There's No Such Thing as a Nice Guy in Rap

Can you be considered the Best Rapper Alive if You're Not Willing to Destroy Everyone and everything?

Photo by Leo_Visions on Unsplash

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I won’t lie to you, I didn’t expect to be talking about the goings on in the rap world for a second straight week. After participating in my first-ever 10k, and finishing a draft essay reacting to Clay from Love is Blind season 6, I had more than enough ideas and content available to get back to regularly scheduled programming. But some moments require a response, and the events that took place this weekend are deserving of it.

For those of you unfamiliar, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J Cole have long been considered the three best artists in all of Hip Hop. The only thing left up to debate was who of the three of them was the best. Cole has spent the last four years rapping as if he wanted that title, and after Kendrick put out an album that wasn’t received well (I loved it) and Cole outrapped Drake on the song “First Person Shooter” the consensus was starting to veer towards Cole being the undisputed number one. But then Kendrick, as he has been known to do, dropped a verse that caught everyone’s attention. In it, he took direct aim at Drake, while dubbing himself the best out of all three of them. You can read more about that here.

This led to weeks of buzz from fans who were excited to finally see a rap battle between the three best in the game. Finally, after two weeks of silence, Cole was the first to respond, releasing a surprise EP with a song titled “7 Minute Drill” going at Kendrick. In it, Cole calls Lamar’s second album, “To Pimp a Butterfly” overrated, and warns Kendrick to “back off” if he doesn’t want him to put out a stronger response. Compared to his other songs, the 7-minute drill felt flat and uninspired. While Cole’s response was received with lukewarm reviews, most people took it for what he said it was, a “warning shot” that could be followed up with a more venomous reply in the future. Instead, 48 hours after its release in front of thousands of fans who came to see him at his Dreamville festival, Cole apologized to Lamar, saying,

“In my spirit of trying to get this music out… I moved in a way that spiritually felt bad to me… and when I put the music out, it disturbed my peace.” You can listen to the full clip below.

The reaction to his apology was swift, fans were and are not happy, while there has been long-standing tension between Drake, and Kendrick Lamar, it is widely known that Cole and Kendrick like and respect each other. Sure, many of us expect things to get nasty between Drizzy and Kendrick, but there was never a belief that the exchange between Cole and Kendrick would follow suit.

During his address to the fans, Cole claimed that people “Wanted blood” but for most fans, that wasn’t the case. We were excited to hear two amazing artists spar lyrically, but there was no expectation for any blood to be spilled. With this in mind, it can feel hard to take him seriously. This is the same guy who swore to“destroy any challenger” as recently as his last project, and now that one of his friends was stepping up to the plate, it suddenly “doesn’t sit right with his spirit?” Selfishly, It feels like we were robbed of a big moment. But stay with me, because it’s not that simple.

What Cole did shocked the world, but if you have been listening to his music, this decision makes perfect sense. Cole has always wanted to be considered the best rapper, but he has been just as consistent in saying he would not engage in what he felt was “manufactured conflict.” He’s also rapped extensively about fighting the urge to make music for outside validation, and hero worship. A great example of this is the song “False Prophets.” The track was a part of Cole’s rollout for his “4 Your Eyez Only” album but was removed at the last minute. While most people pay attention to parts of the song going after Wale and Kanye the last verse gives us the clearest look into Cole’s psyche. In it, he says;

My highest moments come from tellin' all the saddest stories
I've seen in my life, I be fiendin' to write
Songs that raise the hair on my arms
My lowest moments came from tryin' too hard
To impress some niggas that couldn't care if I'm on
Therefore from here on out, my hair grow out
I care nothin' 'bout opinions
I wanna give hope like the fountains you throw pennies in
Hit the store, take your diss, make your wish
This is dedicated to the ones that listen to me on some faithful shit

The truth is, while some of us are unhappy with his actions, J Cole didn’t do anything wrong. We’re upset because we don’t recognize this behavior. Think about it, how often do we see high-profile men with money, and success express regret or apologize? It’s not something that happens every day. It happens so infrequently that when we do see it, we assume the person is being manipulative, or they are somehow weak for admitting fault. So many of us are tired of people refusing to be accountable, and refusing to admit when they fell short, but why would anyone ever be different if they’re rewarded for staying the same?

Cole’s apology has led to a drumbeat of disgruntled fans who believe him to be “soft” “afraid of the smoke” and no longer qualified to be considered one of the best rappers out. This analysis didn’t come from anything he put out musically, he hasn’t been convicted of harming anyone or accused of abusing his partner. As far as we know, Cole is the nice guy who writes mind-bending raps, rides his bike, and mentors other artists. Shouldn’t that be what we want from the legends in our game?

In theory, yes. But rap has always been a competitive sport, and to be dominant, you have to be willing to destroy everything in your path. Some of the greatest lyrical confrontations in hip-hop have led to decades-long grudges, child reveals, and divorces. There are very few battles that conclude with everyone shaking hands and being friends. But that’s what’s always been great about it, you knew that these guys wanted to kill each other on the mic, and it produced some amazing hip-hop moments and even better music. That toxicity has also led to senseless violence and forced us all to witness a former star implode. After everything this genre and its artists have been through, one of its brightest stars has broken away from the norm and is trying to live by his values. We don’t have to agree with his reasoning, but we could still support him, the other option is to dismiss him. The rules of rap are what they are, so if Cole wants to be a “nice guy,” he can no longer be considered a “great rapper” because you can’t be a nice guy and the best rapper.

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I’ve teamed up with some great people to host a writing group called Locked In a weekly virtual writing session for Black, Indigenous, & Writers of Color, and writers of the global majority. We write together every Friday at 9:00 AM ET. If you’re looking for some community around writing, please tap in.