Quite honestly the answer depends on what you mean by “better lyricist”, that’s why Lupe had the audacity to say it’s 100 rappers better than Dot. I equate that to his personal regard for “punchlines & entendres” 🤦🏾♀️
As much as I hate that Lupe has become this bitter, resentful, hater (no matter how much he denies it, we all can clearly see it) if we strictly speaking about the craft of writing bars, I can admit Lupe is the superior lyricist. He dazzles with technical mastery. Mural is my favorite Lupe song because of all the layers, the callbacks, internal rhyme chains, the metaphor stacking, as someone who writes poetry I genuinely geek over shit like that, but lyricism isn’t only about difficult bars.
If we talking about the overall artistry of an MC, lyrics that connect emotionally, album concepts, heavily impacts culture, Kendrick has the strongest case in Hip-Hop history because his music feels like watching a movie. He’s mastered blending high level techniques with emotional resonance & storytelling that reaches a broader audience than Lupe ever has.
I will say that when it comes to technical lyricism, multilayered metaphors, internal rhymes, wordplay, I honestly don’t believe they’re far off though, but when it comes to storytelling, emotional writing, character writing, album construction, concepts, accessibility to the audience & cultural impact, Kendrick definitely takes it every time because he’s just as clever as Lupe & he makes you FEEL what he’s saying
Even if you don’t live in NYC, please retweet this and get the word out so that the ppl in YOUR city also learn that they too can have politicians who get things done if they mobilize and vote socialist in other elections! 🗣️