Why doesn't this new generation seem to understand or grasp why Jay-Z was considered a top draw?

Art Barr

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how did kiss "sell out" lol



Kiss was on badboy sir.
Plus completely departed in scope from what the warlox are/were.

To the ppint.

They threatened to drop an old ice bix fridge off a building on puff. Live in air.

Where ouff cslled in and had them down so bad from selling out. Puff was able to mild clown them. In the encounter.


Art Barr
 

SunZoo

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Wanted to avoid mentioning Drake given the climate but I concede that's more apt ( Jay Z clears though ). If he's Ab Soul then I owe him an apology. Volume 3, 4:44 & few Blueprint are in my rotation & I never connected the two. Esp when I consider that freestyle session between Soulo and Daylty - he washed him.

444, Vol.3 aren't the albums you'd get that impression from. Even though Blueprint is amazing it's honestly one of his weaker albums lyrically, he was still stylin but the backdrop was at the forefront.




The Soul is the new "monster of the double entendre" but that's what Jay is at his best, except he had a mid-range, he knew how to make hits and could go into his lyrical bag whenever. He def has periods of his career when he coasted on that end but Lupe Fiasco, who said he literally stenciled his raps around Jay-Z verses is what happens when you take it to that one extreme.
 

SunZoo

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"I dumbed myself down to double my dollars"

Jay literally admitted his style of rapping is dumb. He didn't even have to write. That alone tells you how shallow his raps were. Jay could never memorize something as complex as "I gave you power"....those are the type of raps that require a profound pen.

William Shakespeare couldn't memorize Romeo and Juliet.


Nas= Shakespeare

Jay= Dr. Seuss

Meanwhile, Kendrick is making robot noises and literal Dr. Suess sounding raps and selling like gangbusters.

Point being, if you want mass appeal you need to know how to make music that can connect with a populace that can barely read above a 3rd grade level, which is why as dope as Kendrick is, and as delusional as his fans are, people KEEP saying he ain't snapping like that, he ain't snapping like Jay, Nas or a good amount of nikkas people try to sit him next to.

Dot purposely eschews that brand of lyricism to resonate with more people....I mean same shyt Jay did, except Jay, like the a$$hole he is, told you up front and even used it as braggin point. Like I COULD be everything you nikkas jock as far as underground/lyricists, but I'm a hustler, who raps, not a rapper who hustles.
 

the cool

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Because most of them are dumb as bricks and haven't got the attention span to listen to what he's saying.

And you saying none of Jay's songs have aged well?? That's bullshyt.
My daughter is 16 and has started to listen to Reasonable Doubt on the regular.
That’s the only album that aged well
 

Iverson_64

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Modern rap fans often have a strong recency bias and "what have you done for me lately" mentality when it comes to rappers in the GOAT conversation. Obviously, dead rappers like Pac and Biggie are exempt from this.

Jay has essentially been semi-retired after 4:44(8 years ago) and his post 4:44 output has largely fallen under the radar(EIL and the Jay Elect album). And his features have been hit(God Did, What's Free) or miss(Sorry Not Sorry, Jail) too.

This makes a lot of modern rap fans dismiss Jay as "irrelevant" in the current rap world despite the fact that he's in his mid-50's and already made his mark years ago.

It's like the "Lebron" mentality slipped its way into hip hop and now people value longevity and staying hot forever over having a strong prime that rappers can live off of. Jay bowed out gracefully but these kids still think that the Future and Drake method of "feeding their fans"(which Jay used to do) makes them more relevant to the culture and, hence, "better."

On the flip side, Jay gets praised a lot by mainstream publications like Rollingstone and Billboard because he's the safest GOAT choice for many people. He's rich, married to Beyonce, isn't caught up in any real scandals besides the one that just got dismissed, has good business ties, and stays out of trouble. These same publications are starting to rally around Kendrick too for similar reasons.

So, when people get exposed to Jay constantly being deemed number 1 or top 3 despite his semi-retirement, it causes people to check out his work to see what the big deal is with him. And, sometimes, these fools will skim through his music(word to Renegade) and decide that's he's overrated and not particularly skilled or lyrical based on his crossover hits or bottom tier features like Monster, Swagga Like Us, and Pound Cake.

They don't get that a lot of Jay's greatest qualities are best exemplified on his B sides and deep cuts as opposed to his big hits so they'll base their opinion of Jay as a rapper from a very surface level angle and not see what the big deal is.

Tbh, Jay's most commercial music was always the weakest display of his rapping and music overall which affects perception from people who didn't grow up on him. He has his moments like Dead Presidents, Can't Knock The Hustle, 99 Problems, Big Pimpin, Hard Knock, Story of OJ, and Song Cry where he balances lyrical prowess with commercial appeal.

But then you have commercial songs like Ain't No Nikka, Change Clothes, Hey Papi, Jigga That Nikka, Sunshine, Nikkas in Paris, Holy Grail, Empire State Of Mind, 03 Bonnie and Clyde, Excuse Me Miss, Guilty Until Proven Innocent, Show Me What You Got, DOA, Young Forever, Things That U Do, I Know What Girls Like, Holy Grail, and Tom Ford which REALLY don't do Hov any justice when it comes to showcasing his best qualities as a hip hop artist. And casual rap fans who don't listen to his full projects will base their opinions of him off that too.
 

kes929

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Only on thecoli I hear young nikkas and nas in the same sentence. I don't know why nikkas repeat this lie. Biggie and 2 pac still got that goat aura even to this young nikkas. Ain't nobody jacking no nas come on
Only on thecoli I hear young nikkas and nas in the same sentence. I don't know why nikkas repeat this lie. Biggie and 2 pac still got that goat aura even to this young nikkas. Ain't nobody jacking no nas come on
Go watch them young cats review Nas on YouTube. A lot of them call him the goat after they listen to his music. You off base on that take.
 
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