Hip hop biography is full of bold claims and creative rivalries. Jim Jones says his catalog outranks more than 90 percent of New York rappers, and he’s not backing down from the statement.
“I got a better catalog than over 90 percent of the rappers out of New York City in history,” Jones said on the No Funny Sh*t podcast. “I got real gold records, more than one of them. I got real platinum singles.” The Dipset rapper admitted he was “trolling a little bit” while revisiting his earlier Verzuz challenge to Cam’ron, but the numbers tell a story worth exploring. Hip hop biography often overlooks the statistical achievements that define a career.
“Some of your favorite rappers don’t have nothing platinum,” he said. “That doesn’t make me better than anybody, but statistically I got a hell of a catalog.”
Jones added that every album he has released includes a standout single. “Especially in New York,” he explained. “Hands down, I know I got 20 records.”
Last year, he faced pushback after calling himself “a superior Nas fan,” but he argued that his own accomplishments deserved respect. “I’ll never take that away from him,” he said of Nas. “But then, as I got in the game, you gotta realize, your idols become rivals.” He added, “Not to take away anything from that. I developed my own style and my own lane that these kids started to gravitate towards to, the same way I gravitated towards Nas when I was younger.”
The backlash surprised him. “Man, I didn’t know how many people loved Nas, though,” Jones later told Angie Martinez. “I’m watching people go absolutely bats–t crazy, like goddamn.”
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