In some far-off alternate reality, the power rankings of Top Dawg Entertainment is unrecognizable from what we’ve come to accept. Once thought of as the fledgling label’s flagship export, the embryonic stages of TDE were practically structured to allow Jay Rock to rise to the top of the hip-hop mountain. Granted the unique distinction of being the first artist to release music on the label with the Lil Wayne and Will.I.Am aided “All My Life (In The Ghetto), his position as the colonel leading the charge has meant that many of the signees that followed were meant to file in behind him. As Kendrick was finding his feet as an MC under the TDE umbrella, one of the ways in which he cut his teeth was in the role of Jay Rock’s onstage hype man during the Follow Me Home era and beyond. Fast-forward to the release of Good Kid M.A.A.D City in 2012 and, in one fell swoop, Kendrick requisitioned any hope of Jay serving as TDE’s standard-bearer in a commercial or critical standpoint.
Blanketly overlooked by the casual rap fan for many years, the aptly named Redemption from last year finally gave TDE’s OG a chance to claw back some of the shine that had been deflected onto his fellow Top Dawg stablemates such as K.Dot, Q and SZA. For hardcore hip-hop fans, the upswing of praise that he’s received in terms of chart performance and even a Grammy nod was nothing if not agonizingly overdue.
Impactful upon nearly every appearance, the long-term misrepresentation of Jay Rock is something that has skewed public perceptions to portray him as a lesser calibre MC than Kendrick. But as he’s proven on numerous occasions, his trademark bluntness can occupy the same space as Kendrick’s lyrical abstractions without registering as a conciliatory add on.
One-time Bar-for-bar sparring partners during a long-form homage to the opposite coast known as No Sleep Till NYC from 2007, it’s time to pit their more celebrated collaborations head-to-head in order to establish if any major deficit between the two has emerged of if they remain at a comparative level of skill and rhyming ability.
Quiz photo credits:
Jay Rock: Lisa Lake/Getty Images
Kendrick Lamar: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
"Money Trees"
Among a sea of standout tracks that will go down in the annals of hip-hop history, Good Kid M.A.A.D City’s “Money Trees” still sounds as fresh and wholly essential today as it did when Kendrick first unveiled his breakout project. A sunkissed embodiment of the hustler’s mindset, this tale of come-ups and clandestine operations may be known for K.Dot’s laid-back cadence or its refrain of “Ya bish” but it ultimately falls short of the clinic that his Compton cohort provides.
Speaking to Genius, it’s clear that Jay went in with the intention of leaving his imprint on the album and that’s exactly what he did:
“I first heard the record before it dropped, riding in the car with Top Dawg listening to the whole album. I was like, “Okay, I want to hit this shit hard and rock this.” So one day I was just at the studio and Top came in and K Dot was like, “Man, jump on it. Just do a verse.” I wrote two or three versions before I could get writing. I didn’t want to put just anything on there—I’m going against Dot. I wanted to go in for the homie.”
A true document of Jay Rock’s dynamism and the resonance of his flow, every single syllable drips with the authenticity of a man that’s been there, done that and escaped to tell the tale.
Finest Bars:
Imagine Rock up in them projects
Where them n***as pick your pockets
Santa Claus don't miss them stockings
Liquors spillin', pistols poppin'
Bakin' soda YOLA whippin'
Ain't no turkey on Thanksgivin'
My homeboy just dome'd a n***a
I just hope the Lord forgive him
Winner: Jay Rock
"BET Cypher"
Whilst it may not be an official release, TDE’s Bet Cypher is more than worthy of inclusion on a list that’s fixated on verbosity and technique. Above that, it’s also regarded as a pivotal moment in the label’s history where their eminent greatness came roaring into focus for the world to see. Burdened with the daunting feat of attempting to do Havoc’s iconic production on Shook Ones Pt II justice, Jay Rock provides an absolute instructional lesson on verbal mean mugging but Kendrick’s concluding verse couldn’t be outdone no matter what he pulled out of the arsenal.
Alongside its role in parading Isaiah Rashad in front of viewers that hadn’t had ample time to get acquainted with TDE’s latest charge yet, Kendrick’s climactic diatribe was a chance for him to position himself in contention for rap’s hall of fame and that’s exactly what he did.
Finest Bars:
“You either corny or an opportunist
I let you eat, now go back to church and steal crackers at communion
What I been doing?
I'm about to crack the Da Vinci Code
Yeah and nothing's been the same since they dropped "Control"
And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pyjama clothes
Ha-ha, joke's on you, high-five
I'm bulletproof, your shots'll never penetrate
Pin a tail on a donkey, boy, you been a fake
I got my thumb on Hip Hop, and my foot in the back of your ass
Aftermath get the last laugh”
Winner: Kendrick
"Hood Gone Love It"
Widely popularized by GTAV’s Radio Los Santos, “Hood Gone Love It” is one of numerous choice cuts that would’ve had a larger impact upon its release had Jay Rock’s debut album not been marred by Warner Bros’ perceived mismanagement. In a way, its status as an overlooked record befits the theme of rallying against the grim prospects that had been placed in front of you and few songs capture this spirit quite like “Hood Gone Love It.” A rejection of the mainstream in favour of catering to the inhabitants of the world that moulded them, this West Coast classic in waiting may be a hotly contested race for the spoils but Jay is ever so finitely edged out by Kendrick on this outing. As if the subversive flow that he adopts on this track wasn’t enough, its significance grows in leaps and bounds when you consider that its final stages almost read like a prophecy for what was to come.
Finest Bars:
Lions, tigers, bears, oh my
Hear the siren, walk up, [pow pow] drive-by
Shooters, looters, federal fed intruders
The engines on back of scooters
The real can recognize real
And we need to know just who you are
You are in the presence of many presents
Kendrick the gift for the future, oh yeah, I said it
Winner: Kendrick
"King's Dead"
Perhaps best remembered for the absurdity of Future’s raspy delivery, there’s plenty of reason to revisit the Black Panther OST favourite for fans of TDE at their most joyfully hard-headed. What’s more, this track is enthralling in this competitive viewpoint as it’s ultimately a game of two halves, Whilst Kendrick came through on the hook, the sheer singlemindedness of Jay’s proclamations of “I gotta go get it” would’ve ordinarily allowed him to romp home with the victory. Due to the incisiveness of his flow, Jay Rock was almost predisposed to lay waste to this beat. However, the sheer personification of “Killmonger” and the volatile rage that Kendrick pulls off post beat switch leads us to reach an impasse and declare it a tie-game.
Finest Bars:
Jay: “I've been ready, my whip been ready, My bitch been ready, my clique been ready, My shit's been ready, my check's been ready, My shot's on full, that's Armageddon, I got pull, I hope y'all ready, My tank on full, you know, unleaded, I gotta go get it, I gotta go get it, I gotta go get it, I gotta go get it.
Kendrick: "Tee off the day, know we off the, be off the, eat off your plate, Throw me off, I be, "Off ya head", Well ate, on C4, I'm way off the edge, Fuck integrity, fuck your pedigree, fuck your feelings, fuck your culture. Fuck your moral, fuck your family, fuck your tribe, Fuck your land, fuck your children, fuck your wives, Who am I? Not your father, not your brother, Not your reason, not your future.
Winner: Tie
"The Heart Pt 3"
Recorded during a whirlwind trip to Vegas, the fact that “The Heart Pt 3 (Will You Let It Die?) was constructed three days prior to GKMC’s release gives it a sheen of added significance as it marks the last time that they’d enter the studio together and be viewed as peers in a commercial sense. For all that his role in the track is ultimately small, Jay Rock proves his sheer acuity and presence of mind by saying a lot more in 5 bars than some rappers can say across an overloaded 20 track album. That said, there’s little more compelling than Kendrick in the booth whilst fraught with emotion and that’s exactly what we get before us on the eve of his ascendance to superstardom. Plagued by insecurities and self-doubt, K.Dot’s bittersweet verse gives some historical foundation to his rise that makes it all the more well-earnt.
Finest Bars:
As I lay in this four corner room staring at candles
Thinking, "How can I make an example for this generation of Compton?"
My biggest fear is not feeling accomplished
Or turning back to that same accomplice
My past life was a child with no act right
Trying to smile in a room of killers, turn into a crash site
Influenced by niggas that spoke the gang culture fluent
Assuring that some blossom early and some truant
Thank God for the album I idolized
It's dark and plus hell is hot, that's the start of this crazy ride
Winner: Kendrick
"Pay For It"
Doused in a healthy coat of melodrama from Chantal Kreviazuk, the energy of “Pay For It” isn’t what you’d expect from what’s ostensibly a loose track. Instead, it has the energy of a big fight feel between two of the perennial greats slugging it out for dominance. Imbued with the spirit of Pac at his most contemplative, Jay Rock delivers the goods across both of his verses and shows the resilience that would eventually lead him to the successes of 2018. However, it’s hard to deny Kendrick is firing on all cylinders and the all-out grandeur of this Sounwave production is the perfect outlet forhis rhythmically elaborate and lyrically high-minded attack.
Finest Bars:
This ain't no warnin' shot, this a relevant henchman
See my opponent, then — cease your existence
Endin' our friendship, baby, I'd rather die alone
Your diaphragm is dietary, what you eatin' on?
Capture your audience with these words, boy
The holy Chapel, the tabernacle, the book of Matthew
And Jesus starin' at you, take your turn, boy
Winner: Kendrick
"Vice City"
Despite murky production that is almost impenetrable in its darkness, “Vice City” has given unending joy to TDE’s devout followers around the world. Complete with verses from each and every Black Hippy member, their explosive creative chemistry gave way to an off-kilter flow that makes the track into even more of an anomaly than the sight of all four of them on a track together already is nowadays. A proven chameleon when he needs to be, no-one takes to this structural abnormality quite like Jay Rock and it earns him yet another point.
Finest Bars:
She reel me in with some chicken wings
And some collard greens, that shit was brackin'
Just cracked me a new bitch
Bust new nut on her n***'s jersey
My bitch get off at 9 o'clock
So I had to shake her 'round 7:30
105, I'm stomping fast
With these big guns, I'm hella dirty
Get caught with this shit
I ain't comin' home 'til like 2030
Winner: Jay Rock
"U.O.E.N.O. (Black Hippy Remix)"
For many hip-hop heads, Black Hippy’s rework of Rocko’s U.O.E.N.O doesn’t just surpass the original but is heralded as the definitive version of the track and with good reason. Over 5+ minutes, TDE’s core battalion take on all comers and reiterate why they are arguably the foremost crew of the past decade. On top of that, each member’s verse is a blistering exhibition of their skillset and dispels the myth of superiority that has hung around Kendrick’s name for the longest time. No matter how fluid his verse is, there was just no stopping Jay Rock as he bulldozered his way through this beat with a cavalcade of undiluted gangsta rap that would make The Westside Connection proud. Not just an essential track for any TDE completist but one of Jay Rock’s finest hours.
Finest Bars:
No prescription, I'm flexing
Suplex a pussy, I've been off the edge
Too late to push me, n***a I ain't fell off
Used to move Frosted Flakes like Kellogg's
Pull up to the bank, count paper like tellers
Top Dawg, Money Gang, bitch, we've been on
Clothesline the beat, n***a John Cena
Been having stripes, can't walk in my Adidas
Kicked in the door, hand on the Nina
Black Hippy shit, rock gon' bleed 'em
Winner: Jay Rock
"THat Part (Black Hippy Remix)"
Unveiled as a supplementary offering just as his Blank Face LP, the tenacity of Q’s verse on the Black Hippy Remix of “That Part” would’ve taken the bars of a lifetime to overshadow. Emboldened with righteous anger in the wake of Alton Sterling’s heinous murder, Groovy Q dispensed with any light-heartedness and fired back at the unjust world that he and his daughter are forced to subsist in. However, Q squaring off against his confidants is a matter for another day. As far as how Kendrick and Jay stack up on this final and deciding battleground, it’s nigh on too close to call. But in fear of copping out, a victor must be crowned and at present, that victor is K.Dot. Sure, Jay’s verse comes with that ice-cold demeanour that we love so much and no shortage of fantastic lines but the sheer feats of lyrical manipulation that Kendrick pulls off here is too much to overcome. An extremely hard-fought victory, but a victory nonetheless.
Finest Bars:
My ID say my eye don't rest
My IV qualify T-rex
Society kept my IQ vexed
Denyin' me from an Ivy school
Applyin' me to the street I slept
I quietly had to hold this tool
Reminding me of the block I repped
The turf I stepped, the church and the earth I blessed
The first I guessed the alert was the murk I chef
Winner: Kendrick
Winner
For all that an answer has been given, the battle between Jay and Kendrick is open-ended and either victor wouldn’t be a miscarriage of justice. Where other instalments in this series have a more conclusive winner, this square off between TDE’s veterans ultimately comes down to a simple equation of personal preference between unabashed directness or the more highfalutin technical ability and metaphoric world that K.Dot creates. Where Kendrick will leave you dumbfounded without breaking a sweat, Jay Rock will aim for the jugular and implore you to sit up and grant him your full attention. Whatever side your allegiances lie on, let’s just hope that they never let this tradition of on wax hook-ups elapse.
FINAL SCORE
Jay Rock: 3
Kendrick Lamar: 5
Tie: 1