Then comes Kendrick Lamar, who always provides a majestic breath of fresh air when touching on social awareness. His style, however, is still unique to Cole’s, in that he uses more of a story-telling technique for his mission. Some have argued that Cole is a more watered down version of Kendrick, which isn’t to take away from Cole’s intelligence, but more so to make it easier for majority of society to understand. In my own take from both of their projects over the years, Cole has been more relatable than Kendrick, as K. Dot’s tracks are typically more personal than general. Needless to say, these two are absolutely using hip-hop, to its full advantage, as a tool to educate and inspire our generation. This could be why there have been talks of comparisons to Nas and Jay Z in both of their styles.

Although Drake might not fit into the innovative section of the genre, he still gives fans that escape, or even slight distraction, from the troubles of our generation, through his turn-up tracks, as well as songs addressing his issues in love. At the end of the day, doesn’t love conquer all?
Regardless of how one may feel about these three hip-hop contenders outside of their song-making, it’s hard to deny that they are untouchable. They are pushing the boundaries on talent-filled, thought-provoking music that veterans have been pushing to bring back for the past decade. It may not be the 90’s anymore, but a new Golden Age has kicked off in hip-hop, with Drake, Kendrick, and J. Cole being the Holy Trinity. –Lindsey India