But there are plenty of songs and albums that have topped charts (looking at you, Flo-Rida) and won Grammys (sorry, Macklemore) that weren’t universally or even moderately praised by rap fans as moving the culture forward or presenting bodies of work that are undeniably great. There are Grammys and Forbes’ “richest rapper” lists. But it’s hard to truly figure out what makes one artist greater than another in a medium such as music, where there really is no one true quantitative measure of greatness. MCs (or rappers) and their fans are forever trying to tout reasons that they or their fave should be considered the greatest. Rap is an ultracompetitive form of entertainment. These moves are essentially Lamar challenging the record-breaking Drake, who is coming off his most successful year ever. on April 14, but also at any other minute ever.) The album is called Damn., with the period, and meme-friendly album art has been posted across social channels. (But given the state of album releases, it could come out at 12:01 a.m. 4” was a scathing destruction of an unnamed opponent, and it also promised an April 7 release of a new Kendrick Lamar album, which was then officially moved to April 14.

The post is another passive-aggressive salvo in the two alpha dogs’ back-and-forth of subliminal disses in a competitive relationship dating to Lamar’s verse on Big Sean’s 2013 “Control,” in which the Compton, California, MC called out names, Drake’s among them, as rappers he wants to “murder” by simply outperforming them.

Four days after Drake released his highly anticipated playlist, More Life, Kendrick Lamar posted a cryptic message: a simple “IV.” This indicated that he is about to release new music - presumably a fourth studio album.

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