Former President Barack Obama is making it known that he still holds JAY-Z in the highest regard when it comes to how he ranks amongst his Hip-Hop peers such as Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole.
During his recent appearance on the Deep Cut podcast with professional barber and content creator Vic Blends, Obama spoke about the ongoing conversation about the big three rappers in the game right now.
More specifically, the former POTUS was asked his opinion on where Kendrick lands in the hierarchy of the big three rappers following his recent rap beef with Drake. Obama, who referred to Kendrick as a “friend,” didn’t quite crown the West Coast MC, but he did take a moment to elaborate on what he believes makes his artistry impressive.
“Kendrick is a friend of mine,” Barack Obama said. “I’ve been knowing him for a long time. He actually performed at the White House. I was the first, I think — I am pretty confident saying that not that many presidents were familiar with Hip-Hop before I was president. And I do think that Kendrick has a unique status right now, not just because of this summer.”
For Obama, it’s Kendrick Lamar’s focus on themes like fatherhood and self-discovery, which he says they have talked about at length, that sets him apart.
“But he’s not just gifted, he’s serious about the message,” he said. “He digs into himself. He digs deep. You’d enjoy Kendrick because when we get together, he wants to talk about fatherhood, those are the questions he’s talking about.”
When it came to J. Cole, Vic proudly voiced his hometown support for the Fayetteville rapper, even nudging Obama to consider him as the GOAT.
“I just talked to J [J. Cole] last week,” Obama said in response to Vic.
Obama speaks on the “Big 3” of Rap 👀
“I do think that Kendrick has a unique status right now… he’s not just gifted, he’s serious about the message.”
“J. [Cole] is very high on the list.” pic.twitter.com/cChJuevDhV
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) October 31, 2024
While Obama acknowledged that J. Cole was “very high on the list,” he was quick to name JAY-Z as the legend he believes still holds the title.
“There’s a guy named JAY-Z from closer to my generation,” he quipped.
As the pair continued to debate the topic, Obama laid out his opinion on why the Hip-Hop G.O.A.T. debate is much like the conversation about who is considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
“Look, this is a lot like the MJ [Michael Jordan] versus the LeBron conversation, right,” he said.
In addition to not only hosting Kendrick, but also JAY-Z and J. Cole to perform at the White House, Obama also welcomed the presence of some of lyricists such as Common and Wale, among many others. Not to mention his summer playlists have become one of the hottest and most prestigious playlist placements artists of the 2010s and 2020s era can receive. In essence, making Obama’s words about being the authority on Hip-Hop in the White House before any other president seemingly bulletproof.
Check out the video in the post above and watch the full interview below.