he wasnt THAT lyrical back then..he was DOPE ..but he has gotten better as a lyricist...he may have sounded "raw" but only because he was starting out...he was young...hes more polished now....its like hearing Jigga on Blueprint and on The Black Album..u can TOTALLY hear the difference between the 2...but Blueprint may be the better ALBUM...but on The Black album he's the better emcee...hands down. so bun out with your excuse.