Before the religious themes in rap music became popular, there was Wu-Tang Clan affiliate U-God. The Staten Island native recently spoke on his rap counterparts, like Kanye West and Jay Z, who have also declared themselves God emcees.
The rapper had praise for Jay Z's new album Magna Carta Holy Grail, while talking to the Huffington Post, however Kanye West's Yeezus didn't get off so easy. U-God said of Hov, "Jay's in a creative zone, and he had to adjust to the digital age. He had to make that transition like any other artist. I look at this as a transitional album for him. The man is always going to have lyrics and be rhyming. That's just what he do. It's all good, man."
As for 'Ye, U-God suggests he comes back down to earth. The rapper said that Kanye "is getting too far away" on Yeezus. "Tell him there's no sound in space. He's got to come back on planet Earth. Space is a vacuum. There's no sound in space. Earth is where it's at. Come back down baby, come back," he said.
U-God went on to discuss other current rappers, like Kendrick Lamar, and he even praises Lil Wayne and Drake. "That's my little man right there," U-God said of Kendrick Lamar. "There's a long list of younger brothers coming up, but what makes my blood boil is when I hear my brothers like Jay and Nas rapping. There are just certain dudes that when they spit -- like P[rodigy] from Mobb Deep -- when I hear them rhyme, it just triggers something in me. That's how you're supposed to do it. Kendrick got my blood boiling like that, too. He has that spark, like, Oooh. Lil Wayne has my blood boiling too -- he be saying some fly shit. Drake too, man! I don't know why niggas frontin' on Drake. He has rhymes, man. He's getting it in. I'm not trying to be like him, but I'm not going to front on you, I like his style of music. Everyone who is in touch with their individuality -- I enjoy it. That's what hip-hop is about."
Read the full interview, where he also discusses his new album Keynote Speaker, here.