Carl Chery: Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole are still the Big Three until further notice. I know some people think Cole forfeited his slot when he pulled out of the battle, but I think he’s earned the benefit of the doubt. Let’s see what The Fall Off sounds like. You can make a case for Future, but I don’t know if he cares about the throne. You can make a case for Travis. You can make a case for Nicki. But I still think Drake, Kendrick, and Cole are the Big Three.
DJ Hed: Hov, Dot, Drake.
Killer Mike: Scarface, and put whatever two names you want behind. I don’t give a shit. He’s the greatest of all time.
Shamira Ibrahim: I’ve always felt that “Big Three” is a reductive and frankly asinine way to look at rap in the current market when markets are reverting back to being increasingly segmented and niche. But for those who subscribe to that sort of thing, there’s no excuse why a woman shouldn’t be there, considering the run they have a had the last couple of years.
Angel Diaz: Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Boldy James.
Paul Thompson: In terms of major stars who are actually doing excellent work, it’s Kendrick and Future on a tier by themselves.
Ebro Darden: Based on 2024 so far: Kendrick, Drake, Future.
Damien Scott, deputy editorial director, Billboard: I think the Big Three remains the same, despite all that went down over the past year, but if I were forced to devise a new one, I’d say: Future, Kendrick, Travis Scott.
Jinx: Kendrick, Tyler, Drake. I’m flip-flopping between Future and Tyler right now, ’cause Future dropped twice and Tyler hasn’t yet.
Alphonse Pierre: The whole idea of the Big Three is pretty archaic—that’s why the whole Drake and Kendrick squabble was dumb from the jump. It’s a conversation that tends to lean so heavily on numbers and relevance, things that I do think about but that don’t really mean that much to me. I’m not saying rap should be uncompetitive, but there has to be a way cooler way to think about these things, right? The gambling companies are probably trying to figure out a way to monetize these convos as I write this. But if I have to play this game: Carti, GloRilla, Kendrick.
