The rap world is on pause right now and information is being registered. The question of the day? “Is Childish Gambino really in the Top 5 of Today’s Emcees?” and to take it a step further is Bino the best lyricist in the game period? That’s his claim and honestly…he has a valid argument to say this.

Some of you are now done with reading this and I understand. You don’t know who Bino is. So let’s run the list of people who either need to catch up or flat out understand that I’m not even talking to you.

If you never heard Camp, Royalty and Because of The Internet
If you only know Fireflies
If you only know Childish Gambino as Donald Glover the comedian and writer for 30 Rock

Then your opinion is not valid on Bino because you simply “never heard of him”. This is the now “infamous freestyle” that took place in Sydney.

Ok…Now lets take this moment for you all to get your “He just trying to be Kendrick” and Control Comparisons out the way. Ok, Y’all good? Let’s go.

NOW! I have said within the last calendar year that I feel Drake would wash Kendrick in a battle and that Drake is the “Leader of The New School”…I will still stand on that. Drake is the undisputed Superstar that is the total package and is lyrically respected by any person that knows anything about hip-hop. He’s in a space right now of nothing to prove yet he’s still putting out Grade A material. You can’t deny it. However, Childish Gambino has an EXTREMELY VALID POINT!

Let’s tackle singing real quick. Off first listen alone what sounds better. “Hold On We’re Going Home” or Bino’s cover of “Die Without You” by P.M Dawn?

I like both tracks. I think Bino SMASHED that cover! End of day, I can’t dedicate too much time about how well rappers sing…So lets move forward.

Bino said he was a better Rapper than Drake, Kendrick and Q. It’s a valid claim to make that I feel on any given day he could back up easily. Right now they are the biggest stars in rap, with the biggest singles and followings of the last 2 years and with that said to just Drake alone that all applies over the last 5 Years or longer. If you’re going to make a statement, make it with a claim you can back up. People should take Bino seriously

Let’s talk Kendrick’s control verse real quick. Kendrick said “I’m trying to murder y’all” [lyrically]. Bino said “I’m better than y’all”. There’s a big difference in that in itself. Just think about that. Once again. Kendrick’s list was based on the cats he had songs with. So that bullet about “He wasn’t mentioned on control” is out of your chamber on this one.

To a kid on the internet Bino is almost Christ-Like. To mainstream audiences they just flat out don’t know him to speak good or bad. So if this was the 90’s, the claim would get ignored because “Bino hasn’t sold enough units to be in the conversation”. Even 10 Years ago that might have worked. However, in a day and age where Kendrick can call out a gang of rappers after 1 successful mainstream album and stake his claim, the door is wide open for a guy that has dropped 2 dope albums and a mixtape to say “Well I’m better than both of y’all so…”

Bino is going to lose EVERY mainstream debate on this one. People will start to contradict themselves with this one and I guarantee it. Bino isn’t one you would deem as “flashy, flossy,  and swag raps” nor is he “too sensitive and losing the male audience with lame n-word ish”. Bino is actually what EVERYBODY SAYS They love about Kendrick and Drake. He’s also has what some deem as strikes against them.

Drake was on Degrassi. Bino wrote and appeared in a role on 30 Rock
Drake has been on SNL and hosted the ESPY’s Bino is also Donald Glover the Stand Up Comedian
Kendrick “ain’t rocking no more designer ish”
Bino literally wears clothes I wouldn’t be caught dead in
All of them built there MUSIC buzz on the internet with great displays of lyricism
All of them do shows and attendance is in the thousands
All of them don’t do trap or “street music” or claim to be “Tough guys”
All of them are great examples of what aspiring artist should want to be content wise.

So it all literally comes down to the actual task of rapping. Who’s better? Honestly, out of the guys he named specifically, lyrically I put them in this order

1. Bino
2. Drake
3. Kendrick
4. Schoolboy Q

I simply put Drake at 2 because of the “Borrowed Rhymes” that I know he took from other greats or just hip-hop classics. Call me crazy but, I still have enough Golden Era in me where, if you bite a rhyme you get an * by your name for a person like Bino, which I honestly can say if he’s blatantly bit a rhyme, I don’t remember it. Whether it’s good for him or bad on me I’ll accept it.

Sorry, Lyrically he’s just better than Kendrick and Q. I like both of them. Shoot lyrically I think Drake is better than both of them too so it’s really not much to say on that. Before y’all say “Kendrick don’t bite rhymes, listen to some old Kurupt.” Thanks.

There are a lot of wild cards that you can throw in this mix when it comes to lyrics. One person who is finally getting their internet game and interaction up is Skyzoo. I felt for a while Phonte of Little Brother and Foreign Exchange is one of the most complete artist of our time. Can’t forget about cats like Elzhi,King Los, Big Sean and Action Bronson who definitely is the most exciting rapper in the game right now in my opinion. The game is NOT a 2 man race based on lyrics. A lot of cats are chasing Kendrick but, Drake has the most consistent track record yet, it’s possible that neither one of them could be the actual best lyricist in the game right now depending on who knows who.

We’ve reached a day and age where a dude with a following can make a claim on any rapper he wants and there will be enough buzz to make it news. That means the only thing the emcee has to do is back it up. This new generation of emcees is really a pick’em of “Who’s the nicest”. Then you got a LOT of NICE cats that’s BEEN on but just never got a plaque but they still get busy. There is also a gang of rappers 30-35 that are DOPE and been around a while. Can’t sleep on anyone in this era

The only SUPERSTAR in the New Generation is Drake. However, let me reiterate. Any given day or night somebody could fry his fish with fries or grits when it comes to JUST BARS. One of those guys is Childish Gambino.