Pusha T Says Read His Lips: “Notorious B.I.G. Was The Greatest Rapper Who’s Ever Lived”

Written By Cyrus Langhorne

G.O.O.D. Music's Pusha T recently talked about his admiration for late hip-hop icon Notorious B.I.G. and proclaimed him the greatest rapper ever.

2k Views 158 Comments

In Pusha’s opinion, B.I.G.’s debut album set new boundaries in hip-hop.

I believe the Notorious B.I.G. was the greatest rapper who’s ever lived. I remember in ’94, when Ready to Die came out, I was in 11th grade, living in my mother’s house in Virginia. There was a frenzy at my high school, arguing and talking about that album. We used to spend hours in the car, reciting his raps, trying to figure out what in the hell made him veer off in this way or that way. (Rolling Stone)

Check out Pusha T’s favorite Notorious B.I.G. verse right here…

Pusha also revealed his all-time favorite Notorious B.I.G. verse.

My favorite Biggie verse is probably from “Young G’s,” which I first heard on a mixtape after he passed. It was such amazing storytelling: “And to my hit-ho’s, my murder mamis/I be smokin’ trees in Belize when they find me/While you still killin’ niggas with punanny/Like Connie and Cyrus up in Cypress/Fuck you raw on the floor with the virus.” Those are seamless raps, the way the couplets flow. Man, it’s too much. No one’s been that colorful since Big’s death. (Rolling Stone)

A few months ago, B.I.G.’s ex-wife Faith Evans revealed plans to release a joint album based on his music.

“I’m about to start working on a very, very special musical project with me and Big,” Faith revealed in an interview. “I’ve just had time and have been thinking about it for a minute. I finally got all my ducks in a row to make it happen. It is definitely unheard music. Unheard music in the presentation of it. That’s what I will say. Think Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole.” (Hip Hollywood)

Last year, Faith and Bad Boy Records CEO Diddy paid homage to B.I.G. during a Los Angeles performance.

Faith Evans brought along some old friends during her show at the House of Blues in L.A. on Wednesday. Following an opening set from Kelly Price, the R&B diva was joined onstage by Diddy, who helped her pay tribute to her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G., with their classic “I’ll Be Missing You.” “Thanks to my bro @iamdiddy for coming out to rock the stage w/me & @1500orNOTHIN 2nite!” tweeted Faith. During her appearance on “Bethenny,” Faith spoke about her relationship with her former Bad Boy boss. “We keep in touch. He sends my kids Christmas gifts every year,” she said. (Rap-Up)

158 Comments

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

SOHH.com Writer. When I'm not covering hip-hop news and announcements, I'm deep into an Audible book and eating veggies.

158 Comments

  1. Considering that your God MC jacked his whole style and Black Tape idea I would have to agree with Pusher.

  2. Nas is the Goat for one reason. He made an entire industry change their style, flow and substance with one album. After that album, Big and Jayz change their styles. Big pun told Nas he was the greatest and put pressure on him to say it in a feature, research it.

    • Gtfoh, i love nas but im not gone forget him TRYING to be a ganster in street dreams era, nor will i forget oochie wally nor that song with ginuwine, those things alone make him not the goat…and yea illmatic was tight but nobody bit nas style, not one person, if anything hes a biter(rakim allah my bruther)

      • Street Dreams was nice, IWW was a great album as well. He had that one era where he was going downhill and yes those songs you mention sucked IMO and I was saying Nas lost it at the time….. He got it back though and kept it. Nas did not bite Rakim man be serious, if anything Ra was upset Nas came out and was a step better than he was, always seemed a bit bitter toward Nas like he stole his limelight from 94 on. Longevity and catalogue wise Nas is up there with the best.

        • Nas didnt bite rakim?….you dont do an unathorized biography about someone you dont bite..thats like saying kobe didnt bite nas style.

          • Everyone has someone they look up to and emulate to a certain degree but subject matter and so on? Nas is his own rapper, to say he bit Rakims style as a whole is ridiculous because Nas expanded his topics more so and talked about different things than Rakim talked about. Rakim was more into ripping mics as someone said and destroying mc’s, then later on got into the God talk and some knowledge but totally different style than Nas at times. Nas is not a biter of a style, he might have took such and such in which he grew up listening to but he came out with his own style.

          • Stop it…nas is way more of a biter of Rakim than jay-z could have ever been of Nas.

          • Okay then Jay bit Bigs style in ways moreso, we can go that route too since we are talking biting. Who mentioned Jay Z up there? Jay has taken so many verses and used them from others and chorus etc., so he is a biter too I guess. I didn’t even mention Jay Z but since you had to bring him up.

          • Jay is the most succesful rapper ever..he said big verses to keep his name alive idiot..say what you want, in my opinion, illmatic is great but cannot fuck with reasonable doubt..i think big is better than jay-z but reasonable doubt will always be the greatest show of lyricsm to me. Hands down that boy spit so many long verses and similes and metaphors hat were just so uncommmon and unfuckwittable..how the fuck can a nigga ever say he cooied nas or big..neither one of them did ehat jay did on reasonable doubt..so kill that noise

          • Yeah sure, he bit more than Bigs rhymes, he used Snoops Chorus for his song and Camron did a ten minute song of him biting verses or a chorus and flipping it around, I still remember that well. He used alot of other peoples rhymes and changed them a little. I disagree on RD >> Illmatic as well, no way. You sound like a Jay fan pretending to like Nas somewhat? You say you love Nas and yet you bring Jay Z into a convo here when he was not even mentioned first and compared them, saying Nas bit Rakim alot more than Jay Z when nobody mentioned Jay at all before that. This was BIG and Nas, why bring Jay into it? You seem to have resentment towards Nas and it stems back to that beef. LOL none of them did what Jay did on RD, okay Ready To Die and Illmatic lyrical masterpieces but they didn’t do what Jay did. You kill that Noise, get off Jays….. Good lord you bring Jay into a convo where he was not even mentioned by me while quoting me then say he is better than Big and Nas on their debuts which is false.

          • Boy gtfoh..big nas jay all legends..jay aint bite no better..like i said, reasonable doubt is the most lyrically complex and coded album by a rapper..cant be matched..i own every nas album, every jay album and every big album..so i can comment on all bc i have dissected every verse, every hook, every song..im not someone who talks for nothing.

          • Thats your opinion no Reasonable Doubt, not a fact by any means. I agree they are all legends so lets leave that part be there, if you like Jay better cool so be it. Illmatic to me lyrically is insane, the blueprint of hip hop IMO if you sit down and listen to it, they even have a documentary on tv about it! That album is known to some as the best rap album ever, not IMO but some think that. I have listened to them all as well and own most of them, so I can comment on it too and in the end it’s just my opinion. You can talk all you want on it man but honestly it’s your opinion, if I don’t agree I don’t and not all will agree with you. I like them all, big fans of them but Nas is my fave out of the three. If I were to pick an album out like you did Jays I would go with Gza Liquid Swords as the most complex lyrically and just an incredible album, that is probably my fave and it’s not even between the three we mentioned. The way he spit over those Rza dark beats was insane, painted a picture.

          • Ndeed…you probably never hustled so thats why you dont feel that rd like i do..and thats understandable..96 was a year of music that just was great and to ME, nothing can touch the long complicated, coded, metaphorically great verses without hardly any hooks of rd…what song on illmatic can touch dead presidents or d’evils.

          • Once again it’s all opinion but NY State of Mind and Represent come to mind, Nas killed those. You like that album better and I like Illmatic better, the way Nas just came out throwing dart after dart on taht album is crazy IMO, one of the best albums ever (Some have it top). RD is nice though, great album and I know what you are talking about on the way Jay spit then, he had his own style and dude was way nicer than he is now IMO. I miss that old Jay at times, before he really blew. I like the little amount of hooks as well, I will give you that. Nas hooks mainly on his album came from samples and scratching from Primo etc. though, that made is nice IMO. Hook game used to be alot better.

          • Oh please, it is clear we are not going to agree here on this subject so it’s best we just settle it and say it is our opinion and keep it moving. Ny State Of Mind is crazy, just the first few bars man. Dude killed that. I disagree with you on this subject and it’s opinion though so no need to go back and forth arguing everyday on it when we will never agree with each other. You can’t change my opinion and I won’t change yours, peace.

          • lifes a bitch, NY state of mind, the world is yours, i mean thats a quarter of the album right there

      • Rakim is a great one but his catalog ain’t big enough. If he would have kept going he could be in the conversation.

    • I was just going to mention that, Illmatic is the upper echelon when you think of albums and honestly known to some as the best album ever! They even have a 1 hour show on tv now about Illmatic believe it or not I watched a few times, a documentary on it. Illmatic changed the game, period. Nas album redefined the rap game.

    • A.Z. is the GOAT. On Life’s A Bitch, his verse went harder than Nas. Matter of fact every time Nas collabos with A.Z. A always outshines him.

      • Just like Rakim, his catalog ain’t big enough. Both of them are still alive but bad career moves killed their momentum.

        • AZ catalog ain’t big enough???? AZ has like 7 albums. lol. He just drops stuff on the underground level.

      • His catalogue is not better than Nas like I said and honestly AZ the GOAT? Stop it, he had a few good albums (One classic) and a few very weak to average albums. He has all the skills in the world but never really put it all together. AWOL is one of my faves of his and his first album and The Format was pretty good, Pieces of a man was okay I guess and I could listen to 9 Livez as it was pretty good. The rest of them are just ehhhh and have a few good songs, especially his last two. A outshined him a few times, listen to serious with AZ and Nas though as Nas just tears that shit to shreds! Nas got AZ on serious.

        • Look, I’m not trying to shit on Nas. I’m a big Nas fan, but if were talking who’s lyrically better I got to go with A.Z. Nas did his thing on that Serious song, but I don’t feel like he outshined A.Z. if anything Nas verse was longer so it seemed like he went in more. I call that one even. On the song The Essence, I call it even again. But on Mo Money Mo Murder, Life’s A Bitch and How Ya Livin, A.Z. got him.
          Matter of fact I never seen A.Z. get slayed on a collabo track. Kool G Rap ate Nas up on that Fast Life joint. And name me a Nas song that’s lyrically better than Rather Unique. Eminem, who I don’t like, copied A.Z.’s whole style when he first started. The only Em song that I really fuck with is called Infinite. Em got busy on that song, but guess what? He bit the fuck out of A.Z.’s whole style.
          If you are saying Nas is the GOAT because of radio play and shit like that, then yeah you’re right he probably is. But for me I look at skills. And Sugar Hill, which was a lyrical masterpiece was a big radio hit. But for some reason A.Z. didn’t get anymore radio love. In this debate there is no right or wrong answer. But for me GOAT status is who’s actually the better rapper,not the biggest radio star.

          • Nas is more lyrical. Lyrical is not just the excessive utilization of polysyllabic rhymes (What AZ and Eminem did). It’s also about content. Nas is a better story teller (“Undying Love” “New York State of Mind” parts I and II). Nas is more descriptive with his lyrics, more poetic as well. His subject matter is more versatile and he is more creative with his song concepts (“Rewind”, “I Gave You Power”, “Fetus”, “Money Is My Bitch”).

          • Slick Rick and Biggie are better story tellers than Nas. But there are plenty of ABC rappers that tell decent stories,e.g. Tupac, Scarface, etc. So that is not a major skill that’s required of Goat status. Since were getting specific here, the fact that Nas mispronounces words also deducts points in my view. I love his Ain’t Hard To Tell joint, but everytime I listen to it, I have to ask myself what the hell is a MENESTRAL cycle? or what the fuck is MAGMATIZE? This is really nitpicking, but fuck it. Pronounce menstrual and magnatize correctly.
            I will give Nas the edge in creativity and concepts. But weird, abstract concepts never moved me like that. I prefer my shit more authentic, reality based, which is why I never liked Sci/Fi movies. Nas on Memory Lane, New York State of Mind, The World is Yours, etc can hang with A.Z.. but Nas has plenty of songs that he got really lazy on lyrically. That’s the same reason I have to exclude Jay-Z. Reasonable Doubt is a lyrical masterpiece, double entendres and all. But Jay got lazy after that and admitted that he dumbed down his lyrics for the masses. A.Z. always brings it lyrically.
            Who is the GOAT debates are always subjective because there are no clear cut winners. I mean you can make a strong case for A.Z., Nas, Biggie, Tupac, Jay-Z, Rakim, Black Thought, Big Pun, Big L, G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, KRS, LL Cool J, etc. It all depends on what you value the most. Is it record sales, stage presence, storytelling, freestyle ability, realness, etc.? Since were speaking of rappers, whose primary purpose is to put words together, I’m still sticking with word for word A.Z. is the best. I have yet to hear better verses than A.Z.’s on Life’s A Bitch, Sugar Hill or Rather Unique. Nas Memory Lane and Jay Z’s Dead Presidents are up there. But A.Z. at his best is a slightly better version of Rakim in my opinion.

          • I gave you power as the other guy said, NY State Of Mind is up there as well. Nas has some lyrical masterpieces, can’t deny that. I thin Nas is better overall than AZ, has the better albums from top to bottom and that is huge to me. AZ is hit or miss on the album front, one album is good the next one or two are just very forgettable. Did you like AZ’s last two albums he put out a few years back? GOD and the other one he seemed just to throw out? Both of those albums were VERY forgettable. Fif even said that in a song if I throw out bullshit albums every few years like AZ or some shit, AZ got upset about that but that is how most fans of his think when it comes to his album. AZ is a great lyricist and definitely one of my favorites but he is not overall better than Nas IMO, no way. I hav no idea how AZ didn’t get more radio love BTW, he could make songs for the club, streets and so on as good as Jay Z and he is definitely one of the most slept on rappers ever, I agree there. We agree there is no right or wrong answer, it’s all your opinion or mine and that is what it boils down to honestly.

    • Stop it…jayz mightve changed his style, but do not ever talk about big changed his style, thats almost as dumb as pac saying big stole his style..dumb shit

      • He wanted to be like Nas so bad he took it a step further and copied the concept for his album cover, a baby picture.

        • Ohhh he cooied a baby pic..so what..big blew up waaay harder than Nas, commerically wasn’t even comparing..both are great..but big was and will always be more versatile…check big double lp and ghen check Nas double lp..and see which one was better…oh you prolly forgot nas had a double cd right

          • I agree Nas doublt LP was very subpar, one of his worst overall albums IMO and only a handful or so good songs on it, that is the truth. If we go first two albums you got Illmatic and IWW though, you can put those two up against most peoples first two albums and they stand very strong. Bigs first two were nice as well, RTD was a classic and LAD had some great songs on both discs, very solid start to a career that got cut short. Big did blow up more from the party hits etc., nobody can deny that part. Nas had more of a huge underground following from Illmatic, he blew on his second LP obviously.

          • And his 2nd lp had hos underground fans very upset, y bc he went straight COMMERCIAL in an attempt to blow up bigger than who? BIG…words from him and steve stoute.

          • Straight commercial? IWW had some real shit on it man, that had it’s radio hits yes I know from Street Dreams to the single (Which was a banger btw), but it had some great songs on it as well and gritty street shit as well. Funny later on some liked IWW better than Illmatic, not me necessarily but some later on looked back and said that was a very good album and it was. I remember some might have hated then but it was received well by alot of hip hop fans, album got alot of play in 96.

  3. 2pac has more albums dead than Pusha T and BIG put together…………….and junior mafia & all of Kim’s albums PUT TOGETHER………..FOH

      • Nigga please, every thing 2 pac did was quality music don’t front …….2pac gave B.I.G way to much publicly & Attention with his war of words which is way people consider Big to be pac rival or his equal…..That’s pac Fault…….ain’t nobody fuckn with pac !! He gave his life for it THE MAN PREDICTED HIS OWN DEATH…………I respect you’re opinion (I do) but the work Tupac has done DEAD make him a legend beyond anyone else in my eyes dead or alive.

        • Tupac was a loudmouth and a dry snitch…he had good songs, he also had a lot of skips moments…he was very repititive…overall…tupac might have spit some real shit, but as far as a rapper, lyrics, storytelling, he couldnt fuck with big on his day off…and i own every tupac and biggie album, spent countless nights dissecting every lyric, every beat, every drum snare, guitar riff..shall i go on…hands down, tupac could not fuck wit big.

          • Obviously, you are an idiot who overdoses off syrup and prolly bcame a thug bc u seen pac with a rag on his head…pac was great but will neva b better than big. I said he was the greatest after his first.. Unfuckingtouchable

          • Bs , you just talking shit just to swallow spit chewing on air . People still think pac alive people won’t let him go unfortunately nobody lookn for BIG , why?…..Im sure u played them two albums out already be on the lookout for that new pac album

          • Boy stop…ppl and you included are idiots..and good music never gets played out..you prolly a dumb nigga that couldnt understand what big rapped about…small minded dumb ass regular nigga. Go get some pussy and stop responding lil buddy.

    • Rakim was a great wordsmith with tight rhymes but his subject matter was sorely lacking for a long time. He takes an L in the subject matter department.

      • How did he make Biggie change his style? Biggie flow prior to Illmatic and post Illmatic on Ready To Die isn’t too different. Listen to Party & Bullshit (pre Illmatic) and Gimme The Loot (post Illmatic) what’s the difference? I love Nas music just like yall but yall giving dude way too much credit

      • I guess rapping about knowledge of self, politics, and having a social consciousness means “lacking in subject matter” in an era of rapping about poppin molly’s, buying Picassos, and having a love for the coco.

        • Nah not at all. Nas rapped about all those things but was much more versatile. Rakim’s first two or three albums with Eric B were mostly about how ill he was on the mic and how he ripped mics and performed acrobatics with the pen and all that. Definitely tight, but the subject matter was limited. He touched on politics? Where and when? Provide the name of the song. He definitely spoke on being conscious and knowledge of self, but he didn’t have a lot of stories and wasn’t as versatile. Facts bro.

      • Rakim had three solo albums, a compilation album and four studio albums with eric b. How is that not enough music?

  4. Im tired of these niggaz running around talking about Big was the best rapper… and Pac wasnt either, fuck outta here with that shit too…. Big was great no doubt, top 5? No… Big lacked the vercitlity as a rapper… everybody talks about guns pussy and drugs, he just said better than everybody else… he had a great flow, but u cant be the greatest after two albums… it takes yrs to be considered the greatest in anything. Ali, Jordan, Woods, Gretzky, anybody else didnt play two seasons, or had two fights nor 2 rounds of golf and became the greatest of all time… fuck that opinion shit, thats a fact…
    Especially if u have dudes like Rakim, Kane, G Rap, KRS 1, Nas running around… dudes who had more than two albums and were waaaay more versitile in what they spoke about than Big…

    • Nigga please…hands down bi was it..tupac was the realest rapper..when it came to storytelling and rap skils bi was it. I love rakim, all due respect, but bi wid have ripped him one..the end, period..when u sit bk and disect the bars on life after death, if you are not def!, then as u cud see like maybe the higher ups cud see ” its about more than just , weed guns bitches money and alcohol…..and versatile? Nas, krs, rakim never could have a club joint, knowlegdge joint and street joint…see BIG (one more chance, real niggaz, nobody)

      • Nas can do it all man. I would have picked NAS personally as the best to do it as longevity and body of work. BI rip Rakim a new one? I don’t know about all of that man but Biggie was nice as hell. BIG could not drop knowledge like Nas since you mention that on there, Nas was and is one ahead of big in that category but the club joint you are right Big could do that better but that is not really Nas route although Oochie Wally was pretty damn big and got spins.

        • Word for word, A.Z. outshines Nas on every track they did together. A.Z.’s verse on Life’s A Bitch might be the greatest verse ever.

          • AZ did outshine Nas on a few songs, great duo together. Nas verse was nice as well though so lets not sleep there. AZ though album for album with Nas? Forget it! He has too much filler to be on Nas level as far as a catalogue goes, his are hit or miss on that end.

        • As much as I love Nas and he’s a legend, let us not forget he has put out some trash albums. Untitled, Hip Hop Is Dead, & Nastradamus are not good at all.

          • I agree I did not like Nastradamus at all and Untitled was okay. I liked hip hop is dead though, never got the hate on it as it had some really good songs on the album IMO. He has had some bad albums though I admit. Nas last album was a a banger though! He is inconsistent but his great go good albums are very nice. I didn’t like Streets Disciple that much sides a few songs, it could have been narrowed down to one disc and been fine. Illmatic, IWW, Life Is Good, Stillmatic, Gods son and Lost Tapes are good though, I AM was also pretty good.

    • Dude…if you can’t spell versatility, you probably shouldn’t comment on a rapper lacking it.

    • It’s influence too. How your catalog touched the people. How many lines have been taken from those two albums???? People have used his beats etc. Slick Rick has ONE classic album but name one legend that he hasn’t influenced. It’s all based on opinion anyway. You can’t tell someone they are wrong when it comes to who they think the g.o.a.t. is. All you can do is disagree.

  5. Nas, Ice Cube & Pac embodies the art. Other cats just have attributes that they thrive in. Rakim was lyrical but he didn’t move anyone to do anything outside of rap. Big gets the credit he gets because of the beef between him and Pac and him stepping in at a time when East Coast music was pretty much on life support. Nas, Cube,& Pac are on the mount rushmore of rap. They can do what all of your favorite rappers can do and then some.

    • Give it a break…big blew waaaaay up waaay before any so called beef..you speakin on it and u prolly werent even born yet

  6. Considering that your God MC jacked his whole style and Black Tape idea I would have to agree with Pusher.

  7. That’s 1 man’s opinion, but I wouldn’t place Big above Pun. He’s top 5 though

  8. I always ask myself the following questions: Why is it that Big and Tupac are declared as the two best rappers ever just because they died prematurely? Why isn’t someone like Rakim given that title? It’s as if most people have been brainwashed to think Biggie and Pac had no equals which bothers me. Besides, hip hop is the only genre of music where someone can be named the greatest after that little body of work.

    • I think people forget about Krs. Rakim, Kane etc. I agree with you in that regard. People act like hip hop wasn’t here before 1995. I do disagree about hip hop being the only genre where people are name g.o.a.t with little body of work. Look at Hendrix & Cobain. It’s more so about influence then body of work. Quality over quantity.

  9. Nas is the Goat for one reason. He made an entire industry change their style, flow and substance with one album. After that album, Big and Jayz change their styles. Big pun told Nas he was the greatest and put pressure on him to say it in a feature, research it.

    • Gtfoh, i love nas but im not gone forget him TRYING to be a ganster in street dreams era, nor will i forget oochie wally nor that song with ginuwine, those things alone make him not the goat…and yea illmatic was tight but nobody bit nas style, not one person, if anything hes a biter(rakim allah my bruther)

    • I was just going to mention that, Illmatic is the upper echelon when you think of albums and honestly known to some as the best album ever! They even have a 1 hour show on tv now about Illmatic believe it or not I watched a few times, a documentary on it. Illmatic changed the game, period. Nas album redefined the rap game.

    • Street Dreams was nice, IWW was a great album as well. He had that one era where he was going downhill and yes those songs you mention sucked IMO and I was saying Nas lost it at the time….. He got it back though and kept it. Nas did not bite Rakim man be serious, if anything Ra was upset Nas came out and was a step better than he was, always seemed a bit bitter toward Nas like he stole his limelight from 94 on. Longevity and catalogue wise Nas is up there with the best.

    • A.Z. is the GOAT. On Life’s A Bitch, his verse went harder than Nas. Matter of fact every time Nas collabos with A.Z. A always outshines him.

    • Rakim is a great one but his catalogue ain’t big enough. If he would have kept it going he would be in the conversation.

    • Just like Rakim, his catalogue ain’t big enough. Both of them are still alive but bad career moves killed their momentum.

    • Nas didnt bite rakim?….you dont do an unathorized biography about someone you dont bite..thats like saying kobe didnt bite nas style.

    • Stop it…jayz mightve changed his style, but do not ever talk about big changed his style, thats almost as dumb as pac saying big stole his style..dumb shit

    • He wanted to be like Nas so bad he took it a step further and copied the concept for his album cover, a baby picture.

    • His catalogue is not better than Nas like I said and honestly AZ the GOAT? Stop it, he had a few good albums (One classic) and a few very weak to average albums. He has all the skills in the world but never really put it all together. AWOL is one of my faves of his and his first album and The Format was pretty good, Pieces of a man was okay I guess and I could listen to 9 Livez as it was pretty good. The rest of them are just ehhhh and have a few good songs, especially his last two. A outshined him a few times, listen to serious with AZ and Nas though as Nas just tears that shit to shreds! Nas got AZ on serious.

    • Everyone has someone they look up to and emulate to a certain degree but subject matter and so on? Nas is his own rapper, to say he bit Rakims style as a whole is ridiculous because Nas expanded his topics more so and talked about different things than Rakim talked about. Rakim was more into ripping mics as someone said and destroying mc’s, then later on got into the God talk and some knowledge but totally different style than Nas at times. Nas is not a biter of a style, he might have took such and such in which he grew up listening to but he came out with his own style.

    • Look, I’m not trying to shit on Nas. I’m a big Nas fan, but if were talking who’s lyrically better I got to go with A.Z. Nas did his thing on that Serious song, but I don’t feel like he outshined A.Z. if anything Nas verse was longer so it seemed like he went in more. I call that one even. On the song The Essence, I call it even again. But on Mo Money Mo Murder, Life’s A Bitch and How Ya Livin, A.Z. got him.
      Matter of fact I never seen A.Z. get slayed on a collabo track. Kool G Rap ate Nas up on that Fast Life joint. And name me a Nas song that’s lyrically better than Rather Unique. Eminem, who I don’t like, copied A.Z.’s whole style when he first started. The only Em song that I really fuck with is called Infinite. Em got busy on that song, but guess what? He bit the fuck out of A.Z.’s whole style.
      If you are saying Nas is the GOAT because of radio play and shit like that, then yeah you’re right he probably is. But for me I look at skills. And Sugar Hill, which was a lyrical masterpiece was a big radio hit. But for some reason A.Z. didn’t get anymore radio love. In this debate there is no right or wrong answer. But for me GOAT status is who’s actually the better rapper,not the biggest radio star.

    • Nas is more lyrical. Lyrical is not just the excessive utilization of polysyllabic rhymes (What AZ and Eminem did). It’s also about content. Nas is a better story teller (“Undying Love” “New York State of Mind” parts I and II). Nas is more descriptive with his lyrics, more poetic as well. His subject matter is more versatile and he is more creative with his song concepts (“Rewind”, “I Gave You Power”, “Fetus”, “Money Is My Bitch”).

    • Slick Rick and Biggie are better story tellers than Nas. But there are plenty of ABC rappers that tell decent stories,e.g. Tupac, Scarface, etc. So that is not a major skill that’s required of Goat status. Since were getting specific here, the fact that Nas mispronounces words also deducts points in my view. I love his Ain’t Hard To Tell joint, but everytime I listen to it, I have to ask myself what the hell is a MENESTRAL cycle? or what the fuck is MAGMATIZE? This is really nitpicking, but fuck it. Pronounce menstrual and magnatize correctly.
      I will give Nas the edge in creativity and concepts. But weird, abstract concepts never moved me like that. I prefer my shit more authentic, reality based, which is why I never liked Sci/Fi movies. Nas on Memory Lane, New York State of Mind, The World is Yours, etc can hang with A.Z.. but Nas has plenty of songs that he got really lazy on lyrically. That’s the same reason I have to exclude Jay-Z. Reasonable Doubt is a lyrical masterpiece, double entendres and all. But Jay got lazy after that and admitted that he dumbed down his lyrics for the masses. A.Z. always brings it lyrically.
      Who is the GOAT debates are always subjective because there are no clear cut winners. I mean you can make a strong case for A.Z., Nas, Biggie, Tupac, Jay-Z, Rakim, Black Thought, Big Pun, Big L, G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, KRS, LL Cool J, etc. It all depends on what you value the most. Is it record sales, stage presence, storytelling, freestyle ability, realness, etc.? Since were speaking of rappers, whose primary purpose is to put words together, I’m still sticking with word for word A.Z. is the best. I have yet to hear better verses than A.Z.’s on Life’s A Bitch, Sugar Hill or Rather Unique. Nas Memory Lane and Jay Z’s Dead Presidents are up there. But A.Z. at his best is a slightly better version of Rakim in my opinion.

    • I gave you power as the other guy said, NY State Of Mind is up there as well. Nas has some lyrical masterpieces, can’t deny that. I thin Nas is better overall than AZ, has the better albums from top to bottom and that is huge to me. AZ is hit or miss on the album front, one album is good the next one or two are just very forgettable. Did you like AZ’s last two albums he put out a few years back? GOD and the other one he seemed just to throw out? Both of those albums were VERY forgettable. Fif even said that in a song if I throw out bullshit albums every few years like AZ or some shit, AZ got upset about that but that is how most fans of his think when it comes to his album. AZ is a great lyricist and definitely one of my favorites but he is not overall better than Nas IMO, no way. I hav no idea how AZ didn’t get more radio love BTW, he could make songs for the club, streets and so on as good as Jay Z and he is definitely one of the most slept on rappers ever, I agree there. We agree there is no right or wrong answer, it’s all your opinion or mine and that is what it boils down to honestly.

    • AZ catalog ain’t big enough???? AZ has like 7 albums. lol. He just drops stuff on the underground level.

    • Stop it…nas is way more of a biter of Rakim than jay-z could have ever been of Nas.

    • Ohhh he cooied a baby pic..so what..big blew up waaay harder than Nas, commerically wasn’t even comparing..both are great..but big was and will always be more versatile…check big double lp and ghen check Nas double lp..and see which one was better…oh you prolly forgot nas had a double cd right

    • Okay then Jay bit Bigs style in ways moreso, we can go that route too since we are talking biting. Who mentioned Jay Z up there? Jay has taken so many verses and used them from others and chorus etc., so he is a biter too I guess. I didn’t even mention Jay Z but since you had to bring him up.

    • I agree Nas doublt LP was very subpar, one of his worst overall albums IMO and only a handful or so good songs on it, that is the truth. If we go first two albums you got Illmatic and IWW though, you can put those two up against most peoples first two albums and they stand very strong. Bigs first two were nice as well, RTD was a classic and LAD had some great songs on both discs, very solid start to a career that got cut short. Big did blow up more from the party hits etc., nobody can deny that part. Nas had more of a huge underground following from Illmatic, he blew on his second LP obviously.

    • Jay is the most succesful rapper ever..he said big verses to keep his name alive idiot..say what you want, in my opinion, illmatic is great but cannot fuck with reasonable doubt..i think big is better than jay-z but reasonable doubt will always be the greatest show of lyricsm to me. Hands down that boy spit so many long verses and similes and metaphors hat were just so uncommmon and unfuckwittable..how the fuck can a nigga ever say he cooied nas or big..neither one of them did ehat jay did on reasonable doubt..so kill that noise

    • And his 2nd lp had hos underground fans very upset, y bc he went straight COMMERCIAL in an attempt to blow up bigger than who? BIG…words from him and steve stoute.

    • Straight commercial? IWW had some real shit on it man, that had it’s radio hits yes I know from Street Dreams to the single (Which was a banger btw), but it had some great songs on it as well and gritty street shit as well. Funny later on some liked IWW better than Illmatic, not me necessarily but some later on looked back and said that was a very good album and it was. I remember some might have hated then but it was received well by alot of hip hop fans, album got alot of play in 96.

    • Yeah sure, he bit more than Bigs rhymes, he used Snoops Chorus for his song and Camron did a ten minute song of him biting verses or a chorus and flipping it around, I still remember that well. He used alot of other peoples rhymes and changed them a little. I disagree on RD >> Illmatic as well, no way. You sound like a Jay fan pretending to like Nas somewhat? You say you love Nas and yet you bring Jay Z into a convo here when he was not even mentioned first and compared them, saying Nas bit Rakim alot more than Jay Z when nobody mentioned Jay at all before that. This was BIG and Nas, why bring Jay into it? You seem to have resentment towards Nas and it stems back to that beef. LOL none of them did what Jay did on RD, okay Ready To Die and Illmatic lyrical masterpieces but they didn’t do what Jay did. You kill that Noise, get off Jays….. Good lord you bring Jay into a convo where he was not even mentioned by me while quoting me then say he is better than Big and Nas on their debuts which is false.

    • Boy gtfoh..big nas jay all legends..jay aint bite no better..like i said, reasonable doubt is the most lyrically complex and coded album by a rapper..cant be matched..i own every nas album, every jay album and every big album..so i can comment on all bc i have dissected every verse, every hook, every song..im not someone who talks for nothing.

    • Thats your opinion no Reasonable Doubt, not a fact by any means. I agree they are all legends so lets leave that part be there, if you like Jay better cool so be it. Illmatic to me lyrically is insane, the blueprint of hip hop IMO if you sit down and listen to it, they even have a documentary on tv about it! That album is known to some as the best rap album ever, not IMO but some think that. I have listened to them all as well and own most of them, so I can comment on it too and in the end it’s just my opinion. You can talk all you want on it man but honestly it’s your opinion, if I don’t agree I don’t and not all will agree with you. I like them all, big fans of them but Nas is my fave out of the three. If I were to pick an album out like you did Jays I would go with Gza Liquid Swords as the most complex lyrically and just an incredible album, that is probably my fave and it’s not even between the three we mentioned. The way he spit over those Rza dark beats was insane, painted a picture.

    • Ndeed…you probably never hustled so thats why you dont feel that rd like i do..and thats understandable..96 was a year of music that just was great and to ME, nothing can touch the long complicated, coded, metaphorically great verses without hardly any hooks of rd…what song on illmatic can touch dead presidents or d’evils.

    • Once again it’s all opinion but NY State of Mind and Represent come to mind, Nas killed those. You like that album better and I like Illmatic better, the way Nas just came out throwing dart after dart on taht album is crazy IMO, one of the best albums ever (Some have it top). RD is nice though, great album and I know what you are talking about on the way Jay spit then, he had his own style and dude was way nicer than he is now IMO. I miss that old Jay at times, before he really blew. I like the little amount of hooks as well, I will give you that. Nas hooks mainly on his album came from samples and scratching from Primo etc. though, that made is nice IMO. Hook game used to be alot better.

    • Oh please, it is clear we are not going to agree here on this subject so it’s best we just settle it and say it is our opinion and keep it moving. Ny State Of Mind is crazy, just the first few bars man. Dude killed that. I disagree with you on this subject and it’s opinion though so no need to go back and forth arguing everyday on it when we will never agree with each other. You can’t change my opinion and I won’t change yours, peace.

    • lifes a bitch, NY state of mind, the world is yours, i mean thats a quarter of the album right there

  10. 2pac has more albums dead than Pusha T and BIG put together…………….and junior mafia & all of Kim’s albums PUT TOGETHER………..FOH

    • Nigga please, every thing 2 pac did was quality music don’t front …….2pac gave B.I.G way to much publicity & Attention with his war of words which is way people consider Big to be pac rival or his equal…..That’s pac Fault…….ain’t nobody fuckn with pac !! He gave his life for it THE MAN PREDICTED HIS OWN DEATH…………I respect you’re opinion (I do) but the work Tupac has done DEAD make him a legend beyond anyone else in my eyes dead or alive.

    • Tupac was a loudmouth and a dry snitch…he had good songs, he also had a lot of skips moments…he was very repititive…overall…tupac might have spit some real shit, but as far as a rapper, lyrics, storytelling, he couldnt fuck with big on his day off…and i own every tupac and biggie album, spent countless nights dissecting every lyric, every beat, every drum snare, guitar riff..shall i go on…hands down, tupac could not fuck wit big.

    • Obviously, you are an idiot who overdoses off syrup and prolly bcame a thug bc u seen pac with a rag on his head…pac was great but will neva b better than big. I said he was the greatest after his first.. Unfuckingtouchable

    • Bs , you just talking shit just to swallow spit chewing on air . People still think pac alive people won’t let him go unfortunately nobody lookn for BIG , why?…..Im sure u played them two albums out already be on the lookout for that new pac album

    • Boy stop…ppl and you included are idiots..and good music never gets played out..you prolly a dumb nigga that couldnt understand what big rapped about…small minded dumb ass regular nigga. Go get some pussy and stop responding lil buddy.

    • Rakim was a great wordsmith with tight rhymes but his subject matter was sorely lacking for a long time. He takes an L in the subject matter department.

    • How did he make Biggie change his style? Biggie flow prior to Illmatic and post Illmatic on Ready To Die isn’t too different. Listen to Party & Bullshit (pre Illmatic) and Gimme The Loot (post Illmatic) what’s the difference? I love Nas music just like yall but yall giving dude way too much credit

    • Where did I say Nas made Biggie change his style? You replied to the wrong comment bruh! lol

    • Rakim had three solo albums, a compilation album and four studio albums with eric b. How is that not enough music?

    • I guess rapping about knowledge of self, politics, and having a social consciousness means “lacking in subject matter” in an era of rapping about poppin molly’s, buying Picassos, and having a love for the coco.

    • Nah not at all. Nas rapped about all those things but was much more versatile. Rakim’s first two or three albums with Eric B were mostly about how ill he was on the mic and how he ripped mics and performed acrobatics with the pen and all that. Definitely tight, but the subject matter was limited. He touched on politics? Where and when? Provide the name of the song. He definitely spoke on being conscious and knowledge of self, but he didn’t have a lot of stories and wasn’t as versatile. Facts bro.

  11. Im tired of these niggaz running around talking about Big was the best rapper… and Pac wasnt either, fuck outta here with that shit too…. Big was great no doubt, top 5? No… Big lacked the vercitlity as a rapper… everybody talks about guns pussy and drugs, he just said better than everybody else… he had a great flow, but u cant be the greatest after two albums… it takes yrs to be considered the greatest in anything. Ali, Jordan, Woods, Gretzky, anybody else didnt play two seasons, or had two fights nor 2 rounds of golf and became the greatest of all time… fuck that opinion shit, thats a fact…
    Especially if u have dudes like Rakim, Kane, G Rap, KRS 1, Nas running around… dudes who had more than two albums and were waaaay more versitile in what they spoke about than Big…

    • Nigga please…hands down bi was it..tupac was the realest rapper..when it came to storytelling and rap skils bi was it. I love rakim, all due respect, but bi wid have ripped him one..the end, period..when u sit bk and disect the bars on life after death, if you are not def!, then as u cud see like maybe the higher ups cud see ” its about more than just , weed guns bitches money and alcohol…..and versatile? Nas, krs, rakim never could have a club joint, knowlegdge joint and street joint…see BIG (one more chance, real niggaz, nobody)

    • Nas can do it all man. I would have picked NAS personally as the best to do it as longevity and body of work. BI rip Rakim a new one? I don’t know about all of that man but Biggie was nice as hell. BIG could not drop knowledge like Nas since you mention that on there, Nas was and is one ahead of big in that category but the club joint you are right Big could do that better but that is not really Nas route although Oochie Wally was pretty damn big and got spins.

    • Word for word, A.Z. outshines Nas on every track they did together. A.Z.’s verse on Life’s A Bitch might be the greatest verse ever.

    • Dude…if you can’t spell versatility, you probably shouldn’t comment on a rapper lacking it.

    • As much as I love Nas and he’s a legend, let us not forget he has put out some trash albums. Untitled, Hip Hop Is Dead, & Nastradamus are not good at all.

    • AZ did outshine Nas on a few songs, great duo together. Nas verse was nice as well though so lets not sleep there. AZ though album for album with Nas? Forget it! He has too much filler to be on Nas level as far as a catalogue goes, his are hit or miss on that end.

    • I agree I did not like Nastradamus at all and Untitled was okay. I liked hip hop is dead though, never got the hate on it as it had some really good songs on the album IMO. He has had some bad albums though I admit. Nas last album was a a banger though! He is inconsistent but his great go good albums are very nice. I didn’t like Streets Disciple that much sides a few songs, it could have been narrowed down to one disc and been fine. Illmatic, IWW, Life Is Good, Stillmatic, Gods son and Lost Tapes are good though, I AM was also pretty good.

    • It’s influence too. How your catalog touched the people. How many lines have been taken from those two albums???? People have used his beats etc. Slick Rick has ONE classic album but name one legend that he hasn’t influenced. It’s all based on opinion anyway. You can’t tell someone they are wrong when it comes to who they think the g.o.a.t. is. All you can do is disagree.

    • Biggie never “dropped knowledge”, just party joints.  And that’s all he was good at, or and story telling, too.  But hie story-telling couldn’t fuck with Nas’.

    • think you gave way to just how great he was  with only 2 albums of work to his credit, the quality was on another level. 

  12. Can’t be mad at Pusha on this but Pusha must never listen to illmatic over and over again. Biggie’s flow was Nas’s flow. Biggie could have been the greatest ever but life and career was so short lived so I can’t crown him. I to love Biggie and I to listen to all of his music daily as well as Nas. To me, it will always be Nas because he made these guys change their flow and rhyming schemes to tell a story when rapping. I know how Pusha feel but again Biggie did not live long enough to be called the greatest on just a couple of albums. I will stamp Nas on that title! Nas is a lyrical gold and no other rapper have even come close to him besides Biggie. Crown Nas!

    R.I.P Biggie and One Love!

  13. Nas, Ice Cube & Pac embodies the art. Other cats just have attributes that they thrive in. Rakim was lyrical but he didn’t move anyone to do anything outside of rap. Big gets the credit he gets because of the beef between him and Pac and him stepping in at a time when East Coast music was pretty much on life support. Nas, Cube,& Pac are on the mount rushmore of rap. They can do what all of your favorite rappers can do and then some.

    • Give it a break…big blew waaaaay up waaay before any so called beef..you speakin on it and u prolly werent even born yet

  14. I always ask myself the following questions: Why is it that Big and Tupac are declared as the two best rappers ever just because they died prematurely? Why isn’t someone like Rakim given that title? It’s as if most people have been brainwashed to think Biggie and Pac had no equals which bothers me. Besides, hip hop is the only genre of music where someone can be named the greatest after that little body of work.

    • I think people forget about Krs. Rakim, Kane etc. I agree with you in that regard. People act like hip hop wasn’t here before 1995. I do disagree about hip hop being the only genre where people are name g.o.a.t with little body of work. Look at Hendrix & Cobain. It’s more so about influence then body of work. Quality over quantity.

  15. Can’t be mad at Pusha on this but Pusha must never listen to illmatic over and over again in 94. People were running out the barber chairs when illmatic drop. I was in NY one week and the following week Va. Everyone was blasting illmatic! It was historic! Biggie’s flow was Nas’s flow. Biggie could have been the greatest ever but life and career was so short lived so I can’t crown him. I to love Biggie and I to listen to all of his music daily as well as Nas. To me, it will always be Nas because he made these guys change their flow and rhyming schemes to tell a story when rapping. I know how Pusha feel but again Biggie did not live long enough to be called the greatest on just a couple of albums. I will stamp Nas on that title! Nas is a lyrical gold and no other rapper have even come close to him besides Biggie. Crown Nas!

    R.I.P Biggie and One Love!

  16. This whole conversation and debate is based on opinion. You can say B.I.G., Krs, Rakim, Jay, Pac, Cube, Scarface etc. Some will say Pun and Big L. Nas. It’s all a matter of opinion. Just like the greatest athletes.

  17. top rapper is subject to opinon … to me my top five is
    1.tupac
    2.dmx
    3.50cent
    4.scarface
    5. biggie

    it all depends on what kind of music u like to hear.

  18. This whole conversation and debate is based on opinion. You can say B.I.G., Krs, Rakim, Jay, Pac, Cube, Scarface etc. Some will say Pun and Big L. Nas. It’s all a matter of opinion. Just like the greatest athletes.

  19. top rapper is subject to opinon … to me my top five is
    1.tupac
    2.dmx
    3.50cent
    4.scarface
    5. biggie

    it all depends on what kind of music u like to hear.

Big Sean Shines Light On His “Dark Sky Paradise” LP, Reveals Cover & Tracklisting

Guess Who’s Almost Bizzack: Bobby Shmurda Posts $2 Million Bail