Nas compared to Hakeem Olajuwon
Impact:
Nas and Hakeem’s careers are similar when considering their impact. Both had two defining years when they were the best in their respective field. Nas’ moments came in 1994 with the release of Illmatic and in 2001 with the release of Stillmatic. While Illmatic could be considered the best rap album in history, Stillmatic brought Nas back to the forefront with the Jay-Z diss, “Ether.” Hakeem’s moments came in 1994 and 1995 when he led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back titles. With Jordan playing baseball, Hakeem was the best player in the NBA those two years. And NBA enthusiasts know that Hakeem was selected in the 1984 NBA Draft two picks before Jordan. In Nas’ case, he released Illmatic two years before Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt and was more celebrated during the mid-’90s. But similar to how Hakeem is often overshadowed by Jordan, Nas is overshadowed by Jay-Z when it comes to overall impact in rap.
Skills:
If Nas’ words were read instead of rapped, he would be considered one of the greatest poets in American history. He can outshine any rapper, including Jay-Z, when it comes to lyrics and storytelling. Nas’ biggest fault is that he is often lazy and seems uninspired at times. He also has a history of selecting subpar beats that can cause the passive hip-hop listener to tune his words out. But when Nas is motivated, no one is better.
