Time To End The Narrative That Jay-Z Was Never The Top Rapper In The Game

[Cloud McFly]

Exactly. You literally couldn't escape Jay in his prime if you were actually in tune with Hiphop.

It’s funny because these be the same cats who get confused and annoyed about others rappers who look up to Jay like he’s a god. Like Cam says... You wasn’t there.

There’s a reason most of the legendary rappers want to battle Jay in a Versuz. Dude earned his place.

 

[Black_Panther_JS]

The new dude that comes out an has the hype will always take that top spot, DMX, 50, are examples. It's like Drake, he's always been 1 of the top dudes but people act like he's been unanimously #1 for 10 years when dudes like Future, Kendrick, Cole, etc... had the spot for some time. Jay is the same, he's always been 1 of THE dudes

I don't give Jay none of the 90s but early 00s is up for debate

Are we looking at it from a straight Hip-Hop perspective tho cause i'd put money on Jay being bigger to Rap fans than Eminem, Eminem obviously had all those white fans which is why he went Diamond. Nelly is debatable

 

[Prince.Skeletor]

A GOAT cant have ghostwriters

 

[Danktoker94]

A lot of those cats probably weren’t listening to rap or even born then that make those type of statements.

Yep booth is horrible today when I saw that dogg food vs infamous thread I knew shyt was faneto

 

[erker]

not in 00-02.

This doesn't make any sense. I replied to your remark that Jay didn't even loose any steam after the lost battle to Nas, by saying that he retired. I wasnt talking about DMX.

 

[JustCKing]

I agree with the premise of the thread, but Pac and Biggie weren't exactly being outsold by Coolio. The album Coolio dropped in 1994 only went platinum while Biggie's 1994 album went double. Unless we're counting Thug Life from 1994, Coolio did outsell Pac in '94, but in '95, Pac and Coolio were doing about the same numbers.

 

[Homeboy Runny-Ray]

This doesn't make any sense. I replied to your remark that Jay didn't even loose any steam after the lost battle to Nas, by saying that he retired. I wasnt talking about DMX.

your statement was confusing.

jay didnt retire until '03, and that was likely because low-key, he was avoiding 50-mania.

 

[Homeboy Runny-Ray]

I agree with the premise of the thread, but Pac and Biggie weren't exactly being outsold by Coolio. The album Coolio dropped in 1994 only went platinum while Biggie's 1994 album went double. Unless we're counting Thug Life from 1994, Coolio did outsell Pac in '94, but in '95, Pac and Coolio were doing about the same numbers.

gangstas paradise went triple
dangerous minds soundtrack went triple because of coolio.
that 6 millie from '95.

pac wasnt moving single-disc units like that.
biggie died as a double-platinum rapper........double platinum.

EDIT:
i forgot the '94 part.
coolio outsold pac & biggie in '94 too.

those 2pac albums werent plat in real-time. S4MN didnt go platinum until after he got shot & went to prison. 2pacalypse went platinum after he died.

and yea, biggie RTD eventually went double platinum in real-time, but he didnt really take off until '95. coolio outside him in 1994. RTD moved most of its units in '95. by that point, coolio had gangstas paradise out, and we already went over that.

 

[CrimsonTider]

From Dynasty to Black album jay z was the biggest rapper in the game

 

[mobbinfms]

From Dynasty to Black album jay z was the biggest rapper in the game

50

 

[Ziggiy]

its close, but X ultimately wins out for 98-99. hell, one of the biggest songs on that album came courtesy of DMX & Swizzy, and jay overall rode the ruff ryder wave to an extent.

"money aint a thang" is JD's song. thats a so so def track all the way. its become more synonymous with jay, because volume 2 was dropping while it was still hot.

But Money Ain’t A Thang was also on Vol 2

 

[SunZoo]

Even if you ever gave credence to that narrative, even if you want to pinpoint a 'hotter' or bigger rapper every year he was out, he waded around the top 5 consistently from all angles.

Nobody has been as consistently dope and successful than Jay Z.

Hell, DMX in his prime was bigger than Jay.

Consistent HOF, rare air career > An MVP season.

 

[Uno]

Camel Warriors on the internet acting like Jay was not a "pop" rapper.

 

[Homeboy Runny-Ray]

But Money Ain’t A Thang was also on Vol 2

as a bonus track.

and again, it was a so so def type of track all the way.

 

[JuvenileHell]

wait this was a debate? I mean I'm a Nas stan but I can't deny that Jay was definitely that nikka during the early late 90s - 2000s