He's a success on paper, but outside of that it's all subjective, so it's opinion, getting back to your first point, he's not on thin ice.
I hear a lot of people who bump Cole's music, he wouldn't be able to tour and have the sales he has if people weren't legitimately fukking with his music. Neither Kendrick, Drake or Cole fall into that "just enough" category to me, but each to their own.