"I heard the barbershops be in great debates all the time

Bout who’s the best MC? Kendrick, Jigga and Nas

Eminem, Andre 3000, the rest of y’all

New niggas just new niggas, don’t get involved

And I ain’t rockin no more designer shit

White T’s and Nike Cortez, this is red Corvettes anonymous

I’m usually homeboys with the same niggas I’m rhymin’ with

But this is hip-hop and them niggas should know what time it is

And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Wale

Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake

Big Sean, Jay Electron’, Tyler, Mac Miller

I got love for you all but I’m tryna murder you niggas

Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you niggas

They dont wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you niggas”

As you can see, Kendrick mentioned a lot of these new rappers (new meaning a few mix tapes and up to their third albums). A lot of these rappers are Kendrick’s friends. This had every rapper trying to come up with the best response to get back at Kendrick… its not only who he mentioned that woke the world up; Kendrick even said “I am Mackaveli’s offspring, I’m the King of New York”… WOW!!!

A few things to consider:

• If you were not mentioned… you are not great, you are not in Kendrick’s league, he does not see you as his competition. He sees the people above in his league, great, and they are his competition. With that being said, if you are Joe Budden, Cassidy, Papoose, Lupe Fiasco you should clearly feel some type of way.
• The East Coast has been sleeping for YEARS!!! Even the people from New York are rapping and moving with a lot of Southern Rappers or they are from New York with a down south feel. This is for 2 reasons 1: DJ’s and 2: the RADIO. Radio needs something commercial to reach their audience and DJ Khaled, Pharell, Mike Will are those guys making the beats we hear on the radio. DJ’s play songs to get the club hyped, so even if you are a NY artist you will conform and rap on top of a southern beat to be heard in the clubs and on the radio.
• Kendrick just proved that the rap game was filled with a bunch of lazy “I’m still making money off my single for 6 years” ago rappers at the same time he’s making everyone feel like the rap game is filled with people who aren’t hungry!!! YES! Kendrick Lamar lit fire under everyone’s asses, but now everyone is saying “I’m the best”…. have plenty of seats after taking it down 50 notches.

What Kendrick did was the best thing to happen to hip-hop… the rap game PERIOD. He’s waking up these New York rappers, because these were the ones running around taking over during the same era 3-XL throwback jerseys were great to where. A little friendly competition doesn’t kill; it makes you stronger and separate rappers from lyricist.

Everyone is responding, and it will be unfair to pick at every single response, however, if you respond to Kendrick’s verse that is, because he touched a nerve, you are scared that some dude from Compton is going make you fade to black, you feel that you have to defend something that in fact you don’t even own.

Thank you, Kendrick from shaking up New York and the rap game… You have brought back the hunger the game was lacking, because now a days everyone can be a rapper, but only a few can be lyricist…

****Due to the delay in approving the samples in the song “Control”, the song will not be featured on the physical album or digital download. You can pre-order Big Sean’s album Hall of Fame now on iTunes and you can buy the album August 27th when it hits the shelves.