Mos Def vs. Lupe Fiasco: Who is the better emcee?

Mos Def and Lupe Fiasco are two of my favorite emcees of all time. I have recently been wondering who out of the two would be "better." The reason I compare the two is because of many similarities between them.

They both came out with high fanfare and their debut albums are basically granted classic status in hip-hop ("Black on Both Sides" by Mos Def which came on the heels of the success of his Black Star album with Talib Kweli, and "Food and Liquor" by Lupe Fiasco). Both are extremely creative and have very melodic and rhythmic flows. Both also while maintaining an underground cult following lost their mainstream following and attention after their second albums (and each one thereafter) came out.

Both are extremely spiritual and political in their music, and both are very critical of the modern music industry (which I think could lend to why they have a hard time getting mainstream label backing).

Bot have also branched outside of hip-hop and into a rock sound, Mos with his band Black Jack Johnson (which featured prominently on his The New Danger) and Lupe with his band Japanese Cartoon which released a full length album

Now if you are unfamiliar with either or both of these artists it will be hard for you to gauge unless you become familiar with their catalogue. I am going to post two songs though that I think are highly indicative of their skill level.

EDIT: This thread is for those who are familiar with both the works of Mos and Lupe. If you are not, or you do not like either of them, then please just pass this thread by. Otherwise you will more than likely be going off-topic.

First is "Speed Law" by Mos Def. Personally I think lyrically this is one of his best songs.



Next is "The Emperor's Soundtrack" by Lupe Fiasco.

Patience by Nas and Damien Marley beats any other rap song on this planet. I'm not the biggest Mos Def fan or Lupe Fiasco. I did have the Talib Kweli and Hitek album Reflection Eternal which was an amazing album. My favorite rap album of all time would be Project Pat - Mista Don't Play. Every beat is clean and the way he floats over them is epic. I've been listening to that album for 10 years now and it never gets old. I'm sorry I can't contribute towards your argument but I'm just not a fan of either one of your favorite emcees.

reply to post by CoolerAbdullah786



Politely, and respectfully....

After listening to both, I'm afraid neither are my cup of tea. ( What's an " Emcee" please ? Sorry, I'm English ! )

I have to say though, I much prefer the unforgettable melodies and meaningful lyrics of the likes of " The Osmonds " or " Abba " for instance...

" Crazy Horses " does it for me...timeless, supreme songwriting at it's zenith, without equal, in fact...

Can we please keep comments on topic? If you are unfamiliar with either of them then this thread is not for you obviously.

I'll have to say Mos Def is the more talented rap/ hiphop artist. Lupe Fiasco is still pretty good in his own right, yet Mos Def has the better history as an emcee, and he can freestyle with the best of them.

reply to post by 4TheHighCyde20


I agree. I think Mos is slightly better if for no other reason than he has a longer time in hip-hop thus more experience. He has more of a legacy right now. In some ways I view Lupe as kind of like a second coming of Mos Def.

reply to post by CoolerAbdullah786


My sincere apologies, Mr.CoolerAbdullah, no intention of disrespecting your music, just trying to show an interest in a style of music I'm not familiar with...sorry.

reply to post by CoolerAbdullah786




Would have to say of the two I'd say Mos... I'm not massively familiar with Lupe as most modern "chart" rap is not my cup of tea.

Blackstar (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) was a great album and Mos Def's flow was awesome on that.

His solo stuff is pretty cool.

Flow wise it's hard to say because I haven't heard a lot of Lupe's stuff but Imma say my boy Mos Def

reply to post by blupblup


I wouldn't say though that Lupe is really "chart" rap (by that I assume you mean mainstream rap?)

reply to post by CoolerAbdullah786



Well I think he is... he's a commercial, mainstream rapper.
He had a bunch of "big" people on his first album and has been in the charts and stuff.

Not saying he raps about nonsense or anything, just that he's mainstream man.

Mos Def is now mainstream too.... although when he started he wasn't really.

reply to post by blupblup


Actually I'd say it's the opposite. Mos was more mainstream when he came out. He had Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip on his first album. I really don't see either of them as mainstream anymore.

reply to post by CoolerAbdullah786




Well different strokes for different folks dude...

You're loopy for Lupe and that's cool.

To me he's like Kanye West.... mainstream, has some good flow and beats but just sounds like everyone and everything else on the radio.

I like mostly underground and older hip hop so much of the stuff today.... the Kanye West kinda crap... is just that, crap.

Immortal Technique.

reply to post by CoolerAbdullah786
I'll have to go with Mos Def in this *battle.* He's got pedigree and came up the right way.

Downside is Black on Both Sides remains his peak no matter how many times I listen to the other records.

Every time I hear 'Fat Booty' and 'Umi Says' I remember the 'one that got away' and how much she loved Mos Def. Gilles Peterson played a set that I'm gonna have to try and find again...

reply to post by blupblup


Yeah. I do dig Lupe. But he is in no way like Kanye. Hell compare record sales alone. Compare his video rotation vs. Kanye. Compare lyrics. Kanye is wack and a douche. Lupe is not mainstream in the least bit. How does Lupe sound like everyone else. Do mainstream rappers make songs like "Words I Never Said"? Does everyone else make songs like "All Black Everything"?

When was the last time that Kanye had an album that his record label shelved and the fans rallied behind to get it released like they did with LASERS?

If you are gonna make a claim like Lupe is like Kanye I'm going to challenge that and ask for evidence and your reasoning for saying such a thing.

reply to post by ThedeadeyesofCharlieSheen


Immortal Technique is ill but this isn't about him. This is about Lupe vs. Mos. Please keep it on topic. If you want to talk about IT then make a thread about him.

reply to post by Kandinsky


See I don't think Black on Both Sides is his peak. The Ecstatic is a tremendous and very concise hip-hop album. The New Danger is no joke either. I love his experimentation.

lupe has stronger metaphors

reply to post by CoolerAbdullah786



Like I said, I've never heard much of his stuff but reading the lyrics and listening to those tracks they're pretty good man... if someone is truly saying something, I have no problem with that, in fact that's what I like.

Decent, meaningful, insightful, positive lyrics.

Cheers man.