Image: Island Def Jam BY JASMINE BAILEY ANCHOR JAMAL ANDRESS Hip Hop has been graced with the likes of many diverse MCs over the years, but only one can be the best and according to CNN that one is NAS. In the article posted on Saturday, a writer for CNN named him “the greatest lyricist of all time.” But also pointed out that the words were chosen carefully. “‘Lyricist’ over ‘rapper’ or ‘hip-hop artist;’ ‘greatest’ instead of ‘most successful;’ ‘all time’ rather than ‘today.’”   Youtube: This distinction is important because  as the author acknowledges, Nas is not the king of the hill in album sales or number one records. Nas recently dropped his ninth number 1 album since 1994. Seven have gone platinum but that still makes him number two compared with Jay-Z who has 11. But according to the author, Hova is a hit maker extraordinaire, maybe the world's best, but that doesn't translate to best lyricist. In response to the CNN article Nas reportedly said — "It's wayyyyyy, way, way too early in our lives…It's great to put a list together, but don't take it too seriously because your list won't matter 10 years from now or 15 years from now. It'll be a different list." According to Complex Music , Nas would argue that Tupac or Biggie were the best rappers of all time. Saying… "I just think Biggie was something else. He was the Hitchcock of this thing, man. He told you a story. There was a seriousness that came with it that can't compare with nothing…I'd probably be better if they were still around. I think I'd be a lot better." But the Examiner points out that even if Nas doesn’t agree, Jay-Z seems to. In an interview back in 2006 when Nas was already being debated as the greatest, Jay-Z said… "I didn't sign Nas; I partnered with Nas. You can't sign an artist of Nas' stature. You can only partner with him. ... Like I said, it's always been a level of respect there. I, for not one second, ever said I don't believe that he's one of the best lyricists ever." The CNN article also named other MCs who could be debated as belonging among the greats, some of which are… Snoop Dogg Eminem Too Short OutKast and LL Cool J. The writer went on to say that Nas, who is turning 40 soon, is a “survivor” because after 20 years people are still buying his music. Ultimately, it’s a tough debate and one that may never officially be solved. Tell us what you think in our comment section.