It seems his lyrical weakness is well attested. Surely, for something to be a rap classic, the lyricism must also be of a 'classic' nature. Perhaps, on the other hand, the spectrum of 'hip-hop' as opposed to simply 'rap' can be given a broader scope. DJ Shadow, for example, is often classified under the notion of 'instrumental hip-hop'. This album is certainly a classic in terms of beats, arrangements and sampling. But a 'rap' classic is is NOT. I defy anybody to claim that the rapping on this record is (on the whole) brilliant in terms of delivery, flow, rhymes and content. Any such assertion would be ludicrous beyond anything I can conceive of.
For good actual rapping of 2010, see Big Boi.
It is a great pity that Kanye cannot sing. He could have been the greatest contemporary R&B artist ever to exist.
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