Joe Budden Believes J. Cole Is Better Than Kendrick Lamar & Drake Right Now

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1.6K Views
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Brooklyn Chophouse Grand Opening
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 25: Joe Budden attends Brooklyn Chophouse Grand Opening at Brooklyn Chophouse on April 25, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images)
While he didn't close the door on this "Big Three" debate for the future, the Slaughterhouse MC thinks Cole's currently leading the race.

During the latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, its titular host reopened the principal debate when it comes to the 2010s' hip-hop greats. Moreover, he and his colleagues reacted to the new J. Cole snippet teasing the arrival of his highly anticipated next album, The Fall Off. Overall, they were very receptive to the Dreamville MC's sharp bars, classy production, and the excitement he's generating with this rollout. In fact, Budden thinks that the North Carolina native surpassed his "Big Three" companions Drake and Kendrick Lamar when it comes to who is the best rapper right now.

"I got Cole as my one," Joe Budden shared on the latest episode of his show. "I’m hoping that Kendrick’s next album could try to fix that for me. Drake is doing his Chuck E. Cheese s**t. Good for him. That’s it now. Yeah, that’s it." As such, he's still keeping the door open on this debate for the near future. After all, one amazing album from any of the three has the potential to shift this long-running conversation in their favor, and folks still crown them as the top dogs when looking at the complete hip-hop package.

Joe Budden Crowns J. Cole As Current Head Of The "Big Three" 2010s Debate: Watch

"Remember when Kendrick dropped the title of the last s**t and we were trying to figure out what that meant?” Joe Budden continued. “When I heard The Fall Off and with him hinting at maybe retirement, I thought that would be the marriage between concept and title. But after watching some of these vlog clips where he’s just in the restaurant talking to the older lady that doesn’t know who he is? Classic J. Cole. Perfect rollout s**t again. This n***a’s the best at this.

"And he’s looking like he’s even uncomfortable having to try to explain who he is to her and she’s just talking about the state of the economy," he concluded. "Dawg, if this n***a starts tying in The Fall Off with all of this s**t? Get him outta here. We know he can. We know he’s a man of the people. You know for however many years, he’s just been talking to people like humans. From everywhere. Yo, The Fall Off, if that’s The Fall Off? Oh, he is a sicko. We’ll see." Drop your thoughts on this take in the comments section down below. Also, for the latest news and updates on Joe Budden, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake, log back into HNHH.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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