J. Cole vs Kendrick Lamar

by Archie Barnes


If you’re a follower of the rap community, you’ll know how highly respected Lamar Lamar is. Seen as the modern-day Tupac, there’s a high chance of getting beaten by Lamar’s fans if you speak other than utmost respect for him. Now I’m not saying Lamar isn’t a good artist. He’s incredibly talented and one of the best artists out there, but he’s definitely not the best, and in my opinion not even in the top 10.


Another rapper who receives a lot of praise is J. Cole. Three of his albums have gone platinum most of the time without features or pre-released singles, and he’s set to go platinum again with his fourth, KOD. He prices his concert tickets at $1, never feels the need to feature on other artists’ tracks, yet still lacks the respect he deserves.


When you compare rappers, there are a lot of factors you need to take into account: their lyrics, flow, production value, wordplay and their albums as whole.


Both Lamar and Cole are great lyricists, but J. Cole takes the win. A lot of the time his lines make more sense and are easier to understand than Lamar’s. Some may think that it’s better to have to uncover the hidden message or meaning behind lyrics, but I prefer more upfront rapping, shoving the problem out there instead of sweeping it under the carpet with a metaphor.


I think that Cole obviously has a better flow. Lamar often sounds choppy with his words, spitting words that often don’t match. Lamar tries to vary the way he raps, but in the long run just confuses the listener, making them think that they’re listening to three different rappers in one song. J. Cole keeps a steady and calm flow, while still being able to rap against a fast-paced beat. He’s versatile, can sing and rap, and gives the listener a sense of security, while Lamar does not.


To be honest, I personally enjoy Lamar’s production a lot more. It’s varied and unique which I think works brilliantly when working on beats. He’s worked with producers such as Steve Lacy, Teddy Walton, and Mike WiLL Made-It, who put together some of the best instrumentals ever. In defense of Cole however, he produces all his beats, working with no other producers or featured artists. When judging on the rapper’s talent of producing, I value someone who knows what they’re doing more than someone who uses someone else’s skill, therefore, I think that Cole overtakes Lamar on the producing end of rap.


When you first listen to J. Cole, it might be hard to distinguish the clever wordplay he uses. Due to some of his fast-rapping songs, you’ll need to be very good at picking out the clever words he uses in his songs to symbolize or represent other meanings, but when you understand it, it’s mind-blowing.


This last topic is pretty controversial, but in my opinion Cole has better albums in general. I can listen to “Born Sinner”, “4 your eyez only” and “2014 Forest Hills Drive” without skipping any songs; quite the contrary to Lamar’s albums like “To Pimp a Butterfly” and “Untitled Unmastered” and his other earlier albums. Cole structures his work better, and knows how to release well-designed music. And with his recent release of “KOD”, I’m even more sure of his ability.