I mean, it was called the big 3 because they were the biggest up and coming artists at the time. No one else (that didn’t already have a cemented legacy) could compare. Unfortunately all of the most prominent up and coming rap artists of the late last decade passed away, so we’re in a stage where there’s no real “big 3” anymore and it’s just legacy acts continuing to do their thing. Cole will get his time to shine again when he drops

The big three is Drake, Kendrick and French Montana. J Cole have not been in that discussion for years now

She diddy my small till it's biggy

With the help of bundles. Let's not leave that part out.

no it's a function of proximity

French Montana isn't even the Big 3 from the Bronx.

THEY GOT AMNESIA

If Mac wit da cheese see this it over

lil baby gunna travis uzi thug durk

not a fan but pretty sure it’s a function of sales

Why not mac miller or tyler or bino who have better albums than him

Because he raps better than them.

I havent liked his music for like 10 years but people do, he sells a lot and is generally well regarded by everyone.

I think the only argument against him for 3rd would be Future which I dont really care to get into but it speaks to the fact that hes pretty clearly in whatever objective top group you want to make.

Lil baby and durk don’t have the stardom

He got in there cause people didn't wanna give it to a woman(Nicki) or a trap rapper (Future)

But realistically he was never better then either

it's like the 03 draft class. Melo isn't really in the same breath of LeBron or Wade in terms of legacy, but he was drafted next to them and he did enough cool s*** that he gets remembered next to them

Kendrick made GKMC. That album alone is enough to lock Kendrick into the Big 3.

This is an insane thread

ok then

the premise is irrelevant if decade old albums matter in the present

No but at the same time I think people have him on a really high pedestal that I don't agree with at all but it is what it is

This is so dumb

He has like 6 #1 albums, and his longevity spans like 13 years and counting

He's on a co-headlining arena tour right now 13 years after this debut album dropped. That's literally happening right now, that is not 'nostalgia'

He's like, greater than 99% of the genre's rappers ever.

Not even close

#1 albums, hit records, features, arena touring act 14 years into his career and counting, Grammy award winning,

It remains puzzling how parts of Twitter and KTT are like the only people who just don't 'get it' with Cole.

Even if you don't like him, the proof of concept is right in front of you lol

By what metric would Cole not be worthy of 'big 3/GOAT' status

it kinda is

he doesn’t make albums better than Kendrick
he isn’t a better hitmaker than Drake

what are we doing here lol

if we’re talking about sheer popularity, sales whatever then Cole is undoubtedly a part of the big 3

what confuses me though is when people try to extend that and try to act like Cole is on par with either Kendrick or Drake cause they’re in the same class, that’s not how things work lol—that if anything is a product of nostalgia