Is Nas really that technical of a rapper? I know he technically beats women, but does he rap technically?

Strange post.

Loosely speaking.

Guess it depends on your definition of 'technical'. Have you listened to Illmatic?

Not yet, that's why I asked. I've never heard anything from him personally that's super technical like Eminem.

Nas' rhyming style and flow is quite different from a rapper like Eminem. But I would certainly say that Nas is a technically excellent rapper. Illmatic is often held up as one of the greatest rap albums of all time, and for good reason.

Nas' flow though is quite standard for the time among his style (mid 90s east coast boom bap rap) and I'd be inclined to say that Eminem switches his flow up more than Nas does. Despite this, Nas has an indelible ability to paint a picture and a story with his rhymes - full of progression, characters, plot twists, and climaxes - plus, he's often thought-provoking.

With this said, there are some beats on Illmatic that I don't think have aged as well as others. For comparison, Jay-Z's debut, Reasonable Doubt, released two years after Illmatic, has aged much better in the realm of beats (comparable albums because both are NY rappers and producer DJ Premier had an almost equal hand in both).

Doesn't mean you'll like Nas or even find him to be a staggeringly great rapper - I simply think he perfected the fundamentals. There are more colorful rappers and if someone were to ask me for rappers who I considered to extremely technical, Nas would come after guys like Pharohe Monch, Chino XL, Canibus, Ras Kass, El-P and perhaps even Andre 3K.

But, like, is he skilled in the technical department like Eminem is? Does he have as many syllable rhymes? That's what I'm talking about. Not whether or not he's a good rapper or a good lyricst. Just if he has the same technical ability as Eminem. Because that's why Eminem gets that praise. He brought technical ability to the mainstream and people think he's a great lyricist because of how technical he is. Though, in my opinion, how well you can rhyme words doesn't mean you are a great lyricist.

Eminem out-raps Nas on the technical side of things, for sure.

When did Nas go after Chino?

OMG come on, dude.