Rap is the most competitive genre in music. For decades, artists reveled in competition because they wanted to prove that they were elite. Whenever a rapper elected to feature his or her peer on a track, both sides were trying to out-duel the other, simply for competitive reasons. Artists knew that for years to come, fans would debate about who outperformed who. That’s why when Kendrick Lamar delivered his “Control” verse, fans applauded his voracious stab at the industry. That’s why we love rap. We love to see artists push each other to the brink, because that is when the best music is made.
Wale and J. Cole are considered to be leaders of the new generation. With cogent lyricism and a series of tracks showcasing their rap prowess, they are among the new crop of artists set to inject purity back into the culture. Both artists have collaborated on numerous occasions. In addition, both have relentlessly pushed the other in bringing out his A-game. Despite being good friends, both Wale and J. Cole demand the best out of each other every time out.
The “Bad Girls Club” boys have created great music together, and will continue doing so for years to come. We decided to pull up some of their best collaborative efforts and pick the winner of each one, and also, allow you guys to vote on who outshined who. This wasn’t easy, but we got it done. Let’s work.
Wale Featuring J. Cole – "Beautiful Bliss"
Both rappers were fairly new on the block and were itching to gain approval from musical pundits. Wale’s golden opportunity to shake up mainstream came first as he released his debut album Attention Deficit in 2009. While the album didn’t fare well on the charts, he did manage to conjure up a couple of poignant cuts. A highlight from the album came in the form of his collaboration with J. Cole and Melanie Fiona on "Beautiful Bliss." With both artists being pegged as the next premier emcees, this track proved to be a stepping stone for things to come. The normally demonstrative Wale Folarin came in the booth calm and collected on this track. On "Beautiful Bliss," he sketched out two intricate verses, which conveyed his intellect and very much groomed delivery. On the other end, J. Cole viciously attacked the beat with no regard to human life. Cole’s pit-bull like mentality was encapsulated in that one verse. His verse was hard and succinct. His punches were Mike Tyson-esque. In addition, Cole had so much pain and hunger in his voice that he made you replay his verse over and over.
Winner: J. Cole
Your Vote:
Wale Featuring J. Cole & Curren$y – "Rather Be With You"
Here, Wale and J. Cole hooked up on the metaphorically-driven "Rather Be With You." In 2009, Wale teamed up with 9th Wonder to create Back to the Feature, which was laced with soulful production and innumerable features. Instead of insipidly rapping about their love for their female counterparts, they slyly scripted verses about making love to the V. Once again, both rappers delivered great verses. This time, Cole had the first slot and dropped a bevy of gems. “Your two lips, they smell like tulips, so official/my n****s prolly clown me if I told them that I kissed you,” rapped Cole. Despite Cole handing Wale another top notch feature, Folarin stringed together a very powerful verse laced with witty banter and sexual innuendoes. Wale’s delivery was velvety smooth and outshined Cole’s aggressiveness this time around. “It’s soo-woo season and shawty dick teasing/and for that reason, now my shit is like a crip sneaker,” rapped Wale. Wale’s flow and lyrics were on pocket, as he walked away with the edge over Cole on this encounter.
Winner: Wale
Your Vote:
J. Cole Featuring Wale – "You Got It"
This time around, J. Cole called on Wale to take part on his mixtape Friday Night Lights. During this time, both Wale and J. Cole were facing doubts regarding their paths. Wale’s debut album, Attention Deficit wasn’t well-received and J. Cole was still on the sidelines, waiting for his chance to finally release his first album Cole World: The Sideline Story. Despite both artists' future facing shades of uncertainty, they both wanted to prove to the world that they were worthy of being heard. On "You Got It," J. Cole had two verses-- which were pretty strong. “Brains off the chain, smart girl with a dumb ass/Cot damn, your ex man is a dumbass,” rapped Cole. With Wale being reserved for the last slot, he certainly provided a myriad of A-1 bars. Lines like, “I ain’t superstitious, I make all these broads split my pole,” and “See money talks, you motherfuckers is Boomhauer,” gave Folarin the edge again. Every bar Wale dished out was Rap Genius worthy on "You Got It."
Winner: Wale
Your Vote:
"Fitted Cap"
Wale Featuring J. Cole, Meek Mill, & Rick Ross - "Fitted Cap"
This signaled the beginning of Ross’ empire Maybach Music. Having just signed Wale and Meek Mill, Ross was looking to ambush rap with his newly acquired line-up. With Wale feverishly ready to debunk all notions that he was finished, he teamed up with Ricky to restart his career and begin anew. This proved to be a good move for Wale, as his fans were able to see him in a new element, and of course, over some hard beats. On Self Made, Wale teamed up with his MMG crew and called on J. Cole for "Fitted Cap." With Rick Ross laying out the foundation of the record with his hook, Wale, Meek, and Cole went all in on their verses. Wale boasted about his sneaker collection, Meek talked his braggadocios talk, and J.Cole provided the proverbial cherry on top. "F*** hoes with no emotion/fade away like Kobe posting," said Cole. If that wasn’t hard enough, Cole ended his verse with the following: "My kicks like my chick, I don’t need to know the numbers/You just need to know I’m coming/I’ll kill you n****s this summer." Cole World.
Winner: J. Cole
Your Vote:
J. Cole & Wale – "Winter Schemes"
This unreleased Jake One produced record was originally slated for J. Cole’s sophomore album Born Sinner. During this time, both J. Cole and Wale earned their acceptance and were dubbed as leaders of the new rap generation. Wale linked up with Rick Ross' MMG and reinvented his career, releasing his commercially-lauded albums Ambition and The Gifted. J. Cole was on the heels of another successful release with Born Sinner, after he notched a top-selling project with Sideline Story. With both men fighting now to be on the cusp of immortality, they linked up again, this time for a lyrical exhibition. Surprisingly, J. Cole took a more conservative approach, while Wale spewed a venomous and aggressive verse. "New black soul, new black soul, new black soul/Ain’t toot my horn but I’m the new Satchmo. This Bishop TuTu with a 2Pac flow/You n****s think too slow, you Pikachu, but I’m Picasso," rapped Wale.
Winner: Wale
Your Vote:
Wale Featuring J. Cole, Meek Mill & Rockie Fresh – "Black Grammys"
At this point, Wale and J. Cole are fully established. Both artists have earned their stripes commercially and in the hip-hop community. "Black Grammys" was a full on display of high-class lyricism. All parties including Wale, Cole, Meek and Rockie Fresh came through. But, for this purpose, we’re grading solely Wale and Cole. Wale landed himself on the first verse and came out swinging. He laid out the skeleton for the song and led the crusade with bars like, “Like I’m under a goal post, I am too official,” and “As far as lyrics, I’m quite content with celibate living/wittingly unfuckwitable with these syllables/and fuck your syllabi, lil n**** been to school.” However, it was J. Cole who seized the day. Cole morphed back into that guy from “Beautiful Bliss” and seamlessly landed the knockout punch to conclude the record. Bar after bar, Cole had something witty to bring to the table and he never once showed any sign of slowing down.
Winner: J. Cole
Your Vote: