What Stans and Haters Say About Your Favorite Rapper...(And the Reality)

It's hard to know who to trust.

Everyone has their own opinions, especially about something like music. And when these opinions are expressed, especially on the internet, they are often rebuffed. With GREAT VITRIOL!!! Amazingly enough, not everybody agrees with everything everybody else says. The surprising result: contradictory opinions!

If you like a certain artist's music more than the person you're talking to, chances are you are a "Stan." Named for the famous fanatic in Eminem's classic, Stans love their favorite stars so much that they are blind to any possible faults these stars might have. They love everything and anything their idols do, unconditionally, totally irrationally. They would literally buy a piece of poop that has come from the bottom of those they worship.

If you dislike a certain artist's music more than the person you're talking to, you are probably a "hater." Named for "player hater," someone who's hatred of someone else is based more on jealousy than anything else, haters hate their least favorite stars so much that they are blind to any possible redeeming qualities the stars might have. They hate everything and anything the targets of their bile do, unconditionally, totally irrationally. They would literally find fault with the Mona Lisa if it was painted by one of the artists they hate.

As you can see arguing either side of these matters can be very frustrating. What's the "truth?" Well, the quality of music made by an individual is a subjective judgment. So there really is not any "truth."

Except for what we, the staff at Complex magazine, believe. That is the truth. That is the objective reality. Don't be a Stan, don't be a hater. Learn the truth. Read What Stans and Haters Say About Your Favorite Rapper...(And the Reality.)

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Stans: "He is a god."
Haters: "I liked him until the god complex."

The Reality: As soon as you liked him (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy), he made you unlike him (Yeezus). He said himself that he didn’t want Yeezus to be "easy listening." He wanted it to be three-dimensional. He wanted it to jump out and affect you. For some, screaming in the middle of a song is just too jarring. Others like it because it kept them on their toes. Others still will come around to it years from now.

MBDTF was met with universal acclaim because it was everything that everyone wanted from Kanye. But now he wants to push, like he did with 808’s and Heartbreak. A lot of people are only now starting to appreciate the worth of that 2008 album. Whether you liked Yeezus or not, you probably didn’t have a "meh" feeling about it. It affected you, either positively or negatively—and that’s exactly what he wanted.

Stans: "He's just the right amount of Kanye for me."
Haters: "Big Sean? More like Big Yawn. Am I right? And his punchlines are corny."

The Reality: The truth is, Big Sean is still pretty young, and he has years to develop into whatever kind of artist he wants to become. He's a little dry sometimes, but he also has a unique, off-the-beat flow. His Detroit mixtape was strong; his latest album may not have sold as well as its predecessor, but with a few more singles in rotation, he could again move units. Keep in mind, Kanye's first album didn't come out until he was 26. Sean is 25. If he is going to really wild out at some point, he still has some time to do it.

Stans: "He's the new Nas."
Haters: "He's the Eeyore of rap, and he puts me to sleep."

The Reality: He is one the most successful rappers to arrive in the past few years, just a tier below Drake and Kendrick. His successe lies in his ability to elaborate on the lane Kanye created. He is the 2013 version of "real hip-hop." He is very aware of "the classics," and it informs his music. Though his music isn't as unusual or original as Kanye's, and he might not have the vision or ambition of Kendrick's, he is a talented rapper and puts convincing emotion behind his songs.

Stans: "He's the greatest of all time."
Haters: "Dude is pushing half a century. He should have stopped before his success was the only thing he could rap about. So like, over a decade ago."

The Reality: What Jay continues to prove is that he is still very good at the act of rapping. Questions have been raised, however, at the businessman, for focusing too much on the business, man—and a little less on the music itself. His "new rules" had little to do with his songs and a lot to do with the way they were distributed. A back catalog of classics doesn't invalidate criticism against one's current repertoire, or current way of doing things, but there's something to be said for a guy who has kept our attention for this long. Most likely, he will continue to.

Stans: "He raps about real issues. It's brave."
Haters: "He's whitewashing hip-hop."

The Reality: Looking past what can be unbearably corny about his songs, there's really not much to hate. He's sincere, which is a double-edged sword. But he can rap, and he's passionate about it. He's clearly connected with lots and lots of people, and has worked his way up from the bottom, even if most of those people might not have much use for hip-hop made by other artists. There are better things to hate on than white dudes with funny haircuts rapping as if on behalf of a liberal grassroots campaign.

Stans: "He's the lyrical G.O.A.T. Even if Illmatic was his only good album, which it isn't, it's still better than your favorite rapper's entire catalog."
Haters: "That's a one-hot album every....let's see, 20-year average."

Reality: History aside, Nas is making music that makes sense for a 40 year-old. With Life Is Good, he showed his rap coevals that you can rap your age, even if you're aging. He wrote his thoughts about being a divorced dad deep into a rap career—and it came out genuine. For what has always been considered a young person's game, it will be interesting to see how other aging rappers follow in his footsteps, just like they did in the 90s.

Stans: What this guy says, verbatim.
Haters: "He has Asperger's, he's destroying hip-hop, and he doesn't even rap."

The Reality: His lyrics might be simple, but they are more coherent than they're given credit for. And he more than makes up for that simplicity with the visceral. Sometimes repetitive chant can make you feel a hell of a lot more than a thoroughly fleshed out "deep" verse. One would be hard-pressed to find anything that went harder than "I Don't Like" in 2012. If you did find anything, it would probably be "Love Sosa."

Stans: "He raps better than anyone out right now and is 100% original."
Haters: "He picks weird beats, panders to hipsters, and looks like a crackhead."

The Reality: Danny Brown has alienated a certain number of people that prefer his old style and don't understand his new one, but even so, he provides for both of his fan "types" on his latest album. He's a crowd-pleaser, but he's also clearly trying to push himself forward, into weirder music, into music that he just thinks is cool. He's definitely following his own drummer. Hopefully he will still be rapping when he is certifiably "old"—like 50 years old and married to Kathy Griffin—and he'll still be one of the most progressive rappers in the 2030s.

Stans: "He's the most entertaining rapper in hip-hop. And he's very funny."
Haters: "Ebro was right to call him out. He's fake, and he plays a caricature of black people."

The Reality: Lots of rappers are less than honest about their backgrounds—is he that different? His whiteness both gives him more positive attention from the press—and more scrutiny. He's an entertainer more than he is a rapper. At the end of the day, he is able to wed non sequiturs and a flashy sense of style. Although his rapping is pretty one-dimensional. He seems able to get the attention of journalists without ever having a hit song. Take that for what it's worth.

Stans: "He is the flyest out, and he's sourcing trillness from its various wellsprings."
Haters: "Name-dropping fashion brands is rapidly going out of fashion."

The Reality: As much flack as Flacko receives for the fact that his image often takes precedence over his music, the pretty individual has been, without question, very successful. He's the only rapper to reach out of the world of tumblr and truly cross over, even if he did rely on a big hit courtesy a 2 Chainz hook. Besides, it was obvious that he would be a star as soon as he busted out the bodega door in "Peso." He did bring an underground sound to a mainstream audience. He'll also do well now that, in 2013, succeeding in hip-hop means succeeding in avenues other than rapping, too.

Stans: "Bow down bitches. Nicki will assassinate you lyrically while wearing nothing but pasties."
Haters: "She is a cheesy pop star, not a real rapper."

The Reality: No one can deny her ability to rap. Her ventures as a pop star might alienate some of the purists, but asking artists to keep their distance from other genres is certifiably bullshit. Let her do what she wants. You can selectively like parts of her, but you'd be missing out on the full Nicki Minaj experience.

Stans: "GKMC is this generation's Illmatic."
Haters: "GKMC is overrated. People are too quick to call things 'classic.' If Big and Pac were still alive, no one would care about him."

The Reality: He put out an incredible album—let's see, just a year ago now. He became the hottest rapper in the game, and most people found that difficult to argue with. The only thing working against him is that he's only been on top a short time. The truth is, his relevance, his career, the belt, everything, all depend on his next move. He reached for the belt, and no one stopped him, but lack of competition (or boring non-fights with Drake) won't determine the history. His next album will. If he's able to push it all forward somehow, he'll truly be in control.

Stans: "Gucci is a legend."
Haters: "He's ignorant and raps in incomprehensible gibberish."

The Reality: His mumbled delivery can mask his lyrical prowess, but that's a part of his aesthetic. He strikes a balance between an almost synesthetic sense of metaphor and an unparalleled sense of not giving a fuck that appeals to almost as many people as there are Gucci Mane mixtapes. He's a hugely controversial artist with good reason (his music is often misogynistic and violent) but is also unfairly maligned because people don't always understand what he's actually saying (or don't care to listen). He spent five years from 2005 on significantly shifting the sound of how Southern (and Midwestern) artists rap. He's also has been on a downward tilt, his music more predictable than ever, since he failed to completely cross over with 2010's The Appeal.

Stans: "He brought a new emotional honesty to hip-hop, he's a great rapper, and he speaks for my generation."
Haters: "He's soft, he sings too much, and he's a cornball."

The Reality: A lot of former Drake haters (myself included) have flip-flopped since this last album. Is it because his music is better, or is it because people are finally coming around to the idea that his persona is acceptable in rap? Probably both. Emotional honesty existed in hip-hop well before Drake. His innovation isn't a new openness (in some ways, he's very closed off and guarded) but a focus on the tics of language of relationship turmoil. There are occasionally cringe-worthy lyrics. But he can rap. Drake, the sing-rapper, #emotionalboys pioneer, and all-around good guy, does have a refreshing take on hip-hop.

Stans: "He's the new Biggie."
Haters: "He's sold zero drugs and is not real."

The Reality: The idea of his inauthenticity having much to do with the way people enjoy his music is more tired than a thoroughly beaten dead horse. Rick Ross lives a fantasy—his fantasy—and he raps exceedingly well about it. If you only want to listen to rappers who don't embellish their life stories, perhaps rap isn't a good fit for you.