J. Cole is on a pretty decent feature run right now.
Before “The Apology,” I genuinely thought J. Cole was the best rapper in the game. He was not only delivering killer verses, but he was also challenging top-tier rappers like Drake and Benny The Butcher in lyrical showdowns and consistently coming out on top. However, after “The Apology,” he slipped in my rankings, mainly due to the heated rivalry between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, which pushed both of them to elevate their lyrical game even further. Cole also dropped a few underwhelming verses, like the ones on “Grippy” and Future and Metro Boomin’s “Red Leather.”
That said, J. Cole seems to be on the comeback trail with three new high-profile collaborations: one with A$AP Rocky, another with Daylyt, and his latest with Tee Grizzley called “Blow For Blow.”
They don’t make bangers like “Blow for Blow” anymore. The track, driven by a simple yet effective beat from Pierre Bourne, sees J. Cole and Tee Grizzley going head-to-head in a battle of cool. Cole kicks things off with an aggressive verse, dropping braggadocious and competitive bars with clever punchlines. Tee follows up with a hard-hitting verse, bringing up his deep ties to the streets, his lavish lifestyle, and his violent past. Cole handles the chorus, which features a sample from Mase—quite an interesting time to be sampling Bad Boy records.
Who do you think had the best verse in this track? Let us know in the comments section!
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
