In hip-hop, rappers love bragging rights to prove their the best artist around, especially when it comes to lyricism. So it's not uncommon to see rappers boast about how good they are with spitting rhymes. However, some MCs are so confident in their lyrical skills that they've bragged about being a better rapper than others in the game.
Most recently, Lupe Fiasco and Kendrick Lamar were at the center of a major hip-hop debate as a result of a rap fan Twitter account posing the question about which of the two rappers is a better lyricist. The tweet, published in September of this year, went viral, causing fellow rappers, hip-hop fans, bloggers and radio personalities to join in the discussion. Lupe had quite a bit to get off his chest about the subject, including that he was indeed the superior lyricist.
Back in 2006, at the height of his illustrious career, Lil Wayne boldly proclaimed that he's a better rapper than Jay-Z after taking issue with Hov rapping about being "hip-hop's savior" on "Kingdom Come." Weezy boasted, "I'm better than him," referring to Jay. Arguably, Wayne may be correct in his assessment but some people might think he's off the mark with his comment. Nevertheless, it seems that Weezy is proud of his accomplishments in rap.
Some rappers have even boasted that they're better than deceased artists. Before Kodak Black found himself in legal trouble in 2019, he raised eyebrows when he boldly claimed that he was a better rapper than the late Tupac Shakur and even The Notorious B.I.G.. "People try to say I can't put myself in a category with Tupac and them, actually I'm better than them. You know why? ’Cause I live what I rap about," he explained while on Instagram Live in March of 2019. "[They] just legends ’cause they died. I really live what I rap about."
As far as Lil Yachty, the percentage of how much of a better rapper he actually is in comparison to the new generation has increased over the years. In 2018, it was 75 percent. "Real underdog bruh, I can prolly out rap 75% of the new generation but niggas sleep on me. Plus i ain’t got nothing to prove brother," he tweeted in response to Smokepurpp's praise that Yachty was underrated artist. This year, Lil Boat upped the number by 21 percent.
While artists from both the old and new school making these confident remarks about being better than another rapper are up for debate, you can't be mad if they believe in their lyrical abilities. So XXL highlights the rappers who have claimed such a thing and have gone so far as to name names—no subliminals here. Are they right or do their claims fall flat? You be the judge.
These Rappers Claim They're Better Than Another Artist, You Be the Judge