How is Ready To Die better than Reasonable Doubt? Why is Big supposedly better overall?

[IAmListenin']

bredren the same can be said for biggie's gimme the loot.
folks were seriously wonderin who that other cat on the track was

This is true, as I saw it myself, but as I thought at the time,

1) Evidently people either didn't hear or remember when Slick Rick played two characters on a song, altering his voice for one of them.
2) Didn't even look at the track listing, where they would have seen no features for the song (Method Man was the only one on the whole album), so obviously he was doing what Slick Rick did (though it wouldn't even have been necessary to know Slick Rick did this if one sees that no rapper other than Big was on the song) and playing both parts himself.

I didn't see what the mystery was.

 

[Pifferry]

yea but music changes... jay had an extra 2 years to see what biggie did and what east coast artists were doing and build off that... as you see in his features, getting who was hot at the time with producers, sound, singers, etc

while biggie putting his album together in 93-94 was a totally different era.. and most the people he got his beats and music from, wasn't even hot like that by 96..


comparing 96 and 97 albums is much closer in sound, production, features, etc




that's why RD and RTD sound so damn different... with RTD sounding much more dated and rugged like the early 90s albums and RD sounding more crisp and updated as we was moving into the 00s





that being said... i still give it to RTD.. felt more like a complete album where RD was hot.. but it was all over the place.. jay didn't know what sound he wanted and just went with a little of everything... both 10/10 albums tho

How was RD all over the place compared to RD? Literally every song was consistent in production style other than maybe BK's Finest, every song fit into either the overall mafioso/hustler theme of the album or Jay putting himself on trial for the fans to judge his rapping ability to see if he's worthy of being the new king.
This: "Jay Z took you on a journey as well.
The whole album was him making a case for himself as a best MC and a life in de day of a hustler.
From Can't Knock The Hustle to Regrets as the confident start with the end saying that maybe you can knock it but that doesn't mean you have to live with those regrets.
Brooklyn's Finest to 22 Twos to Cashmere Thoughts as the three rapping for the sake of rapping songs focusing on Jay's competition with Biggie and why he's the nicest MC and his underground and club rapping experience on Two's and on Jay's classic smooth style and persona with Thoughts also going in on the mafioso influence.
Politics As Usual to Bring It On, the first throwing you right into the tired fray after the defiant first track and the latter another perfect penultimate Jay song wrapping in the mafiaso movie influences on the album with an amazing verse.
Can I Live encompassing all of Jay's ambition and tired wit as he deals with people just trying to bring him down as he wants to live life.
Ain't No nikka and Coming Of Age touching on the two different types of important relationships you can hold.
Feeling it as a celebration of life song that also coasts right along negative factors but still pulls ahead.
Easily as good as whatever journey Ready To Die was supposed to give me."
Is just throwing stuff at you?

 

[Bolzmark]

It's a matter of preference. Two elite MC's.

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

How was RD all over the place compared to RD? Literally every song was consistent in production style other than maybe BK's Finest, every song fit into either the overall mafioso/hustler theme of the album or Jay putting himself on trial for the fans to judge his rapping ability to see if he's worthy of being the new king.
This: "Jay Z took you on a journey as well.
The whole album was him making a case for himself as a best MC and a life in de day of a hustler.
From Can't Knock The Hustle to Regrets as the confident start with the end saying that maybe you can knock it but that doesn't mean you have to live with those regrets.
Brooklyn's Finest to 22 Twos to Cashmere Thoughts as the three rapping for the sake of rapping songs focusing on Jay's competition with Biggie and why he's the nicest MC and his underground and club rapping experience on Two's and on Jay's classic smooth style and persona with Thoughts also going in on the mafioso influence.
Politics As Usual to Bring It On, the first throwing you right into the tired fray after the defiant first track and the latter another perfect penultimate Jay song wrapping in the mafiaso movie influences on the album with an amazing verse.
Can I Live encompassing all of Jay's ambition and tired wit as he deals with people just trying to bring him down as he wants to live life.
Ain't No nikka and Coming Of Age touching on the two different types of important relationships you can hold.
Feeling it as a celebration of life song that also coasts right along negative factors but still pulls ahead.
Easily as good as whatever journey Ready To Die was supposed to give me."
Is just throwing stuff at you?

the lyrics told that story... i'm talking production... it's like all jay's albums... trying to appeal to 100 different people at once

he didn't know if he wanted samples, original, gritty, epic, piano, hits, or what


biggie's album felt like an album.. i like albums to feel like a coherent thing from start to finish.. if you gonna pick a sound, stick to it... it's the difference betweetn TPAB by kendikk and LOP by kanye... one of these albums the songs flow into the next.. you can tell what they were trying to do... the other is just a collection of beats


like i said... this is nitpicky as hell... as both are classics... but if i had to put in 1 album, hit play, and let it ride... it'd be RTD

 

[Pifferry]

the lyrics told that story... i'm talking production... it's like all jay's albums... trying to appeal to 100 different people at once

he didn't know if he wanted samples, original, gritty, epic, piano, hits, or what


biggie's album felt like an album.. i like albums to feel like a coherent thing from start to finish.. if you gonna pick a sound, stick to it... it's the difference betweetn TPAB by kendikk and LOP by kanye... one of these albums the songs flow into the next.. you can tell what they were trying to do... the other is just a collection of beats


like i said... this is nitpicky as hell... as both are classics... but if i had to put in 1 album, hit play, and let it ride... it'd be RTD

Yah we're just not going to agree on this, just opinion anyways.

 

[phatphuck]

RD is more advanced but RTD is just a pleasure to listen to

 

[dj-method-x]

Yo you cats who are saying Jay > Big strictly on some rap shyt can yall explain why?

When I listen to Big I literally feel like I'm listening to the best rapper ever to spit. GOAT Voice, flow, lyrics, story telling ability, coupled with the ability to sound great on any kind of songs. Dude had it ALL. Pac was the same although less lyrical.

What exactly makes Jay better than Big?

 

[pointproven214]

Yo you cats who are saying Jay > Big strictly on some rap shyt can yall explain why?

When I listen to Big I literally feel like I'm listening to the best rapper ever to spit. GOAT Voice, flow, lyrics, story telling ability, coupled with the ability to sound great on any kind of songs. Dude had it ALL. Pac was the same although less lyrical.

What exactly makes Jay better than Big?

jay was just a point blank better spitter then biggie non debateable from the rhyme schemes vocab metaphors wordplay punchlines hooks content etc

he was just better man imo but neither are fukking with pac or nas though lyrically imo.

 

[JayBaldacci]

ready to die is easily better, and I'm not even big on that album.

 

[ottorocket]

I prefer and listen to RD more so it's better to me.

Also, I don't understand when people are like "yeah I listen to xyz more but abc is better." I really don't understand it.

 

[JayBaldacci]

lol dudes in here mentioning friend or foe against warning.

 

[dj-method-x]

jay was just a point blank better spitter then biggie non debateable from the rhyme schemes vocab metaphors wordplay punchlines hooks content etc

I think I just realized what it is that separates the two...

Biggie = One of the GOAT Rap Voices
Jay = One of the worst rap voices

 

[Pifferry]

I think I just realized what it is that separates the two...

Biggie = One of the GOAT Rap Voices
Jay = One of the worst rap voices

You don't get where Jay is by having a WOAT rap voice.

 

[RichForever]

Yo you cats who are saying Jay > Big strictly on some rap shyt can yall explain why?

When I listen to Big I literally feel like I'm listening to the best rapper ever to spit. GOAT Voice, flow, lyrics, story telling ability, coupled with the ability to sound great on any kind of songs. Dude had it ALL. Pac was the same although less lyrical.

What exactly makes Jay better than Big?

Well for one, I'd argue that Jay was at least better lyrically than Big.

Lyrically, Biggie and Jay approach things quite differently. Biggie is a lot more straight-forward and simple. He uses a lot of internal rhymes and cinematic story-telling which to some makes his music easier to listen to. Jay uses those things too, but he also uses a lot of other literary devices such as wordplay, metaphors, and double entendres which some might not catch on first listen. That forces the listener to rewind and think about what Jay was saying more. What makes that great is that Jay can use things like double entendres and wordplay and not be needlessly complicated and overwhelm a listener. Basically, The genius of Big's lyrics are felt immediately, while Jay's takes more time to mature and be fully appreciated. I'd give the edge on lyrics to Jay for the reasons above, because to me, they have more depth and intricate detail to them.

 

[Pifferry]

RD is more advanced but RTD is just a pleasure to listen to

RD is a pleasure to listen to, I can play it through each time I listen to it effortlessly.

Yo you cats who are saying Jay > Big strictly on some rap shyt can yall explain why?

When I listen to Big I literally feel like I'm listening to the best rapper ever to spit. GOAT Voice, flow, lyrics, story telling ability, coupled with the ability to sound great on any kind of songs. Dude had it ALL. Pac was the same although less lyrical.

What exactly makes Jay better than Big?

He's a more advanced lyricist, cleverer, and I believe he writes better songs than Biggie plus I like his flow more than Biggies who I believe is really carried heavily with his lyrics by his natural voice rather than the content on a heightened level more than a lot of rappers.
That's why.
Though I do know he's an amazing rapper, Victory, Young G's etc, all amazing verses.