Talk about getting your money’s worth
In 2009, Drake and J. Cole–the brightest stars of YMCMB and Roc Nation respectively–emerged as faces of rap’s new elite. They were ridiculously talented, well-liked, and had something at their disposal powerful hip-hop rookies before them didn’t: the internet. 2 years later, Kendrick Lamar‘s Section.80 inserted him into the same upper echelon as Drake and Cole. By Spring of this year, both Kendrick and Drake had 4 platinum albums between them, and J. Cole had released 2 Gold albums in 2 tries. When anyone familiar with hip-hop’s current landscape is asked who rap’s biggest star is, post-2009, their answer is almost never anyone other than the three aforementioned names.
Last night, J. Cole brought them both out as surprise performers during the Los Angeles stop of his Dollar & A Dream Tour, to perform a couple of their biggest hits. Drake took to the stage to perform “Worst Behaviour” and “0-100/The Catch Up”, while Kendrick treated his hometown crowd to an energetic performance of “Backseat Freestyle”. It was most certainly an unbelievable and unforgettable experience for everyone in the crowd, but it also signified something bigger for everyone else. These guys, who are all working on their new albums (Drake is prepping his 4th, Kendrick is recording his sophomore and J. Cole’s 3rd LP will likely drop in 2015), may sit atop the rap game for the next decade, and its going to be very fun to watch. You can watch footage of Drake coming out here, and Kendrick below.