J Cole V Kendrick - Will The Mountainous Debate Ever Rest?

The debate on who the greatest rapper alive is might go on for decades if none of these two produce anything that tarnishes their current reputations. Without a doubt, if you are going to argue about the very best in the game, these two Goliaths will definitely feature. (Disclaimer: This comparison is biased to this generation of rappers, intentionally overlooking the likes of Nas, Eminem and Jay Z, who have slowly relaxed their gears over the years to allow the youngins to grow.)

On an unbiased scale, the lines of divide that separate these two legends are very thin, and in most cases, preference of one over the other is purely based on affiliation to style of delivery. While both are conscious lyricists with great skill of flow, their mode of delivery of the message one carries is quite unique to the other, and more so, to the entire industry. How then are we able to genuinely rank one above the other without playing favourites? My verdict, impossible! You would have to limit yourself to one scale or two scales rather than a fair plane if you are to get such results. Therefore, this article is more of a comparison rather than a contest, and to do that, I will look at 3 simple parameters; lyricism, cadence and impact.

1. Lyricism

Cole

J. Cole has been critically acclaimed as a master storyteller, an ability he attributes to his love for the likes of Pac and Nas. He can paint, with his words, vivid pictures for his listeners to actually see. Like Kendrick, Cole employs this imagery to drive his message further and he has gained massive following because of this. The sample beats that he uses set the mood even better. However, he is also very punchy since his Indie days of works like the ‘Any Given Sunday’ series and ‘The Come Up’. This has likened him to artists such as Lil Wayne and Eminem, both of whom rank in his top 5.

Kendrick

Kendrick’s style is a little more complex. He is slightly more coded with his lyrics and tosses the ball in the courts of his listeners to accurately decipher the message. The ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’ album speaks volumes to this effect. His rhyme scheme is very, very tight and you can almost never predict what he is about to say next. It is no wonder, then, that Dr. Dre picked him out; he probably saw the same thing he saw in a certain young Marshall Mathers over a decade before.

2. Cadence

Under cadence, we look at each artist’s voice manipulation and flexing.

J. Cole

Jermaine has many cloaks that allow him to be the hero on a wide range of instrumentals. His vocal technique gives him the freedom of switching styles, invoking all sorts of emotion and cheesiness whenever he can. The emotional rollercoaster that is ‘4 Your Eyez Only’ clearly shows how sentimental Cole can get, while corny tracks like ‘Work Out’ on ‘The Sideline Story’ give you a feel of the flirty, laid-back North Carolina rapper. His pacing doesn’t range as far as the Eminems and the Logics but it does switch up pretty nicely between slow and fast as in ‘Hello’. His singing, albeit amateur, bring a rare touch to his songs that make them even more lovable, as was in ‘Love Yourz’.

Kendrick

This guy is a beast when it comes to voice gymnastics. His range is wide and his switching is just as unpredictable as his flow. He is random and often surprising whenever he moves from one voice type to the other within his projects, sometimes even within the same song. A good example is Rapsody’s ‘Power’, where the Compton rapper starts calm and collected for the first 8 bars before unexpectedly jumping notches higher in both pitch and energy. His often bouncy vocals are what make many of his songs easy to memorize and sing along to, for example ‘DNA’ and ‘HUMBLE’.

3. Impact

J. Cole

Cole, like Kenny, has been on the industry’s forefront in the fight against discrimination of the Black community. As early as ‘The Light Up’, J. Cole would paint pictures of the oppression of the Blacks in USA and this is carried on all the way to his latest album, ‘KOD’. However, it was the critically acclaimed single ‘Be Free’, made in somber memory of Michael Brown, which sent the biggest wave by him yet.
On other matters such as growing up in the hood, Cole has been all about telling his stories that have gone on to touch millions of lives. He provokes dreamers to take the step towards their goals since he himself is the embodiment of such determination. Songs like ‘Crooked Smile’ empower those that feel unworthy because of their imperfections.
His social media following is well into the millions on all platforms too.

Kendrick

K-Dot has created such an impactful career for himself that has even gone on to touch his seniors in the field. Royce Da 5’9, who may have been rapping long before Kendrick could talk properly, is quoted saying that if anyone doesn’t like “everything about Kendrick” then “there’s something wrong with you”. Hits like ‘Alright’ and ‘Hiii Power’ go miles in the fight against racism and they have been played on repeat whenever such rallies are heated.
GKMC, Section 80 as well as mixtapes preceding these were all a recollection of a life in the projects and they are as relatable as can be for those that have been there. Moreover, the kinds of collabos and promotional projects that Kendrick has done also point to his influential power in the game today. The Black Panther playlist album is a perfect example. Like Cole, his social numbers are towering millions.

We may spend hours each day trying to make a case for our favourite of the duo. However, the very least we can do is appreciate the fact that we have two active legends among us.
#jcole #KendrickLamar