The answer to this question is extremely clear. Kendrick Lamar is the greatest rapper alive and it’s not even close. No one touches his combination of emotion, inspiration and lyrical genius. He is a once in a generation rapper who some would say has been the best rapper since Tupac, arguably the best rapper to ever live.

The thing that separates Kendrick Lamar from the rest of the rappers today is the lyrical value of his songs. While many popular rappers today such as Lil Uzi, Lil Yachty, Migos and Kodak rap about meaningless things such as drugs, guns, violence, etc., Kendrick raps about the parts of life that truly matter. He talks about his rough past and how he was able to grow from those experiences into the person he is today. His lyrics reveal how hard he has worked to get where he is and the great life he is now living because of it.

In one of his newest songs titled DNA, Kendrick says, “I got realness, I just kill $%# cuz it’s in my DNA. I got millions, I got riches buildin’ in my DNA.” Here, Kendrick touches upon how real and genuine of a person he is which has allowed him to succeed in everything he does. He now has fame, money and success as a result of his hard work while staying true to himself.

What also makes Kendrick Lamar so unique is that his lyrics consist of racial prejudices expressed against blacks in America and how these prejudices need to be ended. He doesn’t only rap about himself which shows that he cares about others and understands that it’s bigger than him. In his song titled Backseat Freestyle, Kendrick Lamar says “Martin had a dream, Martin had a dream, Kendrick had a dream.” He has the same dream of equality for all as Martin Luther King Jr. did. This shows that he actually cares about the wellbeing of society.

I think the response to Kendrick’s new album proves that many people agree with my sentiments. His new album, DAMN., is currently the #1 album on Apple Music and was received the highest album rating of all time (99/100) on metacritic.com. In addition to that, if you look at the top charts for all genres on Apple Music, the top 10 songs are all from Kendrick’s new album. This is clear proof of not only how popular of an artist he is, but also how influential he is. Kendrick Lamar is a one of a kind rapper who cannot be touched by any rapper today. He is far and away the best rapper alive.