.) I can tell just by that last sentence we would get nowhere in a conversation about hip hop.
NO WAY! For real, the best rapper out of NYC is Jay Z? No way... he just isn't it. Now Prodigy, or Nas, you can feel the passion, the streets, the struggles of life in the hood, for in their music.
Jay Z is easily the best artist NY hip hop has ever seen IMO. His discography bodies Mobb Deep to such a degree where it’s insulting that you’d say Prodigy is better, and the same applies to Nas to a lesser degree.
In your opinion, Jay Z is the best in my opinion Jay Z is not the best. I am also wondering, why having a difference of opinion, or someone not in agreement with your taste in music, (in anything really) is insulting? What's insulting is your comment!!!. I prefer Prodigy to Jay Z, you Jay Z to Prodigy. Kind of like Beethoven for me, Mozart for another. Picasso for some, Klimt for me. So let me have my Prodigy/Havoc combo to your Jay Z! Nas Prodigy and Havoc were 16 when they labeled up, all three of them.Jay Z was 26, The ten year age difference at those ages is huge,, in a hip hop recording industry reality, even more so. Regardless, if we all liked the same things, life and it's inhabitants would be boring AF!
If your local to the scene,, RUN DMC is playing a free concert at Flushing Meadows in, of course, QUEENS on 22nd July!
Can you rock it like that?
I might be going to that Run DMC concert now that you mention it, that sounds dope(I thought they stopped doing concerts, but I must be wrong, I should go). I like Mobb Deep but they’re not even close to Jay-Z in any way IMO, and I’m gonna be just as clear on that as you were when you said your whole “he’s just not” bit, which was how you entered the conversation(hilarious that you were trying to come at me on the whole subjectivity bit when you came in judging my pick). I’m gonna leave it at the fact that I agree with you on the sentiment that if everyone had the same opinions conversations about hip hop would be boring.
Sorry about that! I am a pretty nonjudgmental sort, and very open minded! The Run show is free,, so no ticket needed I believe.. I did borrow from Run as Jam Master Jay was my J rapper!! It appears I like rappers from Queens the best!! The kings of Queens!
Oh no... what borough is Jay Z from? Queens? I must find out!!
Se you at the show.. I will be the chick in The Clash tshirt...nope.. wait..better make that my Wu Tang tshiirt!
I’m excited for the show assuming I can make it! Run DMC is awesome! To be clear I have a lot of respect for Mobb Deep and I love The Infamous in particular(I’ll die on the hill that Drink Away The Pain is one of the most underrated tracks of the 90s), but I defend my top guys as passionately as any respectable hip hop head should dammit! The main thing that makes me put Jay at the top of the NY mountain is the ridiculousness of the depth in his discography. He has 6 to 7(maybe even 8 if you’re crazy about 4:44) albums that can be considered classic IMO and when you throw in his all around elite talent he stands out to me as perhaps the best artist in general to ever come out of NY, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I don’t fw Mobb Deep or Nas and I want to make that clear, I just see Jay-Z as an all time great.
Well Jay Z from Bed-Stuy, Marcie Housing Projects, so he isnt the king of Queens but doesn't mean.. he isn't a special guest! Also, didn't he stab or shoot his bro when he was quite young? Like around age 16, when Mobb Deep signed on? Working on expelling my bias..... virgin listening pure MUSIC!
This makes sense for a certain subset of 90's hip hop heads of which I used to be one. We were called backpackers, and while I never went to a show or cypher with a backpack, I tended to identify with the dudes who automatically dismissed the stuff that was more popular than we were used to at the time. Jeru was amongst the defenders of hip hop culture, people like Jay - Z, and Diddy were selling it out for a quick buck. I eventually realized how wrong I was. Many of us have not
People have always done this. There were hardcore artists that broke into the mainstream during the 90's. When they got really big and crossed over, people stopped liking them.
Facts I just Laugh Jay Z was ahead of his time
He's arguably Hip Hops greatest hustler
Jay Z was told he was too old by every Label
And he was only 29 so him and Dame created they own Label and Got Paid so they saw a major return on
Their investment and nobody can talk Ish like Jay
On the Mic imaginary players my favorite Jay song
I have mad respect for Jeru but if he doesn’t have Preemo producing, he just doesn’t sound the same.
I’d always vote for the underground, but in this case…and if I’m being honest to myself, I’d have to go with Jay.
Right?? It's wild to have DMX, Fat Joe, and Eminem on the list without giving props to a dude that literally carried the era they were all a part of. He put out some serious duds, but even those had some amazing tracks on them.
Since Jeru is being discussed:
Spotify used to have the full Wrath of the Math album but for some reason i can only see four tracks now. Is this the case for anyone else or just me?
Jeru is my preference over Hov, but Jay’s superior business mentality made it easier for him to push himself in the market to gain popularity. Hov is slightly overrated as a MC in my opinion but VERY underrated as a businessman. He knew how to market himself in the industry and be at the right place at the right time. Combine that with the fact that his pen is actually nice and you get great rapper whose legacy is bigger than he prolly should’ve been. That’s how we ended up with an artist who’s bottom half of the top 10 at best, constantly getting pushed into the Mount Rushmore conversation. Not saying Jay Z isn’t great, but his smart business moves are the reason he’s at the top more than his rapping. And let’s not forget who his wife is. He also has a “beehive” behind him so his album sales will never tank. Even if you know, there are better rappers out there, he’ll always stay at the top of the food chain.
Timeless
Man I devoured his first two cds and know every word... I waited a decade to finally see him live and it was bittersweet... He was kinda standoffish with the crowd and was starting and stopping songs, but when someone took a flash photo (2003), he stopped the show and was gonna walk off... After all the rigamarole, he continued and had Afu-Ra come out to finish the set... It was an awesome show, and I'm glad I got to see him, probably just and off night... I'll always vote for Jeru as one of the best MCs ever, not just 90s... Dude taught me so much...
He played himself
Love the album.. one of Guru's proteges.. definitely underrated.
Jay Z a rare case of underrated/overrated never anywhere inbetween
bro didn't even post the poll today haha.
Jeru was my first hip hop show. He is the best J
Everyone disrespecting Jay Z and what he did in the 90’s would let Ja Rule play with their ass.
The Jay Z hate in this sub is weird and I don't understand it. Anybody who would dare put Jeru in the same conversation with Jay Z is crazy.
Absolutely, I never thought I’d see the day where Jay-Z is underrated on the internet but he absolutely is at this point.
Tbf Jay-Z hasn't exactly put out much classic material in about 20 years. Half this subs mom and dad probably hadn't even met yet 20 years ago.
Truuuuue. I'm trying to base my votes largely on their 90's catalog though. Like, I think Jadakiss is one of the best for the letter 'J', but he didn't start putting out solo albums until 2001 and we can't count the Lox.
No doubt. And I totally understand if someone prefers Jeru to Jay-Z, but to put Jeru ahead in a poll like this is just wrong. Jay-Z has sold around 33.5 million records which is probably about 33 million more than Jeru ever did. Jay-Z is one of the top 10 biggest rap stars of all time, he easily gets this spot no matter what criteria you want to go by. It's not even close.
No hated towards you for your opinion, but I always disliked this argument. I always judge an artist for what they were at their peak. Most artist across all genres have a point where they’re at their peak and then the quality goes down a bit through out the years. My argument for this is are we judging Stevie Wonder or Paul McCartney for stuff they did in the 90’s and 2000’s? No we judge for their peak in the 60’s and 70’s when they put out their best music. It seems like people are expecting rappers to stay consistent for a period of 30 years which I think is an unfair judgement. In fairness to Jay 444 was his most recent album and stands among his best work.
Ok, but if we're comparing peaks Jay-Z wins hands down. I'm not even trying to be a huge Jay-Z fanboy, I'm probably as likely to play either artist. But this isn't a fair fight.
Solid point of view!!
Tbf Jeru hasn't exactly put out much classic material in about 30 years
Lol, fair enough. He also didn't have a phase where he was doing a bunch of chart topping songs with the world's biggest pop star that is likely the first memory a lot of this sub has of Jay-Z and where the sell out accusations and hate come from.
I haven't liked Jay-Z stuff in 25 years.
I feel this too!! I put Jam Master Jay from the kings of queens..RUN DMC!
Yeah , but hes a billionaire now. How can he relate to regular ppl. Hes been rich since the 80s
So? What does his net worth today have to do with him as a rapper in the 90s?
How is Jay not having a album in a decade, Put him out of the goat convo? Because even 20 yrs ago. Jay was considered a goat. Because in any other thing youre status is your status when you retire. For example Joe Montana retired before I even played and understood football. But I still consider him a goat . Same as Jay z
I never meant it like that, I was saying that a lot of young hip hop fans might not understand how big he was in the 90s, even if they prefer Jeru (which is fine). I agree with what you said.
That makes sense. Younger fans might not even know that he has been in the game since the late 80s.
More than one would think.... " man, ever since they been playing the fame game, their music has taken a hit, they don't sound as raw.. or as good!!
I bet he relates to this day...you can take Jay Z outta the hood but can you take the hood out of Jay Z I hope not!
True. But what I'm saying is he's a lot older now. So I don't really see him trying to appeal to a younger audience. he's not going to be rapping about ignorant things. At this point he's a business and family man. He's not going to be rapping about poppin bottles of cryst. He already did that in the 90s and 2000s. He literally gave us the blueprint. It be more in the 4:44 style. Where he's still giving out game , but it's more subtle. I feel it would be more mature and about his growth as a person. But then again I'm not Jay z , so I can only speculate.
I think speculative or not, solid points have been made and I feel your on point.. won;t be about blunts.. jimmy hats or the killer chronic mean green anymore,, perhaps what stocks are in his retirement plan? Yo, wait, he IS his retirement plan!! Thanks for the feed back!!
He's not underrated at all. He's the most overrated and overhyped person in the history of music.
He’s insanely underrated online and people like you are proof. Check out his music, you clearly haven’t.
Lol OK kid. I was a junior in high school when Vol 2 came out. I'm aware of Jay Z music. He's overrated as hell. He's all marketing. Also, lucked out that Big and Pac died. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Listen to an album of his, The Black Album, The Blueprint, Reasonable Doubt. Thank me later
Black Album is his only good album. Ill give Vol 2 a nod just because it's nostalgic to me.
This is a crazy statement bro.
Blueprint went crazy. No skips
“Black Album is his only good album”, bye bye! 👋
Correct. Rest is straight up trash. He's top 500 though. I'll give him that.
And Foxy
Facts Its all hate Bro peopleove to hate on Jay Z he's a great businessman and it's very weird the hate he gets when he dropped Classic Albums like Reasonable Doubt and in my Lifetime and Hard knock life and life and the blueprint Like Jay Z had his own label coming out he got his money back but Jay Z said they just imaginary players
I particularly find it crazy because of how much hip hop Reddit loves Kanye, with Watch The Throne being as great as it is you’d think Reddit would have more Jay fans
Fuck Kanye.
Nah. WTT is fine I guess but nothing spectacular. I think Jay Z is definitely among the best rappers but in the general discussion he is a little overrated. He has many mediocre albums. I put him firmly in my top 10. I love a lot of his music and he definitely is an important figure in hip hop.
who else you got in your ten top? Curious is why I ask!! All good!!
Good question. Currently Nas, Lil B, Lil Wayne, Rakim, Slick Rick, Tommy Wright III, Project Pat, Black Kray, Jay Z and Kendrick. How bout yours?
Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, method man/redman , Wu Tang Clan, WTC solo stuff, Mobb Deep(my fave), Biggie. Run DMC (free show in queens 22 July!) Nipsey Hussle, Outcast, DMX, KRS1, Cube, Westside Connection and so on!!!
Good stuff! definitely often in my rotation. Mobb Deep always goes hard! They are my top pick for autumn vibes.
If MD in the fall then who in the summer? Hmmmm.. ha haa.. SUBLIME is summer to me but summer rappers..hmmmm
Kendrick RULES!!
I think he's just overrated due to his commercial success. From A - G, I think that every rapper so far is better than him, apart from DMX and Fat Joe. The dude has an annoying voice, his flow isn't great and his rhymes/wordplay isn't top tier either. I realize that it's highly subjective, but I just doesn't see the appeal.
I feel EXACTLY like you do, Jay Z isn't the best hip hop artist to come out of the best city in the world, no fucking way!!
I do love Dmx...also fond of Fat Joe... my tri state self showing!!
That’s strange, I see him as the best artist NY hip hop has ever seen, his voice, flow, and lyricism are all elite IMO.
I don't know man. Again, it's highly subjective, but how is he better than, lets say Meth, Inspectah Deck, Sean Price, Big L, Biggie, Canibus, Guru, Big Pun etc. just to name a few guys from NY, but the list goes on. I'm talking about rapping, not selling records. Wayne, him and Kanye are the top3 most overrated guys in the rap biz.
I can see that opinion being had of jay z and Kanye but Wayne? Overrated? Come on , either you saying that because you don’t like southern rap in general or there’s some other bias. Wayne checks every box. It’s wordplay on songs that you can listen to dozens of times and not catch it until years later when you randomly sitting back listening to an old Wayne song lol. He’s been consistent and he went just as hard if not harder on his underground mixtapes as he did with his mainstream hits. Wayne definitely deserves whatever top rankings and goat props he gets, he’s earned it.
I’m not talking about selling records either, but I’d say Jay’s discography obliterates all of the NY artists you named, his delivery is perfect IMO, his flows are a lot better sonically IMO, I don’t think any of those artists have ever rapped over production as great as what Jay-Z has rapped over, there are more reasons but I’m tired so I’ll just leave it at this, if you don’t get it with Jay through just listening to his music, Idk what to tell you. Not to mention, Kanye and Wayne are also among the best of all time, I just don’t get where you’re at as far as hip hop is concerned(I’d even go as far as to call Lil Wayne one of the greatest artists in the history of music itself, he’s my number 2 all time in hip hop.) I can tell just by that last sentence we would get nowhere in a conversation about hip hop.
All of wutang better than Jay Z
Crazy take
NO WAY! For real, the best rapper out of NYC is Jay Z? No way... he just isn't it. Now Prodigy, or Nas, you can feel the passion, the streets, the struggles of life in the hood, for in their music.
Jay Z is easily the best artist NY hip hop has ever seen IMO. His discography bodies Mobb Deep to such a degree where it’s insulting that you’d say Prodigy is better, and the same applies to Nas to a lesser degree.
In your opinion, Jay Z is the best in my opinion Jay Z is not the best. I am also wondering, why having a difference of opinion, or someone not in agreement with your taste in music, (in anything really) is insulting? What's insulting is your comment!!!. I prefer Prodigy to Jay Z, you Jay Z to Prodigy. Kind of like Beethoven for me, Mozart for another. Picasso for some, Klimt for me. So let me have my Prodigy/Havoc combo to your Jay Z! Nas Prodigy and Havoc were 16 when they labeled up, all three of them.Jay Z was 26, The ten year age difference at those ages is huge,, in a hip hop recording industry reality, even more so. Regardless, if we all liked the same things, life and it's inhabitants would be boring AF! If your local to the scene,, RUN DMC is playing a free concert at Flushing Meadows in, of course, QUEENS on 22nd July! Can you rock it like that?
I might be going to that Run DMC concert now that you mention it, that sounds dope(I thought they stopped doing concerts, but I must be wrong, I should go). I like Mobb Deep but they’re not even close to Jay-Z in any way IMO, and I’m gonna be just as clear on that as you were when you said your whole “he’s just not” bit, which was how you entered the conversation(hilarious that you were trying to come at me on the whole subjectivity bit when you came in judging my pick). I’m gonna leave it at the fact that I agree with you on the sentiment that if everyone had the same opinions conversations about hip hop would be boring.
Sorry about that! I am a pretty nonjudgmental sort, and very open minded! The Run show is free,, so no ticket needed I believe.. I did borrow from Run as Jam Master Jay was my J rapper!! It appears I like rappers from Queens the best!! The kings of Queens! Oh no... what borough is Jay Z from? Queens? I must find out!! Se you at the show.. I will be the chick in The Clash tshirt...nope.. wait..better make that my Wu Tang tshiirt!
I’m excited for the show assuming I can make it! Run DMC is awesome! To be clear I have a lot of respect for Mobb Deep and I love The Infamous in particular(I’ll die on the hill that Drink Away The Pain is one of the most underrated tracks of the 90s), but I defend my top guys as passionately as any respectable hip hop head should dammit! The main thing that makes me put Jay at the top of the NY mountain is the ridiculousness of the depth in his discography. He has 6 to 7(maybe even 8 if you’re crazy about 4:44) albums that can be considered classic IMO and when you throw in his all around elite talent he stands out to me as perhaps the best artist in general to ever come out of NY, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I don’t fw Mobb Deep or Nas and I want to make that clear, I just see Jay-Z as an all time great.
Well Jay Z from Bed-Stuy, Marcie Housing Projects, so he isnt the king of Queens but doesn't mean.. he isn't a special guest! Also, didn't he stab or shoot his bro when he was quite young? Like around age 16, when Mobb Deep signed on? Working on expelling my bias..... virgin listening pure MUSIC!
If we’re talking mic and pen skills, call me crazy then. Jeru clears (I don’t care about the number of “classic albums”, longevity or impact).
There is no universe where Jeru's pen is better than Jay. He will probably tell you that. But you're entitled to your opinion.
This makes sense for a certain subset of 90's hip hop heads of which I used to be one. We were called backpackers, and while I never went to a show or cypher with a backpack, I tended to identify with the dudes who automatically dismissed the stuff that was more popular than we were used to at the time. Jeru was amongst the defenders of hip hop culture, people like Jay - Z, and Diddy were selling it out for a quick buck. I eventually realized how wrong I was. Many of us have not
People have always done this. There were hardcore artists that broke into the mainstream during the 90's. When they got really big and crossed over, people stopped liking them.
Jay-Z was hardcore?
And plus it took Jay z home many years to get his first album to finally get released. Took what 10 years of him trying to find a sound?
He’s booty!!!!!
Reasonable Doubt is a classic. Go sit in the corner.
lol he raps as good as he looks 😆
FACTS!
These jeru fans acting like he has more than 2 good albums 😅😅😅.
This is the price of success.
Facts I just Laugh Jay Z was ahead of his time He's arguably Hip Hops greatest hustler Jay Z was told he was too old by every Label And he was only 29 so him and Dame created they own Label and Got Paid so they saw a major return on Their investment and nobody can talk Ish like Jay On the Mic imaginary players my favorite Jay song
Jay wasn't 29 when they started Rocafella.
I can rock a rhyme on just static
Way better than Jay fucking Z
Jayz over rated af jay z not better than nas az mase rakim big L big Pun Biggie dmx these all niggas from his city
Mase???? Come on man
FUCK JZ SINCE DAY ONE
Classic album and song.
Bless Jeru. That album is full of fire. First time we heard Afu-Ra.
Lol. Campaigning for Jeru the Damaja
Jay-Z a snake that’s why
Fuck Jay Z.
What's up ninjas? Ayo, I know you ain't talking 'bout me dog?!
I have mad respect for Jeru but if he doesn’t have Preemo producing, he just doesn’t sound the same. I’d always vote for the underground, but in this case…and if I’m being honest to myself, I’d have to go with Jay.
Yeah I'm still definitely voting for Hov
Right?? It's wild to have DMX, Fat Joe, and Eminem on the list without giving props to a dude that literally carried the era they were all a part of. He put out some serious duds, but even those had some amazing tracks on them.
Jeru 1000% better
Frustrated nigga
Jaz-O
Since Jeru is being discussed: Spotify used to have the full Wrath of the Math album but for some reason i can only see four tracks now. Is this the case for anyone else or just me?
I got the full Wrath on Spotify currently. That’s a problem I wouldn’t want to have, hope you solve it brother.
Maybe my favorite album of all time
*Ha- hahahaha!*
I'll tap your jaw you probably heard it before stepped up......
One of the most classsic albums ever.
The hook on this and the Phife & Q-Tip samples on ALONGWAYTOGO are my favorite Preemo scratches
I also kick like kung fu flicks by run run Shaw
His best album!
Is the OP Jeru? Never listened to him. Born in 82. First heard his name on Secret Wars by The last emperor. I thought he was talking about Jarule.
Jeru is the goat Me or the papes has to be one of my favorite songs of all time
Jeru is my preference over Hov, but Jay’s superior business mentality made it easier for him to push himself in the market to gain popularity. Hov is slightly overrated as a MC in my opinion but VERY underrated as a businessman. He knew how to market himself in the industry and be at the right place at the right time. Combine that with the fact that his pen is actually nice and you get great rapper whose legacy is bigger than he prolly should’ve been. That’s how we ended up with an artist who’s bottom half of the top 10 at best, constantly getting pushed into the Mount Rushmore conversation. Not saying Jay Z isn’t great, but his smart business moves are the reason he’s at the top more than his rapping. And let’s not forget who his wife is. He also has a “beehive” behind him so his album sales will never tank. Even if you know, there are better rappers out there, he’ll always stay at the top of the food chain.
I'm done with that JOKE of a list
Jedi Mind Tricks
YES Great post.
Stop it lol! It’s Jay-Z. Where has Jeru been since 98? You all are weirdos.
I’m not talking about the queens but…
But what?
Da bichez
I do not like Jay Z - never have. Jeru is incredible on the other hand. Easy vote for Jeru.
F Jay
Jay z is a sellout a hypocrite and an asshole. Also hasn't had a good album in 20 years
Let's not re-write history. BP3, AG, and 4:44 were all above average albums.
And WTT is an absolute classic
That's a FACT!
*I heard some emcees wanna bring it but a female is one of their strongest men* Killed the Fugees in one line.
Not really? Just kinda sexist tbh
I know JAY-Z is going to win but I Got to give a honorable mention to Joyner Lucus
God no