Kendrick Lamar Is on Top of the Game But His Peers Knew That

March 4, 2025

At this point, there’s no denying that Kendrick Lamar has reached G.O.A.T. conversation status. His accolades, artistry and accomplishments over the past decade-plus speak for themselves—he has a Pulitzer prize, for crying out loud—and his legend only continues to grow. While K-Dot ascends to the top of the totem pole, his rap peers have seen it coming and have been praising the Compton, Calif. rapper.

In 2016, Travis Scott praised Kendrick as the greatest artist during an interview on Hot 97.

“I be wanting to call in him, like, ‘Yo, who you mad at? You be blacking out on these things…,'” LaFlame said. “But that’s the mental. That’s why he the greatest artist, man. ’Cause he got that focus, man. Of like, I don’t care if it’s a feature. I’m treating this like it’s my song.”

Fellow Cali rapper Vince Staples labeled Kendrick the best rapper alive in 2017.

“It’s Kendrick, easy. It’s not even close,” Staples said during an interview with Power 106 Los Angeles.

Last April, Eminem agreed that K-Dot is one of the greatest lyricists of all time.

“Kendrick is at the very top, top tier of lyricists,” Shady commented. “Not just of this generation but of all time.