AS I was saying, if you want someone to paint pictures through words, Kendrick can do it masterfully. But I don't consider him a better storyteller because of it. The BIGGEST difference to which why J. Cole have so many adoring fans that maybe arguably larger than Kendrick's... (Kendrick is more of a media darling with more media exposure) is the fact that J. Cole even in the most SIMPLEST WAYS can touch the listener in his storytelling. It's like J. Cole is that Aesop fable and Kendrick is that Leo Tolstory. One gets its point directly across and it impacts you in the most simplest of ways whereas the other is extremely expressive and detailed for expressionistic sake. I mean I entire songs by Kendrick like "A Dollar Cost", but then he would lose you in being too "artistic" just for creativity showing off like in the song "U"...and this isn't a criticism, it is just how he is... he likes painting the picture instead of being just straight up to the point.
The simple storytelling of "03 Adolescence" could be more powerful and relatable to people like you and I growing up than most songs as lyrical and clever Kendrick may have. The emotional impact and direct moral point reaches to you without trying to decipher what was said.
Reminds me of 2Pac and Nas