The Beat Generation: Science Never Lies-Why Jay-Z is Better Than Nas
My name is Jeff Weiss and I approve of Zilla’s message.
So last weekend I was involved in a HEATED hip hop argument (as most hip hop arguments are). and one of the main points was my contention that Jay-Z is the greatest MC of all time. Of course, that opened up an entire can of worms. What do you base “the greatest of all-time” on? Lyrical skills? Style? Influence? Discography? Battles? Hit singles? Trends set? Stability and consistency? Ability to sleep with other rappers’ babies mamas?
For my money, Jay-Z annihilates Nas and Biggie in every category and since Biggie was murdered prematurely, I’m not going to instantly give him the crown just because not a single rapper can say a verse without name dropping Chris Wallace. Sorry folks, he died after Life After Death was finished. Do the math. Two great albums to Jay-Z’s three, so he’s done. (Blame Puffy. I, along with Voletta Wallace, Lil’ Cease, The Lox, Charli Baltimore, Lane “Un Rivera,” Faith Evans, the Harlem Boys Coir, Carrot Top, Dan Akroyd and Hank Gathers already have.)
What was left was an argument between myself and a Nas fan who will eat a plate of Nas-sponsored horse shit and tell himself that it’s hot apple pie (also known as Nastradamus). These Nas fans are the worst. I myself WORSHIP at the altar of Nasir Jones, but you can’t tell me I Am is a classic, or even above average for that matter. As Nas stans are wont to do, he wasn’t having any of that crazy objectivity/logic/common sense. bullshit. No, no no; he honestly believed “Rewind” was a better song than Jay-Z’s “U Don’t Know,” a song that kickstarted Just Blaze’s career and found Jay absolutely MURDERING the biggest banger of his career thus far.
Nasty Nas To Esco to Escobar, Now He is Nastragarbage
My overriding point was that yes, Nas is amazing. Nas has 2 great albums under his belt. He’s made some ridiculously outstanding songs. But Jay-Z makes better ALBUMS. So in order to scientifically prove it to the world, I decided to devise a log of Songs I Like Per Album (SILPA). This is highly scientific method that I created, (since I am brilliant) is a list of the studio albums released by Nas (Lost Tapes and QB’s Finest don’t count) and Jay-Z (those R. Kelly and Linkin Park CD’s don’t count). I then divided the number of Songs I Like Per Album (SILPA) by the total number of songs on the album and came up with a percentage.
I’ve been buying rap albums my whole life. After 5 listens, I know what songs I don’t like. Since rap albums always have WAY too many songs on them, I usually look at a rap album to be “good” if 50% of the album is skippable. For example, if Lloyd Banks has 18 tracks on his new album and I skip 9, then it’s an “average/good” album.
The breakdown:
0-10%= A Disaster of Epic Proportions (i.e. The Macho Man Randy Savage Album)
11-20%= The Artist Should Kill Themselves (most No Limit records fall into this rating)
21-30%= Putrid (The last few Eminem releases)
31-40%= Kind Crappy But Has It’s Moments
41-50%= Average/Good (80 percent of my CD collection)
51-60%= Very Good
61-70%= This Sh*t is Bangin
71-80%= Excellent
81-100%= Classic
Be A Man….A Macho Macho Man
Here’s the intense study that took me a mind-numbing 13 minutes and literally ten’s of clicks on Wikipedia to hook up:
Nas Songs I like Per Album (NSILPA):
Illmatic
Songs I Like: 8 out of 9 (PS. Sorry “One Time 4 Your Mind”)
SILPA Raint=88% (CLASSIC)
It Was Written
Songs I Like: 11 out of 15
SILPA Rating=73% (EXCELLENT)
I Am…
Songs I Like: 8 out of 16
SILPA Rating=50% (AVERAGE/GOOD)
Nastradamus
Songs I Like: 3 out of 15
SILPA Rating=20% (THE ARTIST SHOULD KILL HIMSELF)
Stillmatic
Songs I Like: 8 out of 14
SILPA Rating=57% (VERY GOOD)
God’s Son
Songs I Like: 4 out of 14
SILPA Rating=29% (PUTRID)
Street’s Disciple
Songs I Like: Disc one: 5 out of 12=42%
Songs I Like: Disc two: 5 out of 13=38%
SILPA Rating=40% (KINDA CRAPPY BUT HAS ITS MOMENTS)
Hip Hop is Dead
Songs I Like: 8 out of 16
SILPA Rating=50% (AVERAGE/GOOD)
SILPA Results: I like 51% of Nas songs per album (VERY GOOD)
Jay-Z Songs I Like Per Album (JSILPA)
Reasonable Doubt
Songs I Like: 14 out of 15 (PS. Sorry “Coming of Age”)
SILPA Rating=93% (CLASSIC)
Vol. 1 In My Lifetime…
Songs I Like: 7 out of 14
SILPA Rating=50% (AVERAGE/GOOD)
Vol. 2 Hard Knock Life
Songs I Like: 6 out of 14
SILPA Rating=43% (AVERAGE/GOOD)
Vol. 3 Life and Times of S. Carter
Songs I Like: 6 out of 15
SILPA Rating=40% (KINDA CRAPPY BUT HAS ITS MOMENTS)
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
Songs I Like: 11 out of 16
SILPA Rating=69% (THIS SH*T IS BANGIN’)
Blueprint
Songs I Like: 12 out of 13 (PS. Sorry “H to the Izzo”)
SILPA Rating=92% (CLASSIC)
Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse
Songs I Like: Disc One: 5 out of 11=45%
Songs I Like: Disc Two: 4 out of 14=29%
SILPA Rating=36% (KINDA CRAPPY BUT HAS ITS MOMENTS)
The Black Album
Songs I Like: 11 out of 14
SILPA Rating=79% (EXCELLENT)
Kingdom Come
Songs I Like: 6 out of 14
SILPA Rating=43% (AVERAGE/GOOD)
SILPA RESULTS: I like 61% of Jay-Z songs per album (THIS SH*T IS BANGIN’)
As you can clearly see from my vastly detailed and phenomenally executed experiment, Jay-Z wins with an overall SILPA Rating of 61% (This Sh*t is Bangin’) for his recording career versus Nas’ score of 51% (Very Good). The overall trend for Jay-Z is that the less number of songs on each album he released, the better their chances of me liking more songs. I like 13 of 14 cuts on Reasonable Doubt compared to 9 of 25 cuts on Blueprint 2.
With Nas, who’s been wildly inconsistent with his beat selection post-It Was Written, I’ve never liked more than 8 songs on any album made since 1996. Even Jay-Z’s most statistically pathetic album Blueprint 2 with a score of 36% (Kinda Crappy But Has Its Moments) is still more tolerable than Nastradamus’ score of 20% (The Artist Should Kill Himself). And there you have it—science steps up to the plate and easily backs my argument that Jay-Z is the GOAT. Read it and weep, bitches.
Download:
MP3: Jay-Z-”U Don’t Know”
MP3: Jay-Z-”Hey Papi”
MP3: Nas-”Take It in Blood“
MP3: Nas-”NY State of Mind”
Stumble It!
September 11th, 2007 at 6:15 am
NO NO NO NO NO - u got it wrong. Like really wrong. You say Dynasty was a banging??huh
and Black Album???
“I’m not a writer i’m a biter…my own flow is foolish???”..
c’mon…half JayZ’s lyrics come from Biggie-and others-including Nas, and Pac…
c’mon
September 11th, 2007 at 6:30 am
I know I’ll be proving your point about Nas fans, but feel free to go torture yourself. Weiss, I’m boycotting the site for the next two weeks since I need some time to go weep after reading this. Adios!
September 11th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Jay’s better, of course, but I always thought you would have been the type to go with Nas. Huh…
September 11th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Thanks for acknowledging Kingdom Come has a good half. But that’s no excuse to only like 6 songs on Vol. 3, possibly the most underrated hip-hop record of all-time and easily my favorite Jay (this is somewhat sentimental as it came out in ‘99 and singlehandedly converted me to mainstream hiphop at a time when I was drowning in J5 and Rawkus, but it is, nonetheless, a fantastic record). Dynasty’s really underrated, too. And it looks like I’m gonna have to start throwing down for Streets’ Disciple, too. The reason people act like Biggie’s untouchable is because he didn’t have time to make a bad album. I bet his fourth and fifth would’ve been kinda shitty. I love Big, but he’s no sacred cow; his only advantage over Jay-Z is that he didn’t have to deal with handling writer’s block at 36. But I bet he would’ve.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:22 am
Hip hop dinosaur says: Jay-Z the greatest MC of all time? My head starts spinning from trying to wrap my head around that argument.
I’ve had this discussion before myself (Jay-Z vs. ??) and it’s always with someone at least three or four years younger than me. You know I got mad love for ya, Weiss, and I have the utmost respect for your opinion, but… reconsider the “all-time” tag. Jay better than Nas? Sure. Jay better than Biggie? Yeah, I’ll buy that. But Jay better than Rakim, Kane, G Rap, or KRS? Not a chance in hell.
When you come out to NYC in a few months, we’re going to get mad splifted (that’s a word, right?) and have this discussion.
September 11th, 2007 at 9:11 am
You guys know that Zilla wrote this, right? My personal choice for the GOAT is Ghostface. I might have to do my own post of this sort.
But for the record, I do agree with Zilla. Jay’s better than Nas.
September 11th, 2007 at 9:15 am
Uhmm… yeah, of course I know Zilla penned this! Heh.
Let’s get splifted anyway, Weiss.
September 11th, 2007 at 9:29 am
This can and will be arranged.
September 11th, 2007 at 9:53 am
If not Jay than who? There are better lyricists, and higher sellers, even Emcees who’s personas we like better; but Jay’s stats are pretty high in SO MANY categories its tough not to give him that spot. I would ride with Em if he hadn’t fallen off so horribly almost immediately after achieving mainstream success.
And Nas is so confused its hard for me to like him.
“Put down your gun, I mean, MURDA MURDA MURDA, KILL KILL KILL! I follow Jesus.”
I’m surprized to see you panned “H to the izzo”. I don’t even like Hip Hop and like that song! But the acronyms had me dyin! A good read.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Kiss:
THANK YOU! I co-sign totally with the Biggie comment. Like Big wouldn’t have been doing songs with Mike Jones and Paul Wall 2 years ago when they were hot. Like Big wouldn’t have been doing songs with Jim Jones and co. You can’t come out the gate with great music and keep making it in the long term. You will fall at some point.
That’s why I like Jay–he’s made classic then followed them with duds, then made classics, then duds, etc. I understand his flaws; it just so happen that over his career, Nas has more flaws in my humble opinion.
Flood:
I love Rakim, KRS and G Rap. I just think overall Jay wins. They are all technically better than him but he’s the total package. It’s why I think Kobe is still the best player in the NBA compared to LeBron, D-Wade, McGrady, Duncan, etc. And all three of those guys have made some godawful albums (”The Master,” “Click of Respect,” “Spiritual Minded”).
September 11th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
I think it’s safe to say that J is a better record maker, but he certainly is not the best part of his own records. Kind of like a hip hop John Phillips. Certainly as an MC/lyricist, Biggie, Nas, Tupac and old schoolers like Rakim beat him down in every single way. J’s skill is assembling a quality team behind him. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s hard to single out personal greatness for the ability to realize singular weakness and back it with team strength. He’s following the corporate model for success in unit moving but unit moving throughout history has proven to be temporary and replaceable by the next unit mover with very little permanence. Like J says, he’s not a businessman, he’s a business, man… just not a great MC.
September 11th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
I whole heartedly disagree that Jay-Z wipes the floor with Nas. I also feel as though they are both potential Top 5 material. I didn’t listen to Nas at all through “I Am” and “Nastradamus” because they were both garbage. After Nas came back with “Stillmatic” and “God’s Son” he had the upper hand, his only dissapointing relese was the uneven double album “Street’s Disciple”. Jay-Z and Nas are almost even, but I give Nas a slight edge overall.
One.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Finally, someone acknowledges the truth: Jay-Z is not only better than Nas (who I love to death), but the best ever.
And Steve, with the exception of maybe Ra, Jay blows the guys you mentioned away. Tupac? Seriously? He’s your idea of a great MC? I respect his contributions but a good 40% of his catalogue is unlistenable. Even if Biggie had lived, Jay’s career would have outstripped his.
As for Rakim, he set the template for everything that would come after him, so he definitely deserves his props. But Ian Cohen on his old Sexy Results blog (RIP) used a very salient analogy to make the point that Rakim should not always be automatically labeled the GOAT: Dr. J may have birthed MJ’s style, but that doesn’t mean Jordan wasn’t the superior player.
September 11th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
well i agree with the overarching argument that Hov murks Nas, but i really think Vol. 3 and BP2 are two of his most underrated albums. i like damn near every song on both of ‘em, BP2 in particular has ridiculous production at certain points.
and i really think Vol. 1 is Hov at his worst. his flow is just off there, and so much of the Bad Boy production is sleep-inducing. like the scraps from the Life After Death sessions or somethin’.
but, it’s good to see an Oxy alum reppin’ for the Roc in an Oxy intellectual way, lol. (yeah i go there, however my identity shall remain anonymous)
September 11th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
fuck, someone else wrote this? i gots to pay more attention
September 11th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Shoot me an e-mail Trey, I didn’t know you went to Oxy. We gotta talk Tigers.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Weiss. Why? Why are you doing this? Putting this Zilla piece up reminds me of the first thing I read here a while back. If I recall correctly, Ghostface was the best thing since Led Zep and Gianna Michaels combined. I’m pissed.
September 12th, 2007 at 6:02 am
i dont know where to begin…how can you scientifically prove someone is a better rapper? You created a “scientific method” because you are “brilliant” but i guess you didnt realize that “Songs I Like Per Album” is an opinion not science. All you have done was waste your time with your scientific method to prove that YOU THINK Jay-Z is a better rapper than NaS.
September 12th, 2007 at 7:54 am
Personally, I think Street’s Diciple is underrated and I can go thru Hip Hop is Dead multiple times without skipping a track, except the acapella at the end.
So Zilla, what percentage does Live & J-Direct get on your SILPA scale? (which is brilliant, by the way)
September 12th, 2007 at 7:57 am
PS: I maintain that Outkast is the greatest hip-hop outfit of all time….you can disqualify them cuz they’re a duo or cuz they’re from the south….but that’s what I’m rolling with.
September 12th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Griffster:
J-Direct gets a “Very Good” SILPA rating of 54%
And when you say Outkast is the greatest hip hop “outfit” of all time, does that mean group, family, posse, enterprise, etc? I would tie them with Tribe since they both have 3 classics according to my outstanding SILPA rating.
September 12th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
clearly stephen is a deranged Nastan. owns a kufi maybe?
September 12th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
no i dont own a kufi i do prefer nas over jay z but thats just me im not aa deranged nastan i just wanted to point out that the scientific method doesnt prove jay z is a better rapper it just proves that he likes more jay z songs than nas songs. strictly opinion
September 13th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
I’m not a Nas superfan or a Jay-Z hater, but I will say that today and always, Nas is a supreme lyricist over Jay-Z, and the amount of “better” albums that Jay has put out over Nas bears no weight on the fact that he will never write the lines of poetic excellence that is illmatic and many of Nas’ later songs..Nas wins..
September 13th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
I missed the boat on this, but oh well…haha.
Jay-Z is much more consistent then Nas, but I still think Nas’ best moments > Jay’s best moments.
September 14th, 2007 at 3:09 am
You don’t like H to the Izzo? It may be pop, but it’s a goo tune. If you wanna know why Jay is better than Nas, just listen to Takeover.
September 14th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Zilla-
Re: Outkast. I guess by outfit, I mean more than one artist on the albums…it’s just the term I use as opposed to ‘greatest MC’
And Tribe is by far my FAVORITE ever, but Outkast is the BEST ever. They constantly push the envelope and improve with each album (I don’t care what itunes says, Idlewild was not an Outkast album, it was a soundtrack or compilation or whatever).
BTW- I give outkast 4 classics (Southernplayalistic, Aquemini, Stankonia, Love Below) and 2 excellents (ATLiens, Speakerboxxx)
September 20th, 2007 at 2:01 am
Why in the world would you disqualify The Lost Tapes? Did Nas not record those songs in a studio? One of Nas’s biggest weaknesses is the fact that many of his best songs were left off of his official releases. He could put out 3 more Lost Tapes that would all be better than everything he put out except for Illmatic, It Was Written, Stillmatic, and Hip-Hop Is Dead. They would be better than everything Jay put out except for Reasonable Doubt, Blueprint, and The Black Album. Also, Blueprint is slightly overrated. I skip the first 4 songs or so when I listen to it. Finally, you skip a song on Illmatic? You must be defective, son.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Out of curiosity, what’s the SILPA for the Lost Tapes? The shit is classic. Purple might be one of Nas’ best joints.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
He’s right! what u talkin about?? Jay by far is the God of rap.. NaS is his son.. Jay Hova vs. Godson.. they say.. “if u cant beat him, JOIN HIM”.. that’s why NaS joined def jam, to try to be more successful like jay cuz sony wasn’t doin good for him.. by fa, jay is the best today..!! read it & wheap boyz..
July 31st, 2009 at 5:48 am
All i have is one word “Ilmatic”! That album is arguably the best in Hip Hop history, if not definatly top 3. Name one of Jay-z’s albums that is a classic, that people will be hearing for generations to come, the only jay-z album i would rate is Blueprint but that still does not compete with Ilmatic. Nas proved he was better than Jay-z in Ether (one of my best diss tracks ever). Although jigga making more doe than Nas he will never be a legend like him, money aint everything.
July 31st, 2009 at 5:56 am
“Illmatic”, “It was written” and “Lost Tapes”! listen to those albums and listen to all of Jay-z’s albums. If you still feel Jay-z is better than Nasty NAS you definatly dont know real Hip Hop. and also listen to some of Nas’s older songs before Illmatic such as ‘Deja Vu’ dat joint is hypnotizing for real you’ll be a Nas fan for life!