The thought to compare Kendrick's first four vs anyone else's best four came to mind, but I never got around to digging for the answer.

On one level it's a moot point to talk about if his run is better than any other because the fact that we're even having this conversation is a mark that Kendrick is one of the best to ever do it.

It speaks to the level of difficulty of making four consecutive quality albums because very few groups and virtually no solo acts have been able to pull off. It's hard being in a stable enough environment over the majority of a decade that it would take to record the albums. Especially in a culture like hip-hop that celebrates self-destructive behavior and has a life-cycle of trends that moves faster than any other genre, with the exception of EDM.

I rarely admire the personal lives of musicians, but I would like to know where Kendrick gets his maturity and level-headedness. He reminds me of LeBron James in that regard. Life gave them no reason to survive much less be one of the best to do it in their respective fields. Yet not only have they 'made it', they both willingly accept their status of role models and use their influence and notoriety to genuinely inspire their fans. In this age of the social media age when most folks stunt or show out for their competition, they are remarkably humble and grounded. Granted they're one weak-minded incident from 'throwing it all away', but I still respect them for their modesty.

I say that to say, that I think Kendrick's stable lifestyle is the most significant reason for his success. He seems to have a group of trusted people who keep him from running off of the rails which given his level of success is extremely valuable.

He's also had his fair run of luck. He managed to link up with Dre who obviously gave him the type of education and mentorship in the music industry that no other of his peers has. Dre thankfully didn't turn him into an Em clone or make him rap about content that would seem out of character for him.

He also is able to learn from the mistakes that all of the rappers throughout the history of rap and is better for that. He also is an artist when there is no real competition in the style of music he makes. There are copy cats of 2 Chainz or Future or Migos, but there's no one, with his notoriety, who makes anything approaching challenging music. In our time we had groups like The Roots or Tribe or De La or Common or Black Star or dozens others. So, Kendrick is able to stand out as an artist with ANY substance.

Maybe that's why people like Anonymous take issue with his notoriety. He's not doing anything radically different than what dozens of other MC's have done over the years. Kendrick then comes off like a kid who has two eyes in a class of MC's who only have one. He's succeeding because there's no competition not because he outshined other great competition.

That's a valid point. I don't get the talk about Chance even though I respect what he's accomplished. The same squeeky, bendy voice I love about Kendrick, I literally can't stand in Chance's music. So, Kendrick happens to fit my definition of what an MC is, rather than other contemporary MC's.

But for the first time in decades there's someone worth comparing to the greats in hip-hop and that's both exciting and interesting to take note of.