In a story titled “A case for Nas, hip-hop’s finest MC” the news outlet defends its stance that the man born Nasir Jones is ”the greatest lyricist of all time.”
The story cites Nas’ longevity, he turns 40 next summer—and the the
gift of rhyme, of course—as one of the main reasons for the lofty
praise, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
With “Life is Good,” Nas dropped his ninth No. 1 hip-hop album since 1994. Seven of those have gone platinum, which places him second among rappers only to Jay-Z with 11. (We’re not counting compilations or collaborations here, only original solo efforts, and yes, Tupac Shakur had nine, but five were posthumous releases.)
It also ties Nas with Snoop Dogg or Snoop Lion or whatever his name is, and it puts the Queens native one plaque ahead of Eminem, Too Short, OutKast and LL Cool J, all of whom belong in the greatest-ever discussion, as well.
As for the inevitable, “What about Tupac and Biggie?” question, Nas
acknowledge the greatness of the late rap icons. “I just think Biggie
