Put it this way, the closest Wayne ever came to people claiming him as the GOAT is when Carter III dropped. I remember some writer writing that the Mt. Rushmore of rap was Biggie, Pac, Jay, and Wayne. If these critics weren't willing to put Wayne over them amidst the C3 hype, then I don't see it happening. Yeah Wayne has been it since '97, has been one of the biggest rappers in recent years, had a lot of guest appearances, has classic mixtapes etc., but even with all of that, are people really putting Wayne over those guys? Were people giving Wayne those type of accolades from 2005-2009 (when Wayne's hype was fever pitch).