Eminem and Black Thought are easily two of the most dynamic lyricists that Hip Hop has ever produced and now fans are debating who the better rapper is between the two.
It all started when Beats, Rhymes, & List posted a picture of the two artists on Twitter on Thursday (May 25) and asked: “Who’s the stronger lyricist? Eminem vs Black Thought.”
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As expected, the tweet spawned thousands of replies. “Black Thought easily, Em is great storyteller but in terms of technical power it’s really not close,” one fan tweeted.
“Black Thought and if you don’t think so explain to me how is Eminem better and I don’t wanna hear nothing about numbers I’m talking pure rap skills,” a second fan wrote. “Eminem hard but he not better than Thought, imo old Em was harder than Em of today.”
A third added: “I’m going with Black Thought. His references to social problems, history and culture put him as my #1. He makes me google something he brings up in most of his verses. Em is nice but I don’t care for the content of his raps.”
One fan even went as far as to say he doesn’t have a particular favorite. “Pure talent wise, Eminem is probably better, but when it comes to execution, content, production etc, it’s Thought. Both are missing a lot of what I like in MC’s so I have no dog in this particular fight,” they said.
As debates started to heat up, fans started giving more analysis behind their decision-making of their respective pick.
“Em. Black Thought is Dope, but his rhyme schemes are not as unique as Em’s,” one fan tweeted. “His work on the Roots albums were good, but some of it wasn’t that complex. Em has better storytelling tracks and more double entendres.”
“In regards to Lyricism both are elite w/o a doubt,” a second fan began. “But personally I’ll go w/ Em. He’s a scientist when it comes to words, no one does it like him. Thought is a GOAT as well & I think for most people it will come down to relatability. To each his own. Respect both tho.”
Another fan added, “Black thought is top tier, but fuck me…Name me 1 good album of his? I’ll wait. That freestyle on flex but u cant compare that to any of Ems shit. Em been doing that his whoke career. Biggest selling artist (Not to just white people i may add) longevity! He’s the goat.”
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An eager fan said he’d rather see both rappers collaborate as opposed to making a comparison.
“I rather have a collab between @Eminem and @blackthought than trying to make the comparison between the two greats. Hearing them go bar for bar together on a track or even a freestyle would be insane!”
Although the tweet spawned thousands of replies, both men are extremely talented in the music business and have decades of experience in the rap game.
While Eminem started out as a battle rapper in 1990s and as a founding member of D12, Black Thought (real name Tariq Trotter) started out as the lead MC of the legendary Philadelphia group The Roots in the late 1980s.
Slim Shady has released 11 studio albums, and has won 15 Grammy Awards over the course of his career. Tariq Trotter has dropped three studio albums, and won three Grammy Awards. The majority of his album work has came under The Roots.
According to Billboard, Eminem is currently the most-certified artist for singles in RIAA Gold and Platinum program history. Meanwhile, The Roots is one of the most consistent groups in music history.
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In 2023, both men were on Billboard‘s list of the 50th Greatest Rappers Of All Time with Black Thought coming in at 28 and Eminem coming in at No. 5.
Check out more noteworthy reactions to the viral debate below:
