Yesterday, Brian B.Dot Miller sparked discussion by sharing a list of his top ten rappers from the year thus far. Though lined with respectable lyricists across the board, many were unsurprisingly rattled by the order. For some context, Miller had them ranked, from best to worst, as Lil Baby, J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Conway, Benny The Butcher, Drake, Freddie Gibbs, Nas, JAY-Z, and Jim Jones.
Though undeniable in superstar staus and universal appeal, Lil Baby's presence above formidable and active bar spitters like Conway, Benny, and Cole raised eyebrows, especially in an era where lyricists can feel unappreciated by commercial rap audiences. The backlash got to the point where even Benny The Butcher faced some of it, forcing him to clarify that the list was not in fact his own. Suffice it to say, Miller's Best Rappers list certainly sparked a passionate discourse, with fans and selectees alike getting in on the action.
That includes Jim Jones, who rounded out the tenth spot off the strength of his Harry Fraud-produced The Fraud Department. Upon seeing the list, the fiercely competitive New York legend made it clear that he was undervalued, going so far as to channel a gunsligner hellbent on cleaning up the town.
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"I didn’t make this list but tell @bdottm th list is cute," responds Jones, alongside a screenshot of Miller's ten. "I’m a start chopping this list down one by one lol Matters fact put me in th booth wit anyone of these artist and let’s do it live see who’s left standing. Thts how we can really settle this shit like th westerns shoot th booth up."
"Makin music is fun till u gotta go head to head I love competition," he continues, proceeding to raise the stakes. "Anybody wanna rump let me know besides th competition we can make a serious bag turn this into a NFT and everybody walk away wit a bag like a @floydmayweather fight. Yal let me know if any of these artist accept th challenge I’m ready."
Though it's likely that Miller factored in additional criteria beyond bar-spitting into the equation, it's equally likely that Jones sees himself as the dominant lyricist of the pack. Though he'd certainly have fierce competition from certain emcees were his game to set afoot, you have to give the Dipset veteran his credit. Hell, there's even a case to be made that Jones is in his prime right now -- perhaps it's time he began to receive some more respect on his name.