Ranking the 'Big 3' Every Year Since 2010

Image via Complex Original/Elijah Justice

A decade ago, three rappers emerged at the top of their class: Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole.

Each of them have approached their careers in very different ways in the years since then, but all three have made lasting contributions to rap. Today, they’re each still on top of the game, and they’ve done it on their own terms. It’s why they’re referred to by many as the “Big 3” of their class.

Every year since 2010, there’s been friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) competition between the Big 3. Some years, all three of them dropped big projects around the same time, and competition was fierce. Other years, one of them dominated, while the other two sat back and plotted their next moves. Drake has historically been the most active year-over-year, consistently dropping new music, while Kendrick will sometimes go years without releasing a new album, and Cole is somewhere in between.

Right now, all three artists are at pivotal points in their careers, and they’re all active. This week, Kendrick is getting ready to release his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which will arrive on the heels of 2021 projects from Drake (Certified Lover Boy) and J. Cole (The Off-Season). The spirit of friendly competition is in the air, so it only feels appropriate to turn back the clocks and reflect on each of their careers.

Looking back on every year since 2010, we ranked each member of the Big 3, based on how much they dominated the year on a musical level. For the purposes of this list, we focused on the music that each artist dropped in the calendar year (including releases of their own and guest features). Then we ranked the three artists against each other, according to the impact and the quality of their music in that year. To end up in first place in any given year, an artist must dominate the conversation, put out great music, make a lasting impact, and (most importantly) edge out their peers. Think of it as the MVP award for the year. Without further ado, here’s our ranking of the Big 3, every year since 2010.

2010

 

1st: Drake (Thank Me Later)

2nd: J. Cole (Friday Night Lights)

3rd: Kendrick (Overly Dedicated)

At the start of the decade, the Drake-Cole-Kendrick pecking order was as clear as it’s ever been. Cole was on the cusp of releasing his debut studio project, and Kendrick’s Overly Dedicated mixtape marked him as one to watch out west, but Drake was first up to take a swing at superstardom with his debut studio album Thank Me Later. At the time, he was Lil Wayne’s protégé, and part of a one-two punch with Nicki Minaj that already had so much starpower they skipped the XXL Freshman list and got a cover of their own. Thank Me Later doesn’t rank at the very top of Drake’s discography for most fans, but still-beloved songs like “Fancy,” “Shut It Down,” “Miss Me,” and “Light Up” showed that he had everything it took for rap superstardom. And aside from his own musical exploits, he emerged as a Toronto ambassador with the OVO Fest, which marked him as an industry entity in a way Cole and Kendrick hadn’t achieved yet. But anyone with ears could tell their moments were coming soon. J. Cole is 2010’s silver medalist off the strength of Friday Night Lights, a strong mixtape full of songs that were meant to be on his Sideline Story debut album. Songs like “In the Morning” with Drake and “Before I’m Gone” marked him as a sharp storyteller with a clear lens of who he is and who he’s speaking to. Ditto for Overly Dedicated, a strong mixtape where Kendrick demonstrated artistic daring on standout songs like “Alien Girl,” “P&P 1.5,” and “Ignorance Is Bliss,” the latter of which got Dr. Dre’s attention. —Andre Gee

2011

 

1st: Drake (Take Care, “I’m On One,” “She Will”)

2nd: J. Cole (Cole World: The Sideline Story)

3rd: Kendrick (Section.80)

Drake was inescapable in 2011. Capitalizing on the momentum of Thank Me Later, he came back even harder with his sophomore album Take Care, which positioned him as a global star. The project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 631,000 units in its first week. It was full of classic tracks like “The Motto,” “Marvins Room,” and “Take Care,” but Drake didn’t stop there. He also appeared on major singles from other artists, like DJ Khaled’s “I’m On One” and Lil Wayne’s “She Will.” Ultimately, Drake was rewarded for his massive year when Take Care won a Grammy for Best Rap Album. J. Cole also had a strong year, as Cole World: The Sideline Story debuted at No. 1 and sold a little over 200,000 in its first week, aided by hits like “Lights Please,” “Can’t Get Enough,” and “Work Out.” In comparison to his peers, Kendrick Lamar was still on his ascent and had less of an impactful year, but he still released great music. Section.80 was met with positive views but failed to perform commercially on the same level as Drake and J. Cole’s albums at the time. It wasn’t until later that most of the mainstream world appreciated what he accomplished on a project like Section.80. And it turned out that Section.80 laid the groundwork for Kendrick to drop a masterpiece the following year and take over rap. —Jessica McKinney

2012

 

1st: Kendrick (good kid, m.A.A.d city)

2nd: Drake (“Stay Schemin,” “No Lie,” “Amen,” “Pop That,” “Tony Montana,” “Us,” “Fuckin Problems,” “Poetic Justice”)

3rd: J. Cole (“Miss America”)

Kendrick Lamar ascended into rap superstardom in 2012. Good kid m.A.A.d city is a landmark album that was so well-received it drew a widespread comparison to Nas’ Illmatic. The notion is blasphemous to rap elders, but it serves as an arbiter of just how well-crafted GKMC was. For 12 tracks, Kendrick expertly narrated the struggle of morality, mortality, and faith under the SoCal sun. The project was so cinematic it felt like a 2K redux to west coast classic movies like Boyz N The Hood and Menace To Society. Kendrick’s ability to imbue a concept album with strong singles like “Backseat Freestyle,” “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe,” and “Swimming Pools” marked him as the leader of the new school to many rap fans.

Drake had a lot to say about that idea, though. In 2012, he was riding the high of the previous year’s now-six-times platinum Take Care. He took after his big brother Wayne by going on a feature spree throughout 2012, appearing on 2010s classics like 2 Chainz’s “No Lie,” Meek Mill’s “Amen,” French Montana’s “Pop That,” ASAP Rocky’s “Fuckin Problems,” Future’s “Tony Montana” and Lil Reese’s “Us.” He also collaborated with then-partner in rhyme Kendrick on the silky “Poetic Justice,” and got into his first major lyrical dustup with Common on “Stay Schemin.” The track could arguably be pinpointed as the birth of the vengeful, greasy-talking mob boss Drake, with lines like “you like the fuckin’ finish line, we can’t wait to run into you.” He hit the finish line of our list in second place this year, but through no fault of his own.

Cole had a relatively quiet 2012, aside from officially dropping Cole World: The Sideline Story’s Missy-assisted “Nobody’s Perfect” single and music video early in the year. And toward the end of 2012 he geared up for the release of the then-upcoming Born Sinner with the fiery “Miss America.” —Andre Gee

2013

 

1st: Drake (Nothing Was the Same)

2nd: Kendrick (“Control,” Yeezus tour)

3rd: J. Cole (Born Sinner, Yours Truly EPs)

By 2013, Drake was one of the biggest rappers in the world, and after taking some time to enjoy the success of Take Care, he came back with another classic. Nothing Was the Same was another immediate commercial success, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and selling 658,000 copies in its first week. Drake was also applauded for his sharp rapping skills on songs like “Worst Behavior,” “Tuscan Leather,” and “Started from the Bottom” as well as his ability to craft melodic smash hit records like “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” Nothing Was the Same was a concise, expertly constructed album that’s considered by many to be one of the best projects of his career. Each artist had a great year in their own right, though. Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” verse was one of rap’s biggest, most talked-about moments of the 2010s. His declaration as the “King of New York” infuriated other rappers, both young and veteran, and “Control” was both a cultural reset and a wake-up call to all other rappers in the game. As a bonus, he went on the road with Kanye on the Yeezus tour and continued to raise his own profile. J. Cole dropped his album Born Sinner a few months earlier than “Control.” It was a great album, met with much acclaim at the time, but its impact was ultimately less influential in comparison to the work of Drake and Kendrick in 2013. —Jessica McKinney

2014

 

1st: J. Cole (2014 Forest Hills Drive, “Be Free”)

2nd: Drake (“0 to 100 / The Catch Up,” “Tuesday,” “Draft Day,” “6 God,” “How Bout Now”)

3rd: Kendrick (“i”)

2014 belonged to J. Cole, and he outdid his Big 3 contemporaries with the critically-acclaimed 2014 Forest Hills Drive. His two previous studio albums were solid and strengthened his core fanbase, but 2014 Forest Hills Drive is the project that really catapulted his career to another level and turned him into a bonafide superstar. Not to mention, it’s the album that would notoriously go double platinum without no features, birthing memes galore. Cole also delivered an emotionally-charged performance of his new single “Be Free” on Letterman in 2014, around the time the nation was protesting the murder of Mike Brown. Kendrick and Drake didn’t take the year off, though, despite not releasing studio albums. Both artists released singles that had moments of their own. To Drake’s credit, “0 to 100 / The Catch Up” and his feature on “Tuesday” generated momentum that eclipsed the buzz of other rapper’s entire projects in 2014. He also hosted SNL and was still on his Drake vs. Lil Wayne tour, a beta version of what Verzuz would eventually become. Kendrick’s “i,” which took home two Grammys, was the perfect prelude to what some believe to be his magnum opus, 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly. Drake and K Dot were gearing up for monster 2015s, while Cole owned 2014 with one of his best concept albums. —Jordan Rose

2015

 

1st: Drake (If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, What a Time to Be Alive, “Back to Back, “Charged Up,” “Hotline Bling”)

2nd: Kendrick (To Pimp a Butterfly)

3rd: J. Cole (on tour)

In basketball terms, ranking 2015 rap supremacy is like comparing a 60-point game to a 20-20-20 triple-double. Kendrick’s To Pimp A Butterfly was an incredible follow-up to good kid, m.A.A.d city, and for a notable amount of fans, it’s the best project any of the three men have released. But Drake offered a surprise drop of If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, which has, in my estimation, the leanest collection of melodic, reflective, and braggadocious Drake records ever. After Meek accused Quentin Miller of giving Drake reference tracks, he shot back with the fatal two-piece of “Charged Up” and “Back to Back.” Then he dropped “Hotline Bling,” an undeniable earworm with a neon video that became one of rap’s first massive meme moments. And if July 2015 wasn’t hot enough, he doubled back in September with a Future collaboration album What a Time to Be Alive. Drake was ubiquitous in 2016, and we had to give him the nod. If people weren’t blasting IYRTITL, “Back To Back” or What a Time to Be Alive, they were doing the “Hotline Bling” dance.

To Pimp A Butterfly is a thoughtful, timely project that came in the midst of national anti-police uprisings and social discourse on the roots of systemic oppression. The people needed “Alright” to ring off at anti-police brutality protests. It felt good to hear “i,” and Tupac on “Mortal Man.” The Rapsody-assisted “Complexion (A Zulu Love)” was an important reflection on colorism. And even if the thesis of “Blacker The Berry” was polarizing, it was a rousing catalyst for discussions on the nature of both proletariat gun violence and police brutality. TPAB was thought-provoking. It was unflinching. It was steeped in the history of Black music and expression.

For a good amount of 2015, J. Cole was on tour for his star-making Forest Hills Drive album. He did officially roll out the singles for “Wet Dreamz” and “No Role Modelz” with a video for the former (although they first arrived in 2014). Overall, he was quiet, making him the easy third place entrant for 2015. —Andre Gee

2016

 

1st: Drake (Views, “Summer Sixteen,” “Two Birds, One Stone”)

2nd: J. Cole (4 Your Eyez Only, “False Prophets,” “Everybody Dies,” ​​”Jermaine’s Interlude”)

3rd: Kendrick (Untitled Unmastered)

Ahhh, summer 2016. Do you remember what you were listening to? Probably Drake, because he was everywhere. In January 2016, he called his shot with “Summer Sixteen,” before proceeding to actually run the summer with pop-friendly hits like “Hotline Bling,” “One Dance,” “Pop Style,” “Controlla,” and “Too Good.” Views might not top everyone’s “Best Drake Albums” lists, but it was an undeniable commercial smash, sitting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for a mindblowing ten nonconsecutive weeks. By the end of the year, he tallied 4.7 billion total streams on Spotify alone, solidifying his position as the king of the streaming era. His music was, quite literally, inescapable. J. Cole, meanwhile, dropped 4 Your Eyez Only, a critically-acclaimed album that went platinum with no features (again). It was the second most-streamed album of the year (behind only Views), reminding everyone just how big of an impact Cole can make without needing to bend himself to the trendy mainstream sounds of the moment. It’s an accomplishment that pushes him just ahead of Kendrick, who followed the success of To Pimp a Butterfly by dropping a collection of previously unreleased demos that were recorded during the TPAB sessions. Not bad for an off year between two great albums for Kendrick. —Eric Skelton

2017

 

Image via Complex Original

1st: Kendrick (DAMN.)

2nd: Drake (More Life)

3rd: J. Cole (“High for Hours”)

2017 was a landmark year for Kendrick Lamar. Though his earlier projects earned critical acclaim, DAMN. was an album that saw mainstream commercial success on an even larger scale. The certified triple platinum album sold 603,000 copies in its first week and featured classic songs like “DNA,” “HUMBLE,” and “Loyalty.” It also earned Kendrick a Pulitzer Prize in 2018. “A virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life,” the Pulitzer board wrote of the album. Drake’s playlist More Life was also popular, performing well on the charts, but it didn’t make quite as big of an impact (or draw as much critical praise) as his albums right before or after it. J. Cole stayed quiet in 2017, only releasing “High for Hours.” —Jessica McKinney

2018

 

1st: Drake (Scorpion)

2nd: J. Cole (KOD)

3rd: Kendrick (Black Panther: The Album)

All things considered, 2018 was a strange year for the Big 3. Drake’s seemingly impenetrable public image was cracked after taking his first major L in a rap beef with Pusha-T. However, Scorpion is still one of his most commercially successful albums and includes his highest streaming songs, “God’s Plan” and “Nice For What.” Scorpion is one of Drake’s least cohesive projects post-Take Care, but it was full of songs that set charting records and proved that even in an off-year, he is still dominant. And for what it’s worth, “Duppy Freestyle” was a good diss track; it just couldn’t compete with the narratives around “The Story of Adidon.” J. Cole had a solid 2018 out of the big three, but even he had an unusual year. KOD is a good album, but it was slightly spoiled by the optics of the rap veteran trying to bridge the gap between the SoundCloud generation through uncomfortable conversations with newcomers like Lil Pump. 2018 was Kendrick’s final active year in music before taking a three-year hiatus. The TDE-led Black Panther soundtrack was cool (and had strong standout moments like “All the Stars”) but it hardly reflects a significant tentpole in Kendrick’s career or catalog. —Jordan Rose

2019

 

1st: J. Cole (Revenge of the Dreamers III, “Middle Child,” “A Lot,” “Purple Emoji,” “The London,” “Family and Loyalty”)

2nd: Drake (“No Guidance,” “Omerta,” “Money in the Grave,” “Going Bad,” “Girls Need Love,” “War,” “Behind Barz,” Care Package)

3rd: Kendrick (N/A)

Kendrick began his long hiatus from music in 2019, but J. Cole and Drake didn’t slow down their musical outputs at all. Cole led the pack, as his Dreamville imprint reached new heights. They launched Dreamville Festival in Cole’s native Fayetteville, and Cole went on an impressive guest features run that including the Grammy-winning “A Lot.”) Cole and company hunkered down in Atlanta for over a week and got in the studio with A-list artists and up-and-comers alike to put together a masterclass in collaboration, Revenge of the Dreamers III, which stands as one of the best compilation tapes in recent years. Cole also dropped “Middle Child,” which would go on to be one of his biggest songs to date. Drake held it down, too, even though he wasn’t involved with any major projects in 2019. He dropped off a series of loosies, including “Omerta” which includes one of his best verses in recent years, and the massively successful “No Guidance.” He also kept his fans fed with Care Package, which included some fan-favorite tracks that never got released on DSPs. —Jordan Rose

2020

 

1st: Drake (​​Dark Lane Demo Tapes, “Laugh Now Cry Later,” “Popstar,” “Greece,” “You’re Mines Still,” “Only You Freestyle,” “BB King Freestyle”)

2nd: J. Cole (“Snow on tha Bluff,” “The Climb Back, “Lion King on Ice”)

3rd: Kendrick (N/A)

2020 was a weird year for everyone on Earth, including the Big 3. The pandemic put the music industry on pause in March, and Kendrick decided to take the whole year off, pulling himself out of contention. J. Cole, meanwhile, didn’t drop a full project, but he did put out some loosies, like “Snow on tha Bluff,” “The Climb Back,” and “Lion King on Ice.” Unfortunately, “Snow on tha Bluff” did more harm than good, as it was met with backlash for some of the messaging, including the way he rapped about Noname (who responded with a song of her own). Drake ended up winning the year by putting out a solid mixtape (Dark Lane Demo Tapes) that included a smash hit (“Toosie Slide”) and some underappreciated sleeper tracks (“Chicago Freestyle,” “From Florida With Love,” “Landed”). And that’s without even mentioning his Durk-assisted “Laugh Now Cry Later.” Drake took the W in the first COVID year. —Eric Skelton

2021

 

1st: J. Cole (The Off-Season, “Heaven’s EP”)

2nd: Drake (Certified Lover Boy, “What’s Next,” “Wants and Needs,” “Lemon Pepper Freestyle,” “Seeing Green,” “Solid”)

3rd: Kendrick (“Family Ties,” “Range Brothers”)

Not only was The Off-Season one of the best rap major albums to release in 2021, but Cole silenced any doubters that questioned his spot amongst the Big 3. Like he rapped on “Heaven’s EP,” he wasn’t satisfied with continuously being “tossed the bronze.” Drake also ended his three-year album hiatus (if we don’t count Dark Lane Demo Tapes, which was technically a collection of self-described “vibes” and leaks) with Certified Lover Boy. It wasn’t a bad project, but it didn’t expand Drake’s canon, and only played into his most comfortable themes and pockets. His loosies were stronger, though. Drake’s performances on “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” and “Seeing Green” were better than many of the verses on his album, and “Wants and Needs” became a big hit. Kendrick finally began his reemergence in the rap game in 2021, returning with memorable guest features on his cousin Baby Keem’s album The Melodic Blue. His verses on “Family Ties” (which earned him a Grammy) and “Range Brothers” proved that he hadn’t missed a step in his three year absence, going viral just from saying “top ’o the morning.” —Jordan Rose