The rapper will.i.am thinks is a “a trillion times better” than Jay-Z: “What he’s capable of”
Jay-Z is often considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. A billionaire, the Brooklyn rapper has one of the most established hip-hop catalogues, positioning himself among the best-selling artists in music history. Although his lyrical ability is undisputed, will.i.am believes there are many rappers with a better skillset than him.
The Black Eyed Peas frontman may be known for more pop and electronic records in his later years, but his career started firmly rooted in hip-hop. Before Elephunk, his group’s first two albums, Behind the Front and Bridging the Gap, were rap-focused, with his solo albums Lost Change and Must B 21 also following that route. He’s also produced for everyone from Kanye West to The Game to Nas.
His contribution to the genre gives him enough reason to have a worthy opinion, no matter how bold. During an appearance on Sway in the Morning, will.i.am once revealed that he thinks The Roots rapper Black Thought is a better MC than Jay-Z. He went on to praise the Philly rapper for consistently delivering mind-blowing rhymes.
“Black Thought is a trillion times better than Jay-Z,” he said. “Seeing Black Thought, what he’s capable of just off-the-top — and yeah, Jay’s off-the-top is dope too — and Jay’s dope, don’t get me wrong, but Jay has already said everything that. He’s just regurgitating everything he’s already said. When everything that Black Thought comes up with is like, ‘Wait, I never heard that one. Wow, you split that word up like that?’ And that’s just my personal preference — that’s just me.”
The Los Angeles rapper also revealed his top five rappers of all time, while naming a lesser-known MC as one of his favourites. “Now there’s a lot of people that’ll be like, ‘What the fuck you know about hip-hop, will.i.am?’ I don’t give a fuck what you think,” he said. “I just think know what I think.
“In my head? Top five MCs is always Biggie, Tupac [Shakur], Nas, Jay. I’m like, KRS[-One], Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Nas, Black Thought. Pharoahe Monch is another one, ‘What is that cadence?’ And yes, Jay-Z’s awesome, I’m not taking away from his brilliance. I just don’t think he’s better than Black Thought.”
The LOX rapper Jadakiss responded to will.i.am’s comments by dismissing his claims, using an example of Coldplay and The Black Eyed Peas to back up his point. “You’re never going to hear a rapper say fucking Coldplay is a million times better than The Black Eyed Peas,” he told The Art of Dialogue. “They put that out there, and that’s the reason that hip-hop is hanging on a string.
“They’re fucking making everybody go against each other for no reason. Just for small talk and clicks and to get the most traffic to your thing. If that’s how he feels, fuck it. That’s how he feels. You can Google, ChatGPT, whatever the fuck you want. You’re not going to find Hov or Black Thought nowhere saying, ‘The Backstreet Boys are a trillion times better than *NSYNC.”