Yeah but Hov was significantly more popular than Nas at the time.

Em was significantly more popular than Jay, but Em is significantly more popular than every rapper, so the closest comparison is Hov as far as 01 solo rappers (Nelly was good but he's not really like, at that level, artistically, even if CG an underrated classic).

After Hov, it was a few solid rappers at the time who were bigger than Nas.

He wasn't tho

Their popularity was equal

However Hov became a lot more popular when he started dating Beyonce

How is Kendrick an underdog when DAMN. was the biggest rap album of 2017?

And Kendrick without a doubt has gotten more praise from industry artists lol come on now. Drake cool but the rap sheet of people who have sung Kendrick's praises inside and outside of hip hop is staggering. Dude copped a Bowie co-sign, that's worth more than damn near every Drake co-sign combined lol

This “he’s a pop star” way to downplay Drake is so lazy and boring.

He raps better than most the game. Maybe the most quotable rapper along with Jay Z all time

Drake kind of outgrew rap the same way Kanye did

Blueprint 3x Platinum.

Stillmatic 1x Platinum.

Math's not adding up there as far as them being equal lol

That's what I'm saying. It feels silly to even have Drake in the rap convo. Dude is like a way better Post Malone, or rather, Post is an inferior Drake (I don't mind Post tho, pretty apathetic ab dude). It's just...odd, to put him exclusively in the rap convo

Both are double plat according to Wiki

Stillmatic did 350k fw, BP did 400k

Stillmatic-God's Son era Nas was as big as Jay. Nas was also bigger a few years earlier.

Drake’s too scared to be on an actual rap track with Skepta

Ight, well in that case, I misspoke. Guess they were close

Drake could hold his own with Skepta

To be fair Drake has lines where he admits rap is second.

“Rap is something I do on the side” lyrics like that doesn’t help him

He’s trolling people like you when he raps that

What is with this narrative that Drake isn’t a rapper

“Trolling”

He’s progressed further than the genre already

nah he's a rapper/ pop artist. such a thing can exist.

Hahahaha!!!

That’s why he’s too scared

Drake’s p****

It's not downplaying if dude openly says that rap is just one of many styles he engages in.

And Drake is a good rapper but man is not competing with the all-time greats lyrically. Jay, Nas, G Rap, Guru, Black Thought, Andre, Big Pun, Rakim, etc, can rap circles around Drake's best verses and that's just a fact.

don't know why I love seeing Bjork Avis

This sounds kind of degrading tho, like he’s another B.O.B., Post Malone or Pitbull type of artist. While he’s actually one of the best rappers out rn.

lol idk why people think like that. whenever you mention pop in a rap discussion it's seen as taboo or condescending. however rap is kind of the new pop in a way. it's one of the most popular genres and drake happens to be the best hybrid of it.

Drake and Kendrick aren’t equal if that’s what you’re implying lmfao

That’s why people feel the need to constantly compare him to Drake

I mean, the best selling album in the world is a pop/r&b album, and it's a certified masterpiece. Not sure why you're conflating being a pop star with being a lowly artist, but that seems more like a you problem, because MJ most definitely is not a lowly artist, and Drake is in MJ's orbit imo. Not better than him, but not drastically worse either. And when you factor in the generational influence and popularity, that wholeheartedly seems like Drake's competition.