Aye allow me to show some respect and admiration for one of my favorite rappers. Nas, aka Escobar, aka God's Son is arguably NY's best rapper and well, maybe the best rapper period.
First a trip down memory lane. I had heard some of Nas' songs before, namely just Hate Me Now and Oochie Wally Wally. I didnt think much of him in 2001. Things quickly changed in 2002 when i heard Stillmatic. I was hooked. What impressed me the most about him is his music had a message and he was a dope lyricist.
Of course i knew about the beef with my favorite rapper at the time Jay-z. Like i said, there was a time when all i had really heard was the aforementioned singles and One Mic and Got Yourself A.....but after hearing Lost Tapes and God's Son, then Illmatic, I became a big Nas fan.
As far as beef goes, Jay-z got Ethered on Ether! I mean Takeover was a dope diss record, but Ether was eerily destructive. In the scope of the rap world only Jay-z can really be compared career wise to Nas. Skill wise though i think you've got to consider Eminem and Kanye as well.
Nas isnt afraid of controversy. He named his 2008 outing N***er but due to pressure he changed it to Untitled or just Nas. The album was really fresh and i loved it. Maybe even more than 2006's Hip Hop is Dead.
Well i'm not really sure where to put Nas on a list of all time favorite rappers. He's got nothing left to prove. I really think he'll drop another classic on us before all is said and done.