I am really curious to see where Eminem ranks in your goat stakes. Not wanting to battle anyone, just curious to see what your list of best rappers of all time or artists of all time are? I respect Eminem and like dozens of his songs. On the same token I never loved him as an artist as much as some of my friends and acquaintances did.
I’m sure we’ve probably had this conversation previously on this thread but I agree with you. Respect his abilities as a rapper. Technically he’s one of the best when it comes to the skill of rapping. He’s often a great storyteller which lends itself to great artistry. But his ear for beats is not always the best, many of his projects are not very cohesive with an overall theme, and instead just focus on rapping fast or trying to be vulgar/shocking. Lately he’s tried too hard to force in some poppy radio singles. So yeah if I had to think about it he’s probably top 5 overall rapper. But that’s not a list I really care about. While I like him as an artist, he’s probably not in my top 50. I think different people just look at rap differently. Some people dissect bars and lyrics to the point where it’s okay if the song has a standard structure and beat/hook that doesn’t stand out. If there are clever puns or intricate rhyme scenes that’s enough to carry the song. For me that’s certainly part of it, it’s fun as the lyrics click after more and more listens. But it’s not the main component. What are the lyrics actually saying in terms of subject matter? What emotions do the combination of rapping and instrumentals evoke in the listener? “Only way that you’re ahead of me’s alphabetically, cause if you diss me I’m coming after U like the letter V”. That’s clever but it boils down to a generic I’m better then you statement. “I know some rappers using big words to make their similes curve, my simplest s**t be more pivotal. I penetrate the hearts of good kids and criminals. Worrisome individuals that live life critical. So won’t you bear witness while I bare feet, so you can walk in my shoes and get to know me” Kendrick in my opinion is already the GOAT. Rapper, hip/hop artist, however you want to categorize it. This isn’t even a prime example of it and is from really early in his career, but I like the first line about his simpler lines being more pivotal than elaborate rhymes. He’s more versatile. He can do the fast rap, clever pun, intricate rhyme scheme stuff too, but it’s all just part of his package. He doesn’t rely on it. He uses the tools that the art is calling upon because he always has a well constructed cohesive album in mind. With that said, the new Eminem album is one of his best in some time. Doesn’t spend too much time lashing out at the detractors of his previous work, pop stuff is minimized and actually well executed, great features, fresh production, and of course Eminem comes through with the bars.
