Kendrick Lamar: Best Rapper Alive
posted by Ja'Shawn Steward-Johnson | September 8, 2016 | In Arts and Culture, OpinionIf you were to ask students here at FSU who do they believe is the best rapper today, you will probably notice that that you keep getting the same two names: Compton rapper, Kendrick Lamar and Fayetteville’s own, J. Cole. While most FSU students would give the edge to J. Cole, it is quite clear that Kendrick Lamar is the better rapper and the debate should not even really be all that close.
For starters, in a 2015 list by Billboard that listed the top ten rappers of all-time, Kendrick Lamar placed at #9, while J. Cole didn’t even make the top ten.
As for accolades, Kendrick Lamar has won 7 Grammys out of 18 nominations. J. Cole, however, has yet to win a Grammy and has only received five nominations. For added measures, Kendrick Lamar also bests J. Cole in the BET Hip-Hop Awards. During awards season, J. Cole’s most recent album, Forest Hills Driven, went up against Kendrick Lamar’s, To Pimp A Butterfly, with the latter being the victor. To Pimp A Butterfly would win a Grammy for best rap album and his single “Alright” would win for best rap song and best rap performance over J. Cole’s single “Apparently.”
When comparing Metascore, a metric from the website Metacritic that compiles reviews, Kendrick Lamar’s score is much higher than J. Cole’s. The latter’s metascore is 71, while Lamar’s score is 88. Metacritic rates Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly as a 9.6, the second highest score and the highest rap album in the past decade while J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive scored a 6.7.
Kendrick Lamar’s placement in Billboard’s list, his Grammy wins, and his critic and listener review scores all point to him being a better rapper than J. Cole.
That does not take away from or lessens J. Cole’s greatness. Ultimately, however, both rappers should be applauded for their talents and artistry. Both rappers are in their prime and at top of their rap and hip-hop. Hence, the debate is nowhere close to being finished, and it is very possible that their next albums will reach even greater heights and set new standards.
- Cole is well on his way to cracking Billboard’s top ten best rappers of all-time, he just is not there yet. Sorry, J. Cole fans, I know it is hard to accept.
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