this is the debate thread for who is the best rap lyricist of all time.

feel free to state your oppinion but just know that if you say eminem i swear to freaking god i will argue the hell out of you.

for me Rakim is the greatest rap lyricist of all time. his rhymes and lyrics were SOOOOO good. straight up poetry, metaphors, all that good junk. amazing stuff.

Well yea eminem. Why well he is a lyrical genius. He takes things from his life and turns them into something that makes them sound good. Although I dont usually pay attention to what he says, I just like the sound. I think most rappers are talented when it comes to lyrics

I think most rappers are talented when it comes to lyrics

ya i mean writing crap that lil wayne writes isnt the easiest thing, its mindless and pointless.

the thing about eminem is that he raps but it isnt really "lyrically" genious, like he raps and rhymes but he doesnt really use any rhetorical devices or stuff like metaphors and that jazz all to often. not to say he doesnt but i mean... here just look at this link and compare this song to eminem.
set it off by big daddy kane.

or this one. let the rhythm hit em by eric b and rakim

like its almost unarguable that these are written better then any song eminem has written

best rap lyricists
(criteria: strictly on how well they wrote there lyrics, influence not included)
1.Rakim (eric b. and rakim)
2.Big Daddy Kane
3.Notorious B.I.G.
4.Andre 3000 (outkast)
5.Nas

honorable mentions go to (in no particular order)
slick rick
jay-z
kool G. rap
Mos Def
Black Thought (the roots)
KRS one (Boogie down production)
eminem
ghostface killah (wu tang clan)
posdnous (de la soul)

there are more. too im just not going to put EVERY rapper on this list lol

I like jay z I will check out the other rappers you mentioned.

It is definetaly eminem. Hear Like Toy Soldiers or We made You.

i dont know hwy you said nas i think hes pretty poor, i think eminem is the best rapper ever but definately not the best lyricist ever

i dont know hwy you said nas i think hes pretty poor, i think eminem is the best rapper ever but definately not the best lyricist ever

the words that nas writes on paper are very beautiful. i mean eminem just writes about **** hes pissed off about. nas writes about a better future and the gang violence he was prior involved in. although there was that dis song he did on jay-z called ether that was SOOOO tight lol.

i think eminem is highly over rated and most white people only like him because hes a white rapper. hes good dont get me wrong but his rhetorical devices just make you pissed off and nothing else.

Andre Nickatina, you wont regret it. Unless you hate that kind of rap haha. It's sorta gangster rap but he has some good ones.

If you want something a bit more subtle i would have to say "A Tribe Called Quest" Easily one of the best!

Stopping back in to give my props to Dr. Dre

oh god yes a tribe called quest is AMAZING i have so much respect for them