02-13-2003, 03:28 PM
I don't think there is one
Yes Biggie was amazing (even if I find him terriblly overrated, if he hadn't died he wouldn't be half as famous as he is now)
But you can't forget Pac, he could be the pinnacle, he wrote what is considered the quintessential battle song, all others are measured against Hit Em Up, because it wasn't written for fun, it was a man destroying another man with his lyrics, but Pac could just as easily flip the switch and write a song dedicated to his mother, or a song about the hardships of growing up in his neighborhood, but then go right into fucking bitches and hoes.
But you can't forget Nas either, yes Biggie and Pac influenced most of the rappers today, but Illmatic took what Biggie was doing to a whole different level, it made lyrics even more important, you couldn't just write a killer hook, you had to come with metaphors, similies, you had to flip up your flow, you had to be able to know more than 10 words.
You can go on and on, I don't think there is a pinnacle of rap, because the next generation keeps improving what the previous generation did, Run DMC changed the game by coming from the streets, they were'nt flashy disco leftovers who rapped, they came from the streets, they dressed like people from the streets, but compared to today, their lyrics can't really compare to say Nas or Canibus or Eminem.
That's why Rap hasn't died out like so many people predicted it would, it kept improving upon itself, which is why I say there is no pinnacle.
Yes Biggie was amazing (even if I find him terriblly overrated, if he hadn't died he wouldn't be half as famous as he is now)
But you can't forget Pac, he could be the pinnacle, he wrote what is considered the quintessential battle song, all others are measured against Hit Em Up, because it wasn't written for fun, it was a man destroying another man with his lyrics, but Pac could just as easily flip the switch and write a song dedicated to his mother, or a song about the hardships of growing up in his neighborhood, but then go right into fucking bitches and hoes.
But you can't forget Nas either, yes Biggie and Pac influenced most of the rappers today, but Illmatic took what Biggie was doing to a whole different level, it made lyrics even more important, you couldn't just write a killer hook, you had to come with metaphors, similies, you had to flip up your flow, you had to be able to know more than 10 words.
You can go on and on, I don't think there is a pinnacle of rap, because the next generation keeps improving what the previous generation did, Run DMC changed the game by coming from the streets, they were'nt flashy disco leftovers who rapped, they came from the streets, they dressed like people from the streets, but compared to today, their lyrics can't really compare to say Nas or Canibus or Eminem.
That's why Rap hasn't died out like so many people predicted it would, it kept improving upon itself, which is why I say there is no pinnacle.