I love Lupe’s music and he’s a legend but his time as the top guy has passed. He needs to embrace being an OG, step to the side and let Kendrick have his moment.
Unfortunately Lupe was in position to be the Kendrick Lamar of his generation but unlike Dot he didn’t play the game. He had fights with Atlantic, turmoil over the direction of his career and they butted heads creatively. He was on that trajectory after The Cool…then came Lasers which was still successful but after that album…Kendrick was scorching and became the guy.
Kendrick had no issues making radio friendly songs and doing features with pop stars. He was still able to craft and create albums that he wanted to make. Now he’s independent and hotter than fish grease with the biggest song of the year.
Kendrick made great moves during his career. There’s hardly any blemishes on his resume. Lupe still continues to drop excellent music but he’s older and put himself deep in this underground bubble that he’s forever stuck in.