Much like Eminem and his return, J. Cole has been leaving many impressions whenever he touches the microphone. Whether it be on his solo joints or giving the assist to fellow rappers, every verse delivered seems to leave an impact.
Rhyming alongside the likes of Jay-Z, Wale, Jay Electronica, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, most would come to think of it as a challenge for the rookie of Hip-Hop, but after listening, it feels more like the veterans are the ones that need to catch up with Cole.
Is Cole becoming the new version of Eminem and getting his “Renegade” on for the way that he seems to essentially murder the competition when it comes to being a feature?
Speaking with DJ Whoo Kid, the modest rapper from North Carolina refuted the idea that he goes in to embarrass others, but only looks as everything as being a competition.
“I’m naturally just a competitor anyway…Whatever it is, I don’t want to lose. And it’s not like I’m going in there like, ‘Yea, let me have the best verse on the song’, I just really don’t want somebody else to get me. That’s my mind state like man, I’m on a song with Kweli, I gotta come with it or I’m on a song with Jay Electronica, I gotta come with it.”
In regards to if rappers have felt the need to rework their verse when they believe a feature is outshining them, the XXL Freshman adds that if he was in that type of predicament, he would make necessary steps to be the king of the mountain for the verse.
“I wouldn’t take it any kind of way. It hasn’t happened yet, but I wouldn’t take it no kind of way because I know if I did a song and I did a feature and I had somebody on my joint that came harder than me, then I’m gonna rewrite my verse.”
No one can ever knock the spirit of competition when it’s all just for the fun of the music, but it must also be tiresome to know that one rapper’s verse is better both.
