A few years ago when Big Sean’s “Control” came out, it was immediately lauded as a big-time track due to three tremendous verses from Sean, Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica. While he was only a feature, Kendrick’s verse was by far the most talked about, as he called out a number of artists who he felt needed to step up their game. It wasn’t so much a disrespect thing as much as it was a challenge, a calling out of his peers, and it seems to have come full circle as Big Sean is now calling out Kendrick.

On his recently-released track “No More Interviews,” Sean sent some subliminal shots at K. Dot’s fitted:

I’m not impressed with the whoopty woop, I don’t know who is who
And can’t pretend like I’m hip to it, no hula hoop
And I can’t lie like I like this shit like I usually do
And I’m just not impressed by you niggas rapping fast
Who sound like one big asthma attack but trash when I’m rapping it back
Who you put in your top five and claim they the savior of rap

Now, one could argue that these bars weren’t directly aimed at Kendrick, but I don’t think there’s anyone else who people claim to be the “savior of hip-hop” more than Lamar.

There are a few things that could have possibly fueled this, as Sean himself is an underrated emcee and mad talented when it comes to lyricism, and maybe feels like he’s chopped liver in comparison to the filet mignon that Kendrick is widely regarded as.

Not to mention the two collabs they have together in “Control” and “Holy Key,” on both of which the general consensus is that Lamar had the better showing.

While I am personally more of a fan of Kendrick than Big Sean, I believe that what he said a good thing, because I think it’ll bring awareness to the fact that Kendrick is definitely a savior of hip-hop, but not THE sole savior of hip-hop. While Kendrick’s impact is undeniable, there are a number of other artists like Big Sean that could very well hold the torch as a top dog (no pun intended) in hip-hop.

Obviously a lot of this comes down to personal opinion and taste, but I think artists like Big K.R.I.T., Isaiah Rashad, Pusha T, hell, even Mick Jenkins are all top-notch artists with a knack for impressive layers of lyricism in their songs.

This does not at all take away from the amazing music and performances that Kendrick has delivered, but I do feel as though he gets a ton of shine and some others unfairly fall by the wayside. I don’t personally think his content has been lacking, but I do think that this perception that Kendrick is this generation of hip-hop’s sole golden child is a bit skewed and that there are others that deserve more credit.

What will be important to watch from here is if any other artists speak up. It’s no secret that Kendrick is talented as fuck, but he’s also a fan favorite. I feel as though a lot of artists are too intimidated to make comments along the same lines as Sean’s, though him speaking out may open up the floodgates and move more artists to claim their spot as one of hip-hops best. Either way, here’s hoping we get some quality hip-hop out of all this.