Pretty close? The thing that Kendrick did that both Wayne and Eminem never didnwas win the biggest battle in rap history. It’s not even close I don’t think.

From March 2024 to March 2025. No other rapper has had a better year.

-5 Grammys including song and record of the year (most for single song)

• Highest watched Super Bowl performance
• 4 Number One records
• Future Classic Album (critically acclaimed)
• Classic Pop Out Show
• Won the biggest rap battle in Hip Hop History

The argument that Kendrick is only successful because of Drake is such a myopic view of the situation. Kendrick hasn't made music for the sole purpose of pop success; his last 4 projects pre-GNX were concept albums touching on themes which ranged from societal issues to the benefits of therapy. He had been an incredibly successful artist who headlined festivals all over the world, won Grammys, and even a Pulitzer Prize. He balanced being commercially successful without compromising his vision for his art. What he displayed with this battle and the year that followed is that he could be a global "pop star", like Drake, without sacrificing the quality of his music. He remained faithful to Hip-Hop and what he believes it stands for.

Humble is the only hip hop song that’s 20x platinum. That’s all you really need to say when they say that.

I mean brother

Wayne had Carter 3 (1M first week and 3M in a year), A Milli, Lollipop, Got Money, Swagga Like Us, 4 Grammys, and started the beginning of 2009 focused Drake and Nicki’s rise and this is after dominating 2007 with features

It’s definitely debatable

But in terms of space and population, the West Coast outweighs the East. The East Coast gets a lot of acclaim from being the "progenitor" but the history to me is richer out West and is more interesting

Sidenote: They really should've listened when I talked about the sub-ethnic implications on that battle. Drake was fighting an insurmountable uphill battle and Kendrick leaned right into it. I swear I was talking about it the page before Euphoria dropped

Drake beef stimulus did give him a boost but carrying it out with a super successful album and the timing of it all is from him 100%. Winning a beef can only get you so far. If beating Drake alone was the sole reason for having astronomical success, Pusha T would’ve found similar success but he remained more niche.

05 50 was massive to nigga sold 1.04 million in 4 days

without Wayne having that run from 2007-2009, we don’t get that biggest rap battle in history

1 million first week is an accolade I could never take from him, but album sales don’t really factor in the same way anymore because of the decline of physical sales and streaming. 320K in 2025 is impressive af whereas in 2008, it would’ve been seen as below average/average.

Right, winning the battle is one thing, but flipping it how he did is something no other rapper could have done, in my opinion.

Carter 3 not a classic with 4 hit singles?

I didn’t say that

I said he’s having a run like 08 Wayne. I didn’t say he’s having a better or superior run. It was a comparison, not a take.

Without Kendrick’s and Drakes parents we also don’t get it. lol. I’m so confused on what’s that’s supposed to mean.

Everything you mentioned with Wayne, Eminem did twice and greater.

Eminem had albums that sold more than Carter 3 and won more Grammys those years lol.

Wayne’s run wasn’t what he did in a year it was what he did over a 5 year period.

50 and Eminem had the biggest years in rap history only thing missing for 50 was Grammy’s and they was just hating on gangsta rap at the time

Name another nigga that can drop a solo album and a group album the same year and both moving units in 2003 remind you it didn’t take him 10 years to do it either that was his debut him

Carter III a classic but Carter II the best to me

Wayne’s run started in 2005 -2009.

We are talking about a single year period with Kendrick. It’s not even close.

Carter 2 is a classic for me
Personally.

"and started the beginning of 2009 focused Drake and Nicki’s rise"

score keeper, deduct 2 lives

You can definitely debate 2008 man, that’s still an unprecedented year for a rapper. Kendrick just has the beef win and one more Grammy as his difference. Wayne was nominated for album of the year versus hella white legends but could have won that too

I mean it’s genuinely impossible to compare current sales success to anything pre like 2017 (or whenever streaming really took over)

The only people doing insanity level numbers fw are pop stars and really just Taylor atp.

Semi unrelated but imo billboard needs to just make streaming era its own era and stop saying people are bigger than older artists bc music was just consumed completely differently. Drake is not bigger than the Beatles or MJ at all and it’s disingenuous as f*** to say so

If Wayne headlined a superbowl in 2009
Win 5 Grammys for a milli
Beat 50 cent in the biggest rap battle ever
Dropped Carter 3
Held a concert in New Orleans that impacted hip hop
And had 4 Number one hits

We wouldn’t even be having this discussion.

classic wayne stans

Funny thing is people was hating cause MMBS was actual art and no hits

He can make hits if he want

I hate how niggas act like the massacre didn’t happen. The nigga was literally bigger then than he was during get rich. He was literally at the peak of his powers.

Facts seeing post Malone have all these diamond singles while singles i thought was big as hell when I was younger only be 1x platinum according to the Riaa that s*** gotta change lmao