my man kerel linked me to this editorial from defsounds.com. i’m swagger jacking the entire thing, but i give props where props are due. cool article, but i can’t co-sign everything in it. let me know how you feel. shout out to this guy for writing it.
Nas & Jay-Z have been spoken about, compared to, and pit against each other in almost every conceivable way imaginable. However, little has been said about their fanbases.I’ll do my best to explain this as clearly as possible. I’ve been stewing on this for quite some time now, observing, and asking questions everywhere I go, and to various people I meet, and I have come to a semi conclusion on my original hypothesis. The theory is as follows:
Jay-Z fans and Nas fans follow two primarily different paths in life, one hungering for the limelight and riches, while one takes a more conservative, non materialistic approach to living. Simply saying, does the average Jay-Z fan desire a little more out of life than the average Nas fan? Before you start your rants, hear me out, you just may learn something about yourself.
Jay-Z and Nas, by all accounts, are two completely different people. While Jay has been straight-forward since 1996, aiming for the good life, women, business, and wealth, Nas on the other hand has primarily gone the conscious route, not necessarily advocating the finer things, and emphasizing a more conservative, righteous lifestyle. This leads me to believe that their fans coincide with this, and with all of my research this has generally proved to be correct.
Jay-Z fans listen to him because he signifies their goal in life- a wealthy businessman/woman from the ground up. They are motivated by his words, and his persistence, along with his arrogance, and “Fuck you, Pay me” persona. Nas may interest them as an artist, but he is far from someone whose life model they would follow. Most would view the life that the other side lives a failure.
On the flip side of the coin, Nas fans latch onto him because he is, well, everything Jay-Z is not, from a different perspective. The atypical Nas fan nearly opposes most materialism, and usually hungers for the knowledge that he expresses in his music. They are not caught up with trying to be rich and famous, they don’t care about the hot car of the moment, and the like. The simple things in life are the most important to this person, and they feel they have lived a successful life by doing this.
Which leads me to ask- What exactly defines “Success”? Is it a definite, clear-cut institution, or is it in the eye of the beholder? Is it adding massive funds to your bank account, and standing atop the social stratosphere, or is it the man with a great job, a wife, and a healthy family? Meaning, is it the Jay-Z fan, with the hot girl, and the Range Rover, or the Nas fan, in the less expensive vehicle, with the love of his life?
Just to remind you, I do not intend to create some type of Jay-Z Vs Nas debate here, because this has very little to do with them as artists, and more to do with our connection to them. This is also not me calling Nas fans “inferior” and Jay fans “superior”. This is me doing a general sweep of the goals/mindsets of them.
Take a good look at your life, and see where you fall into this theory. There are always exceptions, but if you’re able to be objective, you just might agree with what I’ve said.
wiz khalifa - star power. best trunk music. ever.
the native soul - an evolution. it's $ulaiman of blind i. rapping!
christian rich - the decay mixtape [think electrorock meets hip hop and dates it for a bit.]
the paxtons - members only. chi-town/dc-bred dudes. nice rhymes, crazy beats.
evidence - the layover mixtape. this joint is CRAZY.
crucial mix by PFOP's lo. love songs and such!
if coldplay and jay-z made a album, it'd sound like this.
GLC - i ain't even yet: the mixtape. kanye's G.O.O.D. music artist's latest offering.
dandiggity's eclecticuts vol. 2. assortment of eclectic cuts. obviously.
dj klever - flashback. CRUCIAL mix of 80's jams that you've probably never heard before.
g*two - one man army. newest talent out the DMV. he's nice.
nah this is bananas
This is also not me calling Nas fans “inferior” and Jay fans “superior”. This is me doing a general sweep of the goals/mindsets of them.
How can you give this qualifier after saying the EXACT thing in the first place.
Too many are caught up in what Nas/Jay Z appears to represent and dont listen to what they are actually saying. the “conscious” rapper Nas also wrote Virgo and Oochie wallie- 2 of the most mysogynistic rap songs out there. Jay Z wrote Ignorant shit which addresses modern day thoughts as much as any nas song.
wait, i’m confused brotherman…….are you co-signing or not? it’s not clear by what you wrote……
I remember reading this article and thinking that it was a tough azz article at first, then I realized that it was full of bullshit. To compare Jay-Z fans to Nas fans is like comparing ass and tits on a fine ass chick. Most people like both parts and most of the times for the wrong reasons. To say one is more of a “conscious” rapper then the other continues to show how current rap listeners still do not really listen to the song but rather the music. A true fan or either (and most of the time they share many common fans) would spit lines for days that would show you both sides of the fence. Being a TRUE fan of both incredible artist, its hard to say I fit either type of fan the writer created. Most of the people that I know that love Jay, love him for how he can slip his political and personal stuff in his lyrics but yet not try to beat you over the head with it. And the Nas people I know love him for his boldness to rap about what he believes in.
Nas was the first one to say “I’m out for dead presidents to represent me”. Jay told yall “he made it a hot line, I made it a hot song”… So you be the judge. At the end of the day both guys got into the rap game to get fame, money, and everything else that comes with that lifestyle, including the WOMEN…..
This article is completely ridiculous. I’m completely ambitionless and have no interest in business. I love so-called conscious rap, if conscious simply means intelligent. However I like Jay-Z better than Nas because Jay-Z is simply the better rapper.
Jay Z and Nas both have such a broad fan base that I think it’s difficult to really classify a typical Jay Z and Nas fan. I think they’re successful because they both have the unique opportunity to influence thousands of people internationally with their music, style and swag. Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway?
As different as they may seem, I think they share many similarities, more than people tend to realize. The majorities of Jay Z’s lyrics appear to make him more concerned about money cars and clothes in contrast to Nas who has opted for a less flashy more conservative lifestyle. Still, both rappers have gained a great nearly equal amount of respect in their individual careers. And each of them is currently married to one of two of the hottest chicks in the game, even though I have to say I think Nas’ better half is supremely superior to Jay Z’s (I love you Kelis!).
They obviously have different values, but I don’t think they appeal to specific types of fans. If they didn’t appeal to a wide range different kinds of people, and didn’t have a lot of the same fanbase I don’t think that we’d be able to truly classify them as successful.
I’m a Jay Z and a Nas fan, neither more so than the other. I feel like the only major difference is that I can count on hearing Jay’s stuff on the radio. I’m a fanatic for Kelis, the chick who comes out with songs like the girl version of the Whisper Song and Let’s Get It on in Public. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to have equally as many Beyonce jam sessions. Different artists, different music doesn’t necessarily mean a different kind of fan.
LOL people are shitting all over this article.
and jay-z > nas. it’s official. i’ve decided. bromwich, i’m co-signing. and yea, SMee, rice rocket called you out. you better pick a side, cuz it sounds a bit like you’re switch siding (no rodman).
and honestly, i don’t know. kelis is definitely flyer, but beyonce is just beyonce. i feel like she’d be chill as shit if i took her out on a date, and kelis would be like fucking bossy and shit. she’d be mad if i put butter on my popcorn, or she wouldn’t like me if i she knew i was suburban bred as opposed to her downtown upbringing. see the kinds of things i think about?
nah modi I think he called YOU out, you havent addressed the article. I like both equally but I own more Jay-Z albums and think he is much more consistant. I expect “untitled” by nas to be good though because half of it has leaked already.
rice rocket! where are you!? who were u calling out!? let me know!
Both of them got around the way girls the blew up. Beyonce is the one who is cool as fuck and can do for herself but still like that her man can do more for her. Kelis is the one that knows she looks good and is gonna be bossy about it……
hmm….
both of their music is solid. kelis and pharrell need to re-link so they can make babies who make music as essential as theirs. deep? maybe.