Better overall Hip Hop artist: El-P or Kanye West?

Who do you think is better? You can break it down if you want, producing, rapping, and the whole package. I think most would agree West makes better, or at least more accessible music. Fantasy is probably better than anything El-P has been a part of, but West also likely gets more help on his projects from other producers.

He is well known for using a bunch of ghostwriters as well, and while El-P doesn't have his delivery, charisma, or wordplay, he is better lyrically/storytelling imo with deeper messages/themes more often that not, but he does miss at times, and things like the anti-mainstream schtick can get boring. I think El-P is at his best now especially lyrically, far better than the Company Flow/Fantastic Damage days. He is known and probably started the dystopian/apocalyptic futuristic beats, known for the dense layers which could be great, but also not good at times. The 2 RTJ projects have been his best overall efforts, imo, and I think the best Hip Hop releases of 2013 and 2014. Just production-wise Cold Vein is one of the best Hip Hop records I have heard. R.A.P. Music was the best Hip Hop record of 2012, imo and Cancer 4 Cure was up there.

El-P:

Solo albums

Fantastic Damage (2002)
I'll Sleep When You're Dead (2007)
Cancer 4 Cure (2012)

With Company Flow

Funcrusher Plus (1997)
Little Johnny from the Hospitul: Breaks & Instrumentals Vol.1 (1999)

With Killer Mike as Run the Jewels

Run the Jewels (2013)
Run the Jewels 2 (2014)

West had the best Hip Hop album in 2010 with Fantasy, which is considered a classic. He really stepped up his delivery on that album, and many consider Late Registration and College Dropout classics as well, some even Graduation. He produced most of Be by Common which was probably the best Hip Hop record of that year. He has production credits for a bunch of other albums, classics, and great rappers from Scarface, to Jay-Z, to Pusha T, to Cam'ron, etc. He went more industrial with his latest album that a lot of people loved, but which a lot of the Hip Hop community was divided in.

Kanye West:

Studio albums

The College Dropout (2004)
Late Registration (2005)
Graduation (2007)
808s & Heartbreak (2008)
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
Yeezus (2013)

Collaboration albums

Watch the Throne (with Jay-Z as The Throne) (2011)
Cruel Summer (as part of GOOD Music) (2012)

Both guys are well regarded for their sampling, El-P using more sci-fi and nerdy things, while West is more diverse. So overall, who do you think is the better Hip Hop artist?

 

Never heard of them

 

How is this even a question?

 

El P, his work on cold vein does it for me

 

Are you kidding me???

Seriously?

I mean seriously??????

El P. No Question.

Def Jux for life.

 

I have never heard of El-P, so he wins by default.

 

Not sure if OP is srs.

El-P has more talent in his pinky finger then CANye has in his entire body.

Why didn't you compare L with some better producers like Black Milk, 9th Wonder or Apollo Brown to name a few.

 

El-P all day everyday. Run the Jewels is the shit.

Too be honest though Im not sure how many Kanye West songs he produces himself though.

 

Who?

 

Who?

 

Kanye is on another level production wise. I haven't really listened to a whole lot of el-p but I listened to that Run The Jewels album and the beats are super bland compared to anything from the beginning of Kanye's career to now. Kanye's sound design is much better and it's musically more interesting and dynamic. El-P's stuff seems random soundclouder tier to me.

I don't rate Kanye very highly as a rapper but I also don't care for El-P so I don't even know in that regard.

 

Ye all day.

Any other answer is just a try hard attempt to "break from the mainstream"

Also OP u forgot influence as a factor.

 

Production level is a wash for me. Both I think have made stuff at the highest level. I'll give the slight edge to Kanye, because most of the time I have no idea what El-P is talking about.

 

I challenge anyone to listen to last good sleep on funcrusher plus then tell me with a straight face that Kanye is better.

I'd say el-p hands down.. but that's just me.

 

kanye due to bein a voice of a generation & a recoverin gayfish

 

Well I'd definitely rather listen to el-p

 

el-p. Kanye thinks he's a god and the world revolves around him. I cant support that kind of man

 

El-P has made some of the best music I've heard in recent years with RTJ and some of his solo stuff.... which I can't really say about Kanye as of late.

They're both high level producers and distinctly different with their sounds. I think Kanye is clear cut the better rapper when he's on his game and not giving into the ego-maniac Kardashian freakshow he's become. Although, I personally prefer El-P's crazy ass beats and random lyrics.

 

El-p.

 

better overall? well personally i love some EL-P, i haven't gave a shit about kanye since his first couple albums. that guy takes himself way too seriously