I ignored that caveat because a topic like this is a little disingenuous when you introduce such a tight set of parameters. You always have a good chance of winning a debate when you get to control the parameters and set them up in a way that makes it difficult to argue. If you’re in court that’s great, but it makes for a dishonest discussion when we’re talking art.

In fact, given that the implied purpose is to showcase how impressive Kendrick’s run is, it’s arguably a detriment to frame it that way.
A more honest discussion acknowledges that there are a nice handful of artists with similarly strong runs in terms of quality and that’s what helps place Kendrick’s run in a more honest context. It also places everyone else in a more honest context.

When an artist the caliber of Jay or Nas maintains their lofty stature in spite of their missteps or, at a minimum, questionable creative decisions, it’s largely due to a connection with fans that was established through a high level of quality. At some point they become relatively Teflon because their highs were so high and plentiful that the lows are easily ignored. Further, these artists have been around for decades and some have released more than twice as many albums as Kendrick, meaning Kendrick cannot be measured in the same way even if this run is remarkable.

Between that and the subjectivity factor it’s a little disingenuous to limit the topic to GOAT level artists. If the topic were “let’s examine Kendrick’s first four albums to the first four of other rappers”, there would be consistency of context. Adding artificial parameters heavily skews the discussion in the desired direction of the poster as opposed to generating thoughtful and engaging discussion.