A lot of hip-hop fans almost unanimously have Jay-Z as their greatest rapper of all time. It’s an easy, safe pick, it’s unlikely to make a lot of people mad. Oftentimes, if he’s not their greatest, he’s within a top 5-10. For what it’s worth, Hov has a hefty resume to back up his claim as the greatest too. However, Will.I.Am doesn’t even have him in his personal all-time rankings. In fact, he highlights one rapper in particular that he thinks outranks him “a trillion” times over.
Recently, the Black Eyed Peas rapper and producer spoke to Sway for an hour long interview on his radio show. Towards the end, he unleashes what might be a hot topic to people: Black Thought is a better rapper than Jay-Z. Not only is he better, but he’s significantly better too. He finds Hov to be far less creative in his rapping. Conversely, he believes Black Thought can practically come up with anything off the top of his head.
Will.I.Am Believes Black Thought is a Better Rapper Than Jay-Z
“Seeing Black Thought, what he’s capable of just off the top,” the Black Eyed Peas lead says. “Don’t get me wrong, but Jay has already said everything. He’s just regurgitating what he already said. Everything that Black Thought comes up with, it’s like, ‘Wow, I never heard that one.’ A lot of people would say, ‘What the fuck do you know about hip-hop, Will.I.Am?’ I don’t give a f**k what you think.”
When it comes to his personal top 5, he lists Black Thought, Nas, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and KRS One as his definitive list. However, he knows they’re highly unlikely to ever get in a proper battle. Jay-Z is a billionaire running Roc Nation and trying to build casinos. He never has to beef with anyone ever again. Consequently, Will.I.Am offers a questionable alternative.
“I like to see them n****s battle. And if they don’t wanna battle in person, someone is going to get an AI simulator that takes all their body of work and all their concerts and flows and you’ll see exactly who’s doper,” he prompts.
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