In a recent episode of Ray Daniels' That's Debatable podcast, J. Cole was the subject of discussion between the hosts. In a video shared on X by a Joe Budden fan page, the music executive expressed his opinion on the matter, which was met with sharp opposition from the others involved in it.Daniels said:"I think J. Cole is one of the greatest brands in the hip-hop history. I just don't think he's a great MC... Everybody who knows me knows this - I don't get J. Cole."Moving on to point out the strengths and weaknesses of Cole from his perspective, Ray Daniels continued:"I agree his brand is incredible. Drake literally had to go on tour with him to get into the smaller markets. 'Cause how could you perform at Mobile Alabama, if you don't have J. Cole f**king coming with you, n***a. I'm not arguing Cole is nice. I just think Big Sean is a much better rapper. I think Wale makes better records."The heated debate comes months after J. Cole's 2014 album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, achieved a major milestone by completing 550 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart.Forbes reports that 2014 Forest Hills Drive has spent a decade on the album chart, a feat that only a handful of hip-hop artists have achieved before him, including 2Pac, Eminem, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar.J. Cole addressed Drake and Kendrick's beef in a diss track last yearHOT 107.9's Birthday Bash 2023 (Image via Getty)While the rap battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake made headlines for the better part of 2024, J. Cole, who was also involved in its initiation, mostly stayed out of the spotlight.It was Cole who rapped about him, Drizzy, and Lamar being the "big three" of hip-hop in Drake's First Person Shooter (released in October 2023). However, soon after Kendrick retorted by dissing the duo and rapping that there was no "big three - it's just big me," Cole decided to step back.After dropping 7 Minutes Drill in April 2024 and later pulling it off the internet, the rapper apologized to Lamar, calling it a "mis-step."But as the rap battle between the two artists continued long after he stepped out, Cole addressed it in another song, Port Antonio, in November 2024. In the track, the Lights Please rapper called out both Drizzy and K-Dot for chasing attention and money with their diss exchange.Cole raps on the track:"They wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make their pockets grow / I wouldn't have lost a battle, I would've lost a bro, I would've gained a foe, and all for what?"As the battle between Drake and Kendrick continued, both artists continually made more and more personal attacks on each other's appearances, pasts, and families. One of the songs in particular, Lamar's Not Like Us, gained massive popularity by breaking several streaming records and going on to win the rapper five Grammys in 2025.