Posted by J. Cole and Dreamville returned with their D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape alongside DJ Drama on Thursday night (March 31).
With Hip Hop buzzing around the surprise release, Royce Da 5’9 took to Twitter to give Cole his flowers as a rapper and executive while saying he’s separated himself from Drake and Kendrick Lamar in the “big 3” argument of his generation.
“Ready to talk about EarthGang now? Matter of fact…The WHOLE Dreamville …They ready for the Zombie Apocalypse out this bitch,” Royce wrote on Thursday. “Cole as an Executive separates him from that 3 headed monster convo y’all been having for the last 10 yrs… Put some respek on my brother’s name.”
Ready to talk about EarthGang now? Matter of fact…The WHOLE Dreamville …They ready for the Zombie Apocalypse out this bitch.. Cole as an Executive separates him from that 3 headed monster convo y’all been having for the last 10 yrs… Put some respek on my brother’s name.. ?
— Nickle (@Royceda59) April 1, 2022
The Detroit native might have a smidge of bias after working with J. Cole on 2018’s “Boblo Boat,” which landed on Royce Da 5’9’s Book of Ryan. The tweet stamping Cole over Kendrick and Drizzy quickly went viral and caused a slew of debates in the replies as it has already racked up over 2,500 likes.
J. Cole & Dreamville Unleash ‘D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape’ Featuring 2 Chainz, A$AP Ferg + More
Many were willing to give Cole his props on the executive front, but still preferred Kendrick Lamar’s skillset as an MC and his discography.
“As a career yeah but as far as being an MC Kendrick is still the best of the 3 still,” one fan wrote.
As a career yeah but as far as being an MC Kendrick is the best of the 3 still
— Guwop (@BigGooch183) April 1, 2022
J. Cole has been compared with Hip Hop peers Drake and Kendrick Lamar non-stop since their careers took off. All three were unanimous selections as part of Spotify’s RapCaviar Mount Rushmore of rap for the 2010s with Nicki Minaj taking the final spot.
Drizzy, K-Dot, Cole and ??? Who takes the fourth spot on the Mount Rushmore of the 2010s? ? pic.twitter.com/trTOivIG6q
— RapCaviar (@RapCaviar) May 27, 2021
On King’s Disease 2, Nas dubbed Cole, Kendrick and Drake as worthy successors to the Hip Hop throne with the torch being passed by Escobar himself, Biggie Smalls and JAY-Z. Meanwhile, J. Cole conceded greatness by sharing the stage with Drizzy and K. Dot on his “Heaven’s EP.”
“Some people say I’m running third/They threw the bronze at me/Behind Drake and Dot/Yeah them n-ggas is superstars to me,” Cole raps over Drake’s Certified Lover Boy instrumental.