Lil Wayne... the best rapper alive?

About two weeks ago I was blessed with tickets to see Jay-Z live in concert on his Blue Print III tour. It was awe inspiring just to be in his presence, and it took a second to realize it was really him, the self proclaimed "Best Rapper Alive," on stage. I left the concert exhausted and with ringing ears, pretending to hear but ignoring half of what Ric was saying on the car ride back. This gave me time to think in a pensive state, is Jay-Z really the best rapper alive? Many of his fans think so, but there is another who claims the same title.

Earlier this month, rap icon Lil Wayne was sent to jail for the illegal possession of a handgun. It was a sad day for me personally as I'm a big fan of the guy, so I put on one of my favorite mix-tapes by him, The Drought 3. On one of his tracks, "Dough is what I got," Lil Wayne makes a bold move by rapping over the Jay-Z beat, "Show Me What You Got." He starts by saying "This is a Public Service Announcement," a reference to the Jay-Z song P.S.A., "Little Wayne is the best rapper alive." This poses the question, "is he really?"

So like many, I've been contemplating the question for quite some time. Is it the the blunt-inhaling, dreadlock-rocking Lil Wayne? or is it the Ad-lib shouting, 40 something Jay-Z? I'm not even sure if that is the question, however. Who's to say there isn't a lesser known rapper ready to take down one of these giants (did someone say Lupe?), and even if there is, how could we compare them? Being a "better" rapper is an intangible comparison. Are we to compare their wordplay? their flow? the meaning in their songs? record sales? When it comes down to it, it really is arbitrary to say one is better than the other. When did rap become a competition anyways? It's not as if Lil Wayne shouting that he is the best really means anything anyways when you have people like Soulja Boy claiming the same thing (see the preposterous "2Milli," the title is a reference to his two million followers on twitter, WOW). There is no measurement of comparison between the two, no medal or trophy for the "best." It doesn't matter, so can we all please stop trying to crown a king and learn to take Hip-Hop for what it is? It's music, self expression, spoken poetry, and sometimes its just plain dumb fun. So please Lil Wayne, realize that you sound childish pumping your chest and shouting that out, and Jay-Z... Nevermind I can't say shit to Jay-Z. PEACE.