Nas vs Eminem: the better lyricist?

So 2 of my favorite rappers but comparing them both lyrically, who would you say is better? Here are a few samples I posted from my favorite verses by both...not sure if its enough for a good comparison.

Eminem

See I'm a poet to some, a regular modern day Shakespeare
Jesus Christ the King of these Latter Day Saints here
To shatter the picture in which of that as they paint me
as a monger of hate and Satan a scatter-brained atheist
But that ain't the case, see it's a matter of taste
We as a people decide if Shady's as bad as they say he is
Or is he the latter - a gateway to escape?

____________

I feel like I'm walking a tight rope, without a circus net
I'm popping percocets, I'm a nervous wreck
I deserve respect; but I work a sweat for this worthless check
Bout to burst this tech, at somebody to reverse this debt
Minimum wage got my adrenaline caged
Full of venom and rage
Especially when I'm engaged
And my daughter's down to her last diaper
That's got my ass hyper
I pray that god answers, maybe I'll ask nicer

___________

This soul's escaping, through this hole that is gaping
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king, as we move toward a, new world order
A normal life is boring, but superstardom's close to post mortem
It only grows harder, homie grows hotter
He blows it's all over, these hoes is all on him
Coast to coast shows, he's know as the Globetrotter
Lonely roads, God only knows
He's grown farther from home, he's no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter

Nas

"People fear what they don't understand, hate what they can't conquer
Guess it's just the fury of man
Became a monster, on top of the world, never fallin
I'm as real as they come, from day one, forever ballin"

___________

"This rhythmatic explosion, is what your frame of mind has chosen
I'll leave your brain stimulated, ni**** is frozen
Speak with criminal slang, begin like a violin
End like Leviathan, it's deep well let me try again
Wisdom be leakin out my grapefruit troop
I dominate break loops, givin mics men-e-straul cycles
Street's disciple, I rock beats that's mega trifle"

___________

"My mic check is life or death, breathin a sniper's breath
I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through righteous steps"

____________

"So when I rhyme it's sincerely yours
Be lightin L's sippin Coors, on all floors in project halls
Contemplatin war with n***** I was cool with before
We used to score together, Uptown coppin the raw
But uhh, a thug changes, and love changes
and best friends become strangers, word up"

____________

"Pappy' Mason with pens I'm embracin
Wipe the sweat off my dome, spit the phlegm on the streets
Suede Timb's on my feets, makes my cypher, complete
Whether crusin in a six-cab, or Montero Jeep
I can't call it, the beats make me fallin asleep
I keep fallin, but never fallin six feet deep
I'm out for presidents to represent me"

So who's better lyrically?

Greatest rapper ever.

This man is from a tier above both of them

Props to Praline at TDH

Greatest rapper ever.

-Big_Red-

This man is from a tier above both of them

Props to Praline at TDH

My vote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlcaMokgQAM

And for me personally, Eminem is straight garbage.

Nas (especially early Nas) destroys Eminem lyrically.

Nas is up there with biggie.....eminem is not on his level

Nas is up there with biggie.....eminem is not on his level

GrabTheYayo

This man is from a tier above both of them

Props to Praline at TDH

coolbeans90

Cannibus is soooo underated unfortunatly dude doesn't have that star quality That em and nas have. Truth be told old eminem was better than new nas and Old nas is better than new eminem. Whats interresting is that both of them on their bad days are still head and shoulders above 90% of all rappers out there.

In summary they are equal.

Nas (especially early Nas) destroys Eminem lyrically.

JML897

Nas (especially early Nas) destroys Eminem lyrically.

JML897

Unless you have extensively listened to every song by Eminem and Nas then how can you judge either? I would bet that 90% of the people that already posted in this never listened to Infinite or Eminem's Slaughterhouse mixtapes. When Eminem was coming up no one liked him because they said he sounded too much like Nas and then he changed his style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtRbEgoTqQs

There is no clear winner in this argument but there is absolutely no way that Eminem can be dismissed with no thought. Eminem is considered one of the greatest rappers ever. When other greats are asked about their lists it is always the same; Eminem and Nas are 1 and 2 as the greatest rappers alive today. Some say Eminem is 1, some say Nas.

Music is opinion, there is no clear winner, and there can't be, opinions can't be wrong and all that.

Sorry for the double post but to the guy that said Cannibus is better then Eminem and the other guy that agreed, hahaha. I can't say that you're wrong but when Cannibus tried to get at Eminem he was completely destroyed and his career was ruined. Thats a fact

I prefer Nas though Eminem also is good. Heck that first verse that you quoted of Em shows that he can destroy a legend like Jay-Z on his own song. Now it's like Meh :?

Nas (especially early Nas) destroys Eminem lyrically.

JML897

[QUOTE="coolbeans90"]

This man is from a tier above both of them

Props to Praline at TDH

musalala

Cannibus is soooo underated unfortunatly dude doesn't have that star quality That em and nas have. Truth be told old eminem was better than new nas and Old nas is better than new eminem. Whats interresting is that both of them on their bad days are still head and shoulders above 90% of all rappers out there.

In summary they are equal.

Nas all the way.

Eminem is the Best periodEasports48

Somebody's 12 years old...

Early Nas was great. The song where he went after Jay-Z (Ether?) was brilliant.

Nas by far. Eminem use to be good now he is straight trash. Recovery is nearly un listenable :?

[QUOTE="Easports48"]Eminem is the Best periodhiggydiggy

Somebody's 12 years old...

While I don't personally like a lot of Em's songs or content I will give him props as being a great lyricist but Nas is on a whole 'nother level and has been since he came on the scene.

Just go and listen to "Live @ the BBQ" and you get a sense how amazing Nas is and mostly still is.

I'd go for eminem. But I do really like nas and listen to him abit too.

Granted I'm kindof a stan.

But Em even did Nas's style pretty dang good:

Ayo, my pen and paper cause a chain reaction
To get your brain relaxing, a zany acting maniac in action
A brainiac in fact son, you mainly lack attraction
You look insanely whack when just a fraction of my tracks spun
My rhyming skills got you climbing hills
I travel through your mind into you spine like siren drills
I'm sliming grills of roaches, with sprayed on disinfectants
Twist the necks of rappers 'til their spinal column disconnects
We disinfect then check the monologue, turn your system up
Twist them up, and indulge in the marijuana smog
This is the season for noise pollution contamination
Examination of more cartoons than animation
My lamination of narration
Hit's a snare and bass of track **** up rapper interrogation
When I declare invasion, there ain't no time to be stare and gazing
I turn the stage into a barren wasteland...
I'm Infinite

Bust it, I let the beat commence so I can beat the sense of your elite defense
I got some meat to mince, a crew to stomp and two feet to rinse
I greet the gents and ladies, I spoil loyal fans
I foil plans and leave fluids leaking like oil bands
My coil hands around this microphone are lethal
One thought in my cerebral is deeper then a Jeep full of people
MC's are feeble, I came to cause some pandemonium
Battle a band of phony MC's and stand the only one
Imitator, Intimidator, Stimulator, Simulator of data, Eliminator
There's never been a greater since the burial of Jesus

^ICutout the chorus.^

I'm not sure why everyone hates on recovery. I think it's prettygood.styls change, understand that and listen, it's still gold.

[QUOTE="higgydiggy"]

[QUOTE="Easports48"]Eminem is the Best periodkrazy-blazer

Somebody's 12 years old...

Nas (especially early Nas) destroys Eminem lyrically.

JML897

I agree with this.

reggie wins.

Sorry for the double post but to the guy that said Cannibus is better then Eminem and the other guy that agreed, hahaha. I can't say that you're wrong but when Cannibus tried to get at Eminem he was completely destroyed and his career was ruined. Thats a fact

Jph625

As a lyricist, it's not even close. Canibus straight up murders Em in terms of sheer complexity.

Both of 'em are legends. It's pointless to put one over the other.

Eminem...Though he's such a major disappointment lately. jg4xchamp

I wouldn't say that at all.

Both of 'em are legends. It's pointless to put one over the other.

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]Eminem...Though he's such a major disappointment lately. HammerSmashBass

I wouldn't say that at all.

[QUOTE="musalala"]

[QUOTE="coolbeans90"]

This man is from a tier above both of them

Props to Praline at TDH

KevinMartinOwns

Cannibus is soooo underated unfortunatly dude doesn't have that star quality That em and nas have. Truth be told old eminem was better than new nas and Old nas is better than new eminem. Whats interresting is that both of them on their bad days are still head and shoulders above 90% of all rappers out there.

In summary they are equal.

Dude the topic is about lyrics what have beats got to do with it, as far as pure lyricism Cannibus is untouched he may have sucky beats but he destroys the mic . In fact cannibus is acknowledge as the king of battle raps

Nas, go listen to Illmatic and watch your brain crumble in for not being able to comprehend the magnitude of its greatness.

Nas all day, every day.

Nas from his early days is the better lyricist to the point that an opinion can be "wrong" if one thinks Eminem is the superior lyricist. theWorthy