I don't think Cole truly believes that he's the guy. Maybe he did at one point, but he said on "Heaven's EP" that he feels like he's number three. This was after dropping the best album of his career and a memorable freestyle to promote it.
Cole always saw himself as the odd one out. Drake had the commercial success and the hits, Kendrick had the critical acclaim and the classics. Cole was just a guy for the first couple years, then he had his big moment with FHD and solidified his spot as one of the best. Even after that, he was inconsistent and it wasn't until the feature run that he truly became a monster on the mic. The Off-Season and Might Delete Later are the first projects in Cole's catalog to reflect where he is now. Meanwhile, Drake had his run several years ago and so did Kendrick.
To put it this way, Cole has money now after years of being broke and he might walk around like a multi millionaire, but he doesn't have the money Drake and Kendrick do and he's constantly aware of it.
