I am amazed how Cole manages to get by, by being so mediocre. Its incredible.

[MINT]

cole is not THAT bad, he's decent, but overrated by his fans

 

[Hammer]

Lmao dumb ass nikka, now he making threads saying drake fell, sit your stupid ass down

i'll punch u in the head, faq

 

[MINT]

do ppl still listen to him ? really ?

 

[NvrCMyNut]

It shouldn't, this is the era of mediocrity.

 

[Edi]

yeah because rappers today are giving us rhymes that are making Legends look like amateurs.

I don't see how J. Cole does it.

 

[MINT]

 

[DOUBLE UP]

We know its you Napoleon...

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Basic obviously means his bars. Cole's strength is in his storytelling and the concepts and emotions he conveys. As a straight up lyricist he's not the strongest. He thinks he's better than he is, but then again, most of these new guys are overrated lyrically. Wayne at his best was clearly a superior emcee to J.Cole, he just lacked any sort of content 90% of the time. You could say the same for Ross. People confuse feeling an emcee with their actual emcee skills. I'm a Cole fan, and even I know that he has limited lyrical ability. He has a witty line here and there, but his storytelling is what makes him J.Cole. He has some standout verses as well.

Being that content in the most important MC factor to me, you just proved why Wayne is basic. Seriously, even at his height the dude had some interesting punchlines but he was never anything more, a sing full of punchlines and you walk away thinking what the hell was that song even about. And Ross? Gtfoh out of here, he's nothing special on the mic in any category, I enjoy dude's music for what it is - club bangers and/or some smooth riding shyt. you don't have to be the best lyrics it to be a dope MC...Pac is the epitome of this...but you just came with some real wack examples

 

[No1]

Being that content in the most important MC factor to me, you just proved why Wayne is basic. Seriously, even at his height the dude had some interesting punchlines but he was never anything more, a sing full of punchlines and you walk away thinking what the hell was that song even about. And Ross? Gtfoh out of here, he's nothing special on the mic in any category, I enjoy dude's music for what it is - club bangers and/or some smooth riding shyt. you don't have to be the best lyrics it to be a dope MC...Pac is the epitome of this...but you just came with some real wack examples

I came with the right examples. Your entire post agrees with my description. They were used because they're not super lyricists so it wouldn't be a no-brainer, but they are better pure emcees than J. Cole. Rick Ross' best songs are not his club bangers, you sound like someone who has never listened to his recent albums. Look at the Tears of Joy beat that was originally given to J. Cole and then listen to Rick Ross on it. It's obvious who has more mic presence and understood how to get the best out of that beat. That was exactly the point and you're the perfect example of what people mean when they say people are unable to be objective in evaluating talent because of their subjective biases. I just broke down his limitations, but then stated I'm still a fan (and I've probably been a fan longer than most).

Superior rapper does not equal superior artist. I never made that claim.

Like you said "content" is important to you which is why you think the old Wayne is basic. But that is subjective, and if we're judging artists and rappers on what we subjectively want to hear then we're not judging them on their skill or execution but on what we personally need to connect to us. I never related, or felt Eminem the way I felt Nas growing up, but he was so dope and intricate with his lyrics that it overcame that and even if it didn't, I would not be able to say that he did not execute what he intended very well. Wayne was overrated because he never reached that level and wasn't so good that it could overpower his redundant subject matter (then he just became corny). Present Eminem is like that now, technically sound but corny instead of entertaining and engaging. Lyrics don't have to mean anything to be dope. Being a great songwriter and communicator of emotions is different than being a great technical emcee. 2Pac was great because of the former, but many artists have spoken on the same subject matter and their songs were not as good. It was his ability, not the content alone that made those songs great. It was what he was able to tap into. Cole is able to do that as well. That is why I am a fan, not because he is an elite-level spitter. If you get what I mean...and you also then must be able to see how someone who does not connect with what Cole is saying on an emotional level would find him dry at times.