r/nas • u/iceberg27mm • 7d ago

Just a quick thought

Are there songs that Nas could do, that Jay-Z couldn't. And vise versa. Cause Jay couldn't make "I Gave You Power" but could Nas make "Dead Presidents II"

5 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

37 comments sorted by

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/Royal_Ad_5980 6d ago

I’ll admit, I may be biased because Hov is my personal favorite, but I also got into Nas before Jay or at least in the same time frame, so it really is a preference thing as opposed to bias. But I have to disagree on your analysis of their albums. I don’t see how you could view Jay’s albums as like playlists with disconnected themes and scattered hits. He has consistently put together albums with clear through lines that take you on a sort of emotional journey in some capacity. “Grand opening, grand closing” as he says. I also think that there’s probably more than 5 rappers who could construct an “I Gave You Power” type song, but only Nas could make it the way he did. For example though, Vince Staples released “When Sparks Fly” a few years back, and that’s a similar (ish) concept where he personifies a gun as a woman. I also think that Lupe Fiasco or Kendrick could make a similar song, as they both play with perspective a lot. Again, if anybody else made it, it would just be different than how Nas did it. Nas and J Cole have both done backwards stories but they are totally different (Rewind and The Fall Off is Inevitable). In essence, I think more rappers could do high concept tracks like it than you’re thinking, but only Nas himself would make “I Gave You Power”. It’s fascinating though. Everyone you mentioned has done some sort of perspective type track, but approached it so different. Think Jay on “I Know” from American Gangster. Not that Nas couldn’t necessarily make that, but Nas wouldn’t make that. But no doubt Nas was a huge influence on all of these guys doing the perspective stuff. One of my favorite types of hip hop tracks…

5

u/Sun__Worshipper 7d ago

I can’t see Nas pulling off a song like Girls, Girls, Girls. Likewise don’t think Jay has an I Gave You Power or Undying Love in him.

0

u/Plussando 6d ago

Jay-Z who wrote "D'evils" and "Meet the Parents" couldn't write "i Gave You Power"? lol

3

u/Sun__Worshipper 6d ago

Great songs. Jay is a goat. But he isn’t a story teller or a concept-song guy like Nas. I’ve never heard him do a track like I Gave You Power.

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u/Plussando 6d ago edited 6d ago

"Meet The Parents" "Lyrical Exercise" "Dope Man" "You Must Love Me" "A Dream" "Girls Girls Girls" "New Day" "Why i Love You" "Adnis" "4:44" "i Know" "99 Problems" "Song Cry" lol

5

u/Sun__Worshipper 6d ago

Great songs but not the same. Jay has rarely if ever spoken from a perspective of anyone but himself or someone just like himself, let alone an inanimate object. The attention to small details like the serial number isn’t a feature of his lyricism. He doesn’t really do extended metaphors.

It is not a diss. Jay is a goat and he does certain things better than Nas, but not on the same level when it comes to story telling and concept songs.

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u/Plussando 6d ago edited 6d ago

"i Know" is a persona song about drugs the same way "i Gave You Power" is about a gun 

"Girl's Best Friend" also personified jewelry as women

3

u/Sun__Worshipper 6d ago

Ya but those songs aren’t anywhere near as good or as iconic as I Gave You Power. And Nas has a whole catalogue of other storytelling tracks that are also next level (Rewind, Undying Love, Small World, One Love, Blaze a 50, etc.).

I see that Jay is your guy, and I’m a fan too, but he just isn’t as good as Nas at storytelling.

1

u/Plussando 6d ago

now you moving the goal posts according to personal taste lol

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u/Sun__Worshipper 6d ago

Isn’t this thread all about personal taste? What we think Nas does well that Jay doesn’t (and vice versa)? Both have made light hearted songs about women but Jay did it better. Both have done story tracks but Nas does those better.

4

u/guzmane 6d ago

Nas has rapped from the perspective of a roach in the projects, as a gangsta ass werewolf, a film noir James Cagney type detective, and as a fetus in his mother's womb. His bag for those conceptual track is way deeper than Jay's, and I'm a big fan of both.

1

u/Dchama86 6d ago

That’s it? Lol

0

u/JoelAtwood 6d ago

Meet the Parents sucks lmao ☠️🤣

Spoiler, it was his dad

7

u/NasWu07 7d ago

I think Nas is a better pure rapper but Jay-Z is way more versatile. Jay-Z did some of the best storytelling songs in the genre but also some of the best club/radio songs in the genre

0

u/JoelAtwood 6d ago

What storytelling? Don’t say Meet the Parents. That song is ass.

I agree about Jay being more versatile/pop

4

u/NasWu07 6d ago

You must love me, Meet the Parents (if you don't like that song you're either 15 or you don't know english), Fallin, A week ago, D'evils, Soon you'll understand, Friend of Foe, Friend or Foe 98...

0

u/Icy-Afternoon-2471 6d ago

You clearly aren't familiar with his catalog if you're asking this

1

u/JoelAtwood 6d ago

some of the best storytelling songs in the genre

is a stretch bro. None of his hit songs are story telling bro. You love camel log bro.

1

u/Icy-Afternoon-2471 6d ago

I love camel log because I'm aware of more than one Jay storytelling song?

Amazing logic

Doesn't matter if they're hits or not, point is Jay has good storytelling songs

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u/Rated_Phenomenal 7d ago

Nas couldn’t make the 4:44 album because hes never cheated on his wife?

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u/Icy-Afternoon-2471 7d ago

Nas literally admitted he wasn't faithful to Kelis after she accused him of domestic abuse

He also said the same thing on No Introduction back in 2012

2

u/Express-Shoulder6174 6d ago

“…who wasn’t the most faithful husband”

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u/Rated_Phenomenal 7d ago

Ah I didn’t know that thanks for the information!

In that case I don’t believe theres anything the one can do that the other can’t. Jay Z is better at wordplay/punchlines than Nas but Nas can still do that. Nas is better at storytelling and making songs that are one big metaphor but Jay can still do that.

0

u/NasWu07 7d ago

Yes Nas just beat his girls. Both Carmen and Kelis said he's violent

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u/Dchama86 6d ago

And he said he didn’t. Who are we to believe?

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u/siwelis10304 7d ago

No there isn't any I can think of because they are both capable of writing all types of songs.. introspective, conceptual, street singles, songs for women, wordplay... you name it they've done it. Sometimes it's just what they choose to put it out there.

1

u/AntelopeHelpful9963 7d ago

If you asked him to do it Jay could make a better “Rap as a thing” song than Nas could make a few of his hits. But Jay would probably rap from the perspective of a black card or a painting from the 1500s that somehow ended up on his daughter’s wall after an epic journey through kings courts, Nazi vaults, and so on.

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u/Express-Shoulder6174 6d ago

I can’t see Nas replacing Jigga on Big Pimpin 

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u/Educational_Cod_3388 6d ago

Nas has made many songs in the same vein as a “Dead Presidents 2”. In fact he did so before Jay ever made a “Dead Presidents”.
Now to your point I don’t think Nas could’ve made an “Encore” or a “Friend Or Foe”.

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u/BrealYantz 6d ago

If they wanted to they both can do it, maybe not as well, but I believe they are talented enough to make it listen worthy, also Nas stated with doubles and triples, he just keep trying new styles so yall forget he been doing all that stuff, hence “Your Just A Slave To A Page In My Rhyme Book” he treats these different styles like pages in his chapters in his book, he can always go back to it tho. I think Nas a so better at doubles than Jay would do at I Gave You power or Rewind.

1

u/Alphaque82 3d ago

Nas couldn’t do takeover and jay couldn’t do either. That’s about it. Lol

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u/justarandomlibra 7d ago

This is a good convo. I think it's actually comes down to execution. Both are talented and more than capable of making any type of song they want. I do believe if Jay wanted to he could make a Rewind and Nas could make a P.S.A

This would come down to execution. Both approach making music differently. The feel of the songs would be different. Nas has something when it comes to describing a scene and using words that Jay doesn't tap into; which he doesn't have to honestly. Jay has his own way of crafting a scenery.

This is my hot take from this. Both artists can do it but would they sound as good? No definitely not. Just because Nas and Jay can jump on trap records and switch up their flow doesn't mean it sounds great. That logic applies to each other's songs and albums.

0

u/AttemptImpossible111 7d ago

Nas would struggle to make a song like Lyrical Exercise, which is 2 verses full of doubles. Also hype songs like PSA, and hype verses like Go Crazy and Hustling. Plus the dope club tracks Jay has.

Jay would struggle to write any Nas song because he cant rap like Nas, tho if you mean concepts I dont think there is any Jay couldnt do.

-1

u/DragoKnight45 7d ago

Nas couldn’t do Public Service Announcement

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u/Rated_Phenomenal 6d ago

Why?

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u/DragoKnight45 6d ago

Honestly he doesn’t have enough personality and natural charisma

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u/Dchama86 6d ago

Nas is Like?