Kanye West linked up with Toronto rapper Top5 during a livestream from Spain, where he took aim at Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole in a blunt exchange that reignited West’s ongoing critiques of the Hip-Hop heavyweights.
“I hate J. Cole,” West declared. “It can’t even be called music. I hate J. Cole.”
Sitting beside Drake affiliateTop5, who has had his own issues with Lamar, West doubled down on his disdain for both rappers.
“It’s something about both J. Cole and Kendrick that kinda, that leaves me sorta like—it reminds me of each other and s### like that,” he explained. “It’s just not that sauce to me.”
Kanye West speaks on Kendrick Lamar & J. Cole 👀
“I hate J. Cole, it can’t even be called music.”
“Anybody that has Kendrick as one of their favorite rappers don’t know about rap.” pic.twitter.com/8TzVbHitVB
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) April 30, 2025
The livestream marked a notable shift in West’s relationship with Top5 following a recent spat.
West also took a jab at actor Ben Affleck, who recently named Kendrick Lamar on his Mount Rushmore of rap.
“Anybody that say Kendrick is one of their favorite rappers, don’t know about rap, doesn’t know about real rap,” West said.
The remarks come just days after West labeled Lamar “overrated” in another rant, continuing a pattern of verbal jabs aimed at the Compton rapper.
Kanye West Praises Kendrick Lamar; Acknowledges His Dominance In Hip-Hop
However, the tone sharply contrasts West’s comments earlier this year.
Back in February, West had a different take, calling Lamar nearly untouchable in a rap battle.
“If you rap against Kendrick, you will lose. This man does this,” he said at the time. “If you rap against Kendrick Lamar, it’s really a difficult task. But I’m a psycho genius, so…”
He even praised Lamar’s takedown of Drake, saying, “Kendrick killed my nemesis,” while acknowledging their influence on the culture.
“Drake added something to the algorithm, to our frequency. He advanced it … and now Kendrick has now advanced the frequency.”
Still, West made it clear that only someone with his mindset could challenge Lamar, stating, “Do not rap against Kendrick Lamar unless you’re a psycho genius like me.”
Kanye West questions why Future and other rappers let Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Big Three’ line from ‘Like That’ pass and warns rappers not to rap against Kendrick Lamar unless they’re a psycho genius like him.
(🎥 Justin Laboy/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/hMEKvaGdoN
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) February 5, 2025
Despite his earlier praise, West now appears to be flipping the narrative, likely to provoke a response from Lamar or Cole.
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