What are you even talking about BombSquad? He didn't "lose" anything. Why is there even an argument about who's better when it's a matter of opinion? It always is. It's fun to debate sometimes, but not like this. Rakim was obvioulsy on the hip hop scene before Pac was and he was a highly influential artist. Because when it came to just straight up skills on the mic, he was one of, if not THE best. I'm leaning towards one of because I think Big Daddy Kane is right up there as well with Rakim as far as lyrical ability. Somebody like Rakim influenced Pac. Influenced Nas. Influenced Jay. Influenced Biggie. All kinds of rappers who in ten years (shit, even now), people will look at as legends in hip hop. They're different kinds of artist, period. So there's no way to really compare them like you seem to want to. You can argue all day, but the fact is that Pac just never ripped the mic like Rakim did.
He never came with that kind of lyrical ability on a consistant basis to make me or anyone else think different. Pac did what he did and he did it well. That's why people love his music so much. He spoke on real shit and it was and still is incredible. That's what makes him Pac and that's what made him the best at it. He did it better than everyone else. Back when Rakim was around, it was about who had more skills on the mic and that's what he was trying to proove. He isn't called the "God" for nothing, right? I grew up on hip hop music and to me it was always about who had the skill to just rip the mic apart. To me, Rakim or Big Daddy Kane did it the best and that's why they are at the top of my list. Pac is up there as well, but for other reasons.
There's no way i'm gonna say "this one is better because he COULD HAVE done this". Not a chance, because anyone COULD DO something, but it's whether or not they do it.
