re: Who's more of a rap legend? Nas or Eminem?

There's always going to be a backlash against Eminem because he got so damn popular and was a major crossover success. Just shows hip hop fans are just as provincial as indie rock fans.

I love both, but I do think Nas had a greater peak. Illmatic is a classic album and one of the greatest debut albums by any artist in any genre. But the knock on Nas is that he never quite lived up to that brilliant debut. He's had some moments (I personally love Hip Hop is Dead), but his career has been one of a long, slow decline. And it seems silly to knock Em for crossover success when Nas made a blatant attempt at popular success on It Was Written (which is a good album, but let's not pretend he wasn't trying to get on MTV).

I think Em gave some credibility to the horrorcore genre and he's got a foot in the tradition of somewhat goofy shock lyrics dating back to rock bands like the Cramps or the Misfits (though obviously completely stylistically different). But Em really shines in the way he crafted a persona (Slim Shady) and kept deconstructing it in public view. He's kind of a master at that. The pairing of the Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers LP's is kind of great.

At the end of the day, I fell Eminem is a bit more unique. His phrasing just isn't going to be copied by anybody. Nas was just a really great rapper who once ruled NYC. Yeah, so did Kurtis Blow. Or KRS-One. Why is he different? (NOTE: All three are awesome and legends in their own right).

I'm not comfortable tearing either of them down, I just think Em's a bit greater. But both have a pretty secure legacy.