Big Daddy Kane has made no secret about his admiration for J. Cole, noting in the past that he’s his “hero” from the current crop of rappers.
However, in a new interview, the Hip-Hop pioneer explained why he’s such a fan of the Dreamville Records founder, quoting one of Cole’s lyrics and leaving his hosts dumbfounded.
During a recent appearance on Drink Champs, Big Daddy Kane discussed the current state of rap and the debate that lyricism is lacking in modern-day Hip-Hop.
However, Kane disagreed with the suggestion, noting there are a plethora of lyricists among the latest crop of rappers.
“There are a lot of lyrical emcees; you just have to find them,’ he explained. “But at this point in time what’s more important really is a catchy tune.”
He went on to say that today’s lyricists shun “commercial production” over boom bap.
“That’s not what’s really selling or what’s playing on the radio,” he added. “But you do have lyrical emcees that rhyme over that modern style production. Like J Cole.”
Biddy Daddy Kane then hailed Cole as “my favorite emcee of this era.”
Big Daddy Kane Quotes J. Cole
He also gave a nod to Griselda rapper Conway the Machine and Benny The Butcher but insisted Cole is just different.
And Kane is not just a fan of Cole’s album cuts and hit singles’ the OG is also paying attention to his freestyles. When Kendrick Lamar entered the conversation, Big Daddy Kane quoted a bar Cole spat during a 2021 appearance on Power 107’s L.A. Leakers Radio.
“I love Kendrick, but you got to understand, Cole said: ‘No Cosby s### but if they sleepin on me, f### ‘em’.”
Check out the clip below and watch the episode at the end of the page.
In an interview with AllHipHop.com earlier this summer, Big Daddy Kane shared he’s a fan of Cole and others for being “true to lyricism.”