So much commentary has been given to Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” verse, it’s hard to keep up at times. And while rappers’ response records were initially slow, they soon started pouring in. Therefore, it’s only right that AllHipHop.com rank the responses in order to see if Kendrick has legitimate competition or if he really is the King of New York and the King of the Coast.
Only time will tell if Kendrick Lamar responds to any responses.
22). Iman Shumpert: Nothing memorable here, but it just goes to show the reach of the song if it has NBA players rapping about it.
21). Reed Dollaz: AHH Breeding Ground Artist goes for his, but falls way short of K. Dot’s crown.
20). A.P.T.: It’s sad, and a little silly.
19). Ransom: A rapper with seeming no energy tries to capitalize on the rapper with all of it.
18). Uncle Murda: Over Jay’s “Somewhereinamerica,” Murda salutes Kendrick for lighting a fire under Hip-Hop’s ass. But considering it’s overall subpar presentation, this response is nothing to write home about.
17). JR Writer: The flow is passable, but the disses are weak.
16). Bizarre: The former D12 member gives props to Kendrick and pays homage to Dave Chappelle’s classic Fistacuff’s character all at once.
15). Chris Rivers: While this really isn’t a diss, it shows that he can mimic Kendrick’s angry delivery and still have a flow reminiscent of his famous father (Big Pun).
14). Riff Raff: He embraces the song and makes it uniquely his own.
13). Fred Da Godson: Fred tries keeping Kendrick in check by making sure he respects those that came before him.
12). Astro: This is a fun and unexpected response. And while it certainly isn’t very confrontational, it’s cool to see the young emcee stick up for his home state.
11). Mickey Factz: His line about Pac outshines the rest of the record , and surpasses other songs entirely. “You the king of New York? Beg ya pardon?/ The King of L.A. is dead and that n***a from Harlem…[2Pac!].”
10). Lupe Fiasco: For better or worse, it’s typical Lupe- thought-provoking and really lyrical; it just doesn’t all totally connect as well as some of his other material.
9). Grafh: The record has a strong start, but then falls off a bit by feeling like it drags on. If it finished as strong as it started, it would be ranked higher. But even with the being said, Graph delivered a solid rap.
8). B.o.B.: Bobby Ray’s “How 2 Rap” serves as a great reminder that he preceded Kendrick with alternative take on Hip-Hop.
7). Cassidy: The skills that the Philly MC displays here is reminiscent of what he did when he was just a 19-year-old hungry rapper battling Freeway at Hit Factory studios. And that’s not a bad thing at all.
6). Joe Budden: Budden defends New York Hip-Hop, but makes it clear that’s all he’s doing and that he’s not going at Kendrick: “This ain’t a diss, I don’t want it to get spun wrong/ And this for Big L, the block that Joe found Pun on.”
5). Mysonne: Between his commanding voice, incredible flow, and great lyrics: this is a great response. It’s one verse and he never lets up. He killed No I.D.’s beat. Period.
4). Joell Ortiz: As the first responder to “Control,” Ortiz doesn’t disappoint.
3). The Mad Rapper: He cleverly clowns everyone who stepped up to respond.
2). Papoose: A passionate rebuttal from a NY rapper that rivals the passion Kendrick displayed when he said he was the King of New York.
1). King Los: He gives props to the rappers Kendrick called out. And, in terms of where Los would rank among “Control” rappers (Kendrick Lamar included) his abilities speak for themselves. In short, he lives up to his name.
What do you think about the responses? Which one do you feel really stands out?