Though I think Eminem has overstayed his welcome and is actually pretty lame now, I do have to agree that he is excellent lyrically. The way he can tell a story in a song is unmatched IMO. I think it's kind of hard to judge but I think only really Lil Wayne on his mixtapes is close, and I think Drake may get up there.

 

As for overall I think it's really hard to compare genres. But due to Eminem's lack of variation on his topics he writes about I don't think he compares well to the greats in many other genres. Of course that's JMO.

 

 

Em's first single talking about how bad is last CD was.

 

"And to the fans, Ill never let you down again, Im back I promise to never go back on that promise, in fact Lets be honest, that last Relapse CD was ehhhh Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground Relax, I aint going back to that now All Im tryna say is get back, "

I'm still waiting....

 

The Nas reference made me chuckle though. :lol:

 

We can disagree, I think Eminem is very, very good but...........

Rakim was more early 90's. He didn't exactly pioneer the hip hop or rap movement, but he was about the first great lyricist rap had ever seen. Until then it was just basic well, just basic rap. Rakim brought about flow, and ultimately shaped the way rap/hip-hop is performed today. Before him it was all basically the same.

 

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1.)Rakim's best music was in the late 80's around the time when Yo! MTV Raps came out. He had no great songs or albums in the 90's. His music from the 80's is what made him the rap icon that he is. Nor is he consdered a pioneer. Legend and one of the greatest lyricists of all time, yes. Pioneer? Not hardly. Too many rappers were out before him to consider him a pioneer.

 

2.) Eminem is one of the greatest lyricists ever. Definitely up there with Rakim, Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls, KRS-One, NaS, Lil Wayne, Outkast and Kool G Rap. Greatest lyricists don't always have the best selling album. The order of which these guys fall in as greatest lyricist ever is debatable but amongst true hip hop heads these guys will be in every top 10 list.

 

 

3.). 2Pac was one of the greatest rappers ever. 2Pac was not one of the greatest lyricists ever. He will always be one of my favorites.

 

4.) Never mention Weezy, Eminem and Jay-Z in the same sentence. Weezy wishes he could be like those two in every facet of life.

4.) Never mention Weezy, Eminem and Jay-Z in the same sentence. Weezy wishes he could be like those two in every facet of life.

 

Wayne is appealing to the pop culture of today. He's still a genius as far as wit and cleverness goes within his rhymes. He raps about current events and his lines are quite funny if you listen in close enough.

I'm not a big rap guy but Eminem is one of my favorites. He gives the casual rap fan what they need...shock, witty lyrics and a few catchy hooks.

 

I like eminem but he's slightly below the likes of 2pac and Biggie in my opinion. Those guys could paint a perfect picture of what they were going through at the time. 2pac is my all time favorite. Many of his songs are deep on so many levels. You don't see that much anymore.

 

I'm not a huge rap fan because I can't relate to anything the artist is rapping about. With Eminem, I don't feel I need to. He shocks me with his vulgarity and he's amazingly clever with his rhymes.

Wayne is appealing to the pop culture of today. He's still a genius as far as wit and cleverness goes within his rhymes. He raps about current events and his lines are quite funny if you listen in close enough.

 

My fault. I had a brain fart. I was thinking Jeezy not Weezy. I agree with your whole post. I put Wayne in the top 10 of all lyricists in the same post. Too early in the morning.

I'm not a big rap guy but Eminem is one of my favorites. He gives the casual rap fan what they need...shock, witty lyrics and a few catchy hooks.

 

I like eminem but he's slightly below the likes of 2pac and Biggie in my opinion. Those guys could paint a perfect picture of what they were going through at the time. 2pac is my all time favorite. Many of his songs are deep on so many levels. You don't see that much anymore.

 

I'm not a huge rap fan because I can't relate to anything the artist is rapping about. With Eminem, I don't feel I need to. He shocks me with his vulgarity and he's amazingly clever with his rhymes.

 

 

I agree somewhat. I really don't see 2Pac as a great and deep lyricist. He touched on things that some rappers didn't touch on but I found most of his rhymes to be simple in nature. He is definitely one of the greatest rappers ever but I wouldn't call him one of the greatest lyricists ever. Good lyricist but not great lyricist, IMO.

I love when there is an argument on BGPs and other people won't admit that rappers are musicians. It's not a matter of opinion if they are artists or not. It's a fact, they are artists. They just happen to make music that is for different people.

 

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Right on. What is even funnier is that people who refuse to recognize that it is an art and that they are musicians have absolutely no idea how hard it is to complete an entire song that makes sense. Then when you add in the art of freestyling........

 

Your post said it all. Well said.

1.)Rakim's best music was in the late 80's around the time when Yo! MTV Raps came out. He had no great songs or albums in the 90's. His music from the 80's is what made him the rap icon that he is. Nor is he consdered a pioneer. Legend and one of the greatest lyricists of all time, yes. Pioneer? Not hardly. Too many rappers were out before him to consider him a pioneer.

 

I consider him a pioneer of lyricists, not just rappers. Prior to Rakim most were rapping finding simple ways to ryhme. Rakim started changing that by expanding vocabulary and becoming a true lyricist. That's what, in my opinion, makes him a pioneer for modern rap music.

I'm still waiting....

 

The Nas reference made me chuckle though. :lol:

 

See post #13, .... lyrically let's start with Dylan. You are saying that Eminem is a better lyricist than Dylan?

See post #13, .... lyrically let's start with Dylan. You are saying that Eminem is a better lyricist than Dylan?

 

My first thought is to say you can't compare two different genres but that is a cop out.

 

Yes, Eminem is a better lyricist than Dylan because Eminem's lyrics not only have to rhyme but they have to make sense for the content and topic of the song. I would dare to say that Eminem would have a much easier time writing a song for Dylan than Dylan would have writing a song for Eminem.

 

I am sure 98% of you will disagree with me but I am a lifelong hip hop head who knows it is much harder to write a rap song than it is to write a song. And before people think I am slamming Dylan, I am not. I just have more genuine respect for rappers and their talents than singer/songwriters.

I consider him a pioneer of lyricists, not just rappers. Prior to Rakim most were rapping finding simple ways to ryhme. Rakim started changing that by expanding vocabulary and becoming a true lyricist. That's what, in my opinion, makes him a pioneer for modern rap music.

 

I agree. When I read your previous post I was taking it as you saying Rakim was a pioneer of rap. I follow you now.

My first thought is to say you can't compare two different genres but that is a cop out.

 

Yes, Eminem is a better lyricist than Dylan because Eminem's lyrics not only have to rhyme but they have to make sense for the content and topic of the song. I would dare to say that Eminem would have a much easier time writing a song for Dylan than Dylan would have writing a song for Eminem.

 

I am sure 98% of you will disagree with me but I am a lifelong hip hop head who knows it is much harder to write a rap song than it is to write a song. And before people think I am slamming Dylan, I am not. I just have more genuine respect for rappers and their talents than singer/songwriters.

 

It's simple to throw a few chords together on a guitar with a nice set of vocals to get a hit soft rock song or alternative song, but when it comes to rapping, it's so much tougher to rap extremely well. There are a billion good singers on the earth but there are only so many people that can come up with the things that Eminem, Biggie, Wayne, Andre 3000, The Game etc. can put together. That's why I love rap. You can listen on youtube and find so many great singers that aren't signed. You really can't find many rappers out there that are good enough that aren't signed (or at least a bit popular) because it's such a rare talent.

I agree. When I read your previous post I was taking it as you saying Rakim was a pioneer of rap. I follow you now.

 

:thumb: likewise!