J. Cole Says He's the Best Rapper Alive on Benny the Butcher's New Single "Johnny P's Caddy"

In his first verse of 2022, J. Cole wasted no time reminding the rap game where he sits in hip-hop’s pecking order.

During a scene-stealing guest spot on Benny the Butcher’s new single “Johnny P’s Caddy,” Cole declared himself the best rapper alive: “On God, the best rapper alive/Headshot, now go and ask the best rappers that died/They tell you he never lied,” he raps on the track.

As soon as Cole’s declaration started circulating on social media, Ibrahaim “Ib” Hamad, the North Carolina rapper’s manager and Dreamville co-founder, took to Twitter to come to his defense. “I see no lies,” he wrote.

Granted, it isn’t the first time Cole has crowned himself the best rapper alive. As far back as 2014, he made sure to remind peers where he ranked among the all-time greats. 

On “Fire Squad,” a standout track from his 2014 album 2014 Forest Hills Drive, Cole raps, “Ain’t a way around it no more, I am the greatest.” In addition, he declares himself the “best n***a out” on “G.O.M.D.,” rapping, “Fuck the rest, I’m the best n***a out/When I’m back home, I’m the best in the South/When I’m in L.A., I’m the best in the West.” 

Most recently, Cole reiterated this belief on his 2019 single “Middle Child,” where he raps, “I studied the greats, I’m the greatest right now.”

Listen to J. Cole declare himself the best rapper alive in his guest verse on Benny the Butcher’s “Johnny P’s Caddy” down below.