GOAT: Nas
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Modern poetry; the stuff of legend and Langston Hughes. In the mid-1990's, rap had made its way into the mainstream. Stories of what would happen in the streets were now being broadcast. One man named Nasir Jones, born on September 14th 1973, going by the name of Nas would alter the landscape of the genre with his infusion of impeccable poet-like flow and lyrical dominance in his first album, Illmatic.
Commercial success
While Nas doesn't have as much of an image such as Jay Z and others on this list, Nas still has considerable commercial success. RIAA says that he has released over 30 million records in his career. Add to that the fact that he has eight consecutive platnium or multi-platnium albums under his belt. Some of his projects have understandably stood the test of time, such as lllmatic, It Was Written and Stillmatic to name but a few. One of the weakest arguments to the exclusion of Nas into the list of one of the greatest rappers of all-time is the perceived lack of hits: he has long been one who is more known for content than awards. He has thirteen Grammy Awards nominations and no wins, but does it matter to him? No. What matters is the effect that the music has at the concert. Legend.
Album Qualification
One of the things that make Nas one of the greatest rappers of all-time has been the fact that he has always made projects that resonate. In his over twenty year long career, he has created timeless pieces. The biggest project was his first - Illmatic - which can be listened to multiple times in life with completely different perspectives. It's a powerful album that is rightfully one of the greatest projects in Hip-Hop history. All the while, there are projects such as Stillmatic with powerful tracks like the Jay Z diss "Ether" and the single "Rule". Almost everyone one of his projects have been statements made about life, built on the perspective of the present. It's the reason why you can feel his growth from one project to the next: Nas is always growing, getting smarter.
Impact / Longevity
The impact of a rapper like Nas is so slight and powerful. Him and Rakim are similar in the way that the storytelling and poetry of it all was always more important. They are some of the greatest poets to ever rip. There is no Kendrick Lamar, Vic Mensa or Jay Rock without a guy like Nas stepping onto the scene. However, the biggest student of Nas Escobar is none other than J. Cole. In his 2013 effort, Born Sinner, Cole released the cut titled "Let Nas Down". The entire song details the impact that Nas had on a young Cole, and how he felt like he let him down by going pop with his last project, Cole World: The Sideline Story, and not sticking to what was good in his heart. The track is one of the most emotional of the entire project. It proves how impactful Nas was to him; he was heart, art and set apart. It's only fitting that after that and the critical success of Born Sinner, that Nas would release "Made Nas Proud", a response that elaborated on the importance of being yourself and the impact Cole could make. If that's not wise, I don't know what is.
Lyricism
Nas is one of the greatest lyricists in the history of the genre. His pen isn't one that creates and conceives of intricate syllable wordplay. It's the exact opposite: it's simple. Every rap written by Nas is something that can be easily understood. He is bringing you into his world with every word; he wants you to understand the pitfalls and nuances. It's why he's such an impeccable story teller, But more than that, he creates imagery that makes the listener believe they were there. Examples of these are "Adam and Eve" off of Nasir or "Memory Lane (Sittin in da Park)" of Illmatic to name but a few. Cole says in the aforementioned "Let Nas Down" that "My niggas thought they was words, but it was pictures I saw". That's the type of imagery that Nas creates in his music. For rap isn't just about the technique: delivery and poetry are important.
In conclusion, the game's greatest poet needs to be recognized as being one of the greatest rappers of all time. Nas brought poetry to the mainstream with Illmatic, and built a career based on creating quality work. He may not be known to casual fans of Hip-Hop like other big stars, he is arguably the rapper's rapper by excellence. The lyrical genius and the poetic soul. Even in times of anger and disdain, you can feel that everything that Nas made was from the heart to a certain extent. That's the power of the man we call Nas, Esco and Nasty Nas.