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Eminem, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West
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Eminem is a better lyricist than both J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar, at least according to Ye. On Thursday (April 24), the Chicago artist joined the debate over which emcee is truly untouchable; however, instead of crowning himself, he handed the title to someone else for a change.
“Bar for bar, one rapper that no one comes close to [has] to be…,” a tweet from “Drink Champs” read, leaving social media users to fill in the blank. One person wrote, “Eminem, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar.” Ye then chimed in with a quote-tweet that, at the time of reporting, has amassed over 1,200 reposts: “J. COLE AND KENDRICK CAN’T TOUCH THE WHITE BOY.”
Does Ye Have A Bias Or Just Speaking Facts?
It obviously goes without saying Ye has all the incentive in the world to rank Eminem above J. Cole and Lamar — arguably two of the Big Three, and unquestionably on rap’s Mount Rushmore. Earlier in the month, the father of four emphasized that he “hates J. Cole’s music so much” and no one listens to the North Carolina native “after [losing] their virginity.” Their tension largely seems to stem from Ye feeling slighted on 2016’s “False Prophets” even though the Dreamville Records founder has shown him love plenty of times since then.
Meanwhile, Ye said only a “psycho genius” like himself could win a rap battle against Lamar, only to call the Pulitzer Prize winner’s halftime performance at February’s Big Game his “favorite” less than a week later. However, the “Flashing Lights” artist also took issue with the Compton rapper using that spotlight to throw shots at Drake. “They use Black people against each other, and when they’re done with what their agenda is, they’re gonna kick you out,” Ye said.
Eminem Wins Numbers-Wise, But Culturally…
That being said, Eminem is still the highest-selling rap artist ever, as certified by Guinness in 2022. He has not one, but three RIAA-certified diamond albums: The Eminem Show, The Marshall Mathers LP and Curtain Call: The Hits. When it comes to cultural impact, though, Lamar probably takes the cake. His 2024 run and its aftereffects — that is, sweeping the 2025 Grammy Awards and performing at the Super Bowl LXI — more or less cemented that.
