Every rapper wants to be at the top of their rap game and lay claim to the hip hop throne. Throughout the history of the genre’s inborn competitiveness—think rap battles—artists have been rapping about how they’re real and how they’re the best. The media even encourages this practice. The outlets themselves scramble to put out ranked lists of the greatest rappers basically every year. The lists are usually topped by rappers who made their debut during the golden age of hip hop (typically consider the late 1980s through mid-’90s) and left a major mark on the scene, but what if you were to limit your selection to those rappers who got started after the year 2000? Hip hop fans would make a whole new kind of list. I can’t say for sure what they’ve got in mind since I’m no Professor Xavier, but I can guarantee that J. Cole would make a strong candidate for the top 10. Influenced by Eminem, who famously broke through rap’s race barrier, and the rap battle master Canibus, Cole has everything it takes to be recognized as a top rapper.

Cole knows how to cleverly weave his rhymes together, exploit clever storytelling techniques and serve up sharp punchlines. He also raps about a wide range of topics. From self-aggrandizement that’s simultaneously funny and admirable to rampant racism and violence, personal history and self-reflection, his status as a renowned lyricist comes through no matter what subject his songs tackle. Not surprisingly, he’s also excellent at rapping itself. When he raps, he can be placid as a lake at times and as torrential as a river at others. His flow is absolutely solid.

Cole is also a prolific writer on an endless pursuit for creative expression. He’s put out release after release ever since his famous 2007 debut mixtape, The Come Up. He’s got six studio albums, three EPs, three official mixtapes and a live album, plus four compilation albums under the label Dreamville, which he founded with manager Ibrahim Hamad. He’s set to release his latest studio album, The Fall Off, later this year. What’s more surprising is that he not only raps on his albums but produces every single one and takes the lead in all other aspects. Some artists are suspected of functioning fine even without sleep. J. Cole is one of them.

When you listen to J. Cole’s music, you can tell just where he stands as an artist and that he’s more sincere about rap/hip hop than anyone else out there. “on the street (with J. Cole),” the song he recently collaborated with BTS’s j-hope on, is no different. With the catchiest whistling on a track since Skee-Lo’s “I Wish” (1995), “on the street” is about both rappers exploring their shared but divergent experiences of the street: j-hope, who got his start as a street dancer, shares the thoughts, feelings and lessons he picked up along the way, while Cole reflects on his own journey, sharing his concerns over both the hit hip hop has taken to its value as well as his status as a top rapper. On this track as well, his complex metaphors and hard-hitting punchlines are on full display. He muses on selling your ideas just to chase profits (“To make a couple mil’ off a lucrative deal / Selling train of thought, name a artist who could derail”) and compares a list of the top 10 rappers to the Golden Corral, an all-you-can-eat buffet, confident he can top them all (“You see a top ten list, I see a Golden Corral, nig*a”). What a classic clever J. Cole line.

The reason J. Cole is so widely celebrated in a scene bursting with rappers full of character and skill is because he’s not only fantastic at what he does but because of the total respect he has for hip hop’s past and love for it as it is now, and he stresses the value of the album format. Cole may be open to new trends and trying something daring but he’s always on the ready to criticize those who would brush aside hip hop’s rich history and traditions. He’s also driven to creating hip hop classics more than any of his contemporaries who have popped up since the 2000s. J. Cole still has it, and he remains a strong supporter of the Dreamville family. He’s not some hip hop fundamentalist who sticks rigidly to tradition and principles but he never forgets what makes hip hop, hip hop. The following five songs give a good taste of the rapper’s strengths and knack for variety.

“Crooked Smile” (feat. TLC) (2013)

In this song featuring iconic 1990s R&B/hip hop group TLC, Cole explores the idea of beauty standards. The song is the story of a woman who’s thrown off worrying about her appearance. Cole raps over a melodic sample of “No One Gonna Love You” by Jennifer Hudson that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The song runs the potential of coming off as talking down, given Cole is a man, but he avoids that by being honest about his past of being underprivileged and how important the women who have supported him through his life are to him. TLC, who had previously covered similar ideas in their song “Unpretty,” adds an extra lunch to the track. This song is on J. Cole’s second studio album, Born Sinner.

This is a surprising song, opening with Cole singing and revealing his multifaceted character. He shows the respect he has for his single mother, who endured difficulties like losing her home and still made life better for him, reflects on how selfish he used to be, expresses concerns surrounding creativity, discusses his dream to be a rapper and pumps up his own image. Even though the topics he covers might seem only loosely related, they never come across as incongruous. He continues to shine when he shows off his amazing rap skills as he switches over from song in the second verse. You can find this track on his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

The biggest topic of the 2010s in the Black community and the hip hop community was systematic violence against Black people. Cole criticizes and voices skepticism over the dark side of a music industry that demands artists sell their souls and takes a frank look at police brutality and violence (“From police that flash the siren and pull up and just start firin’”). The song shows that Cole is a conscious rapper and his swell of emotion is sure to leave a lasting impression on listeners. Find it on DJ Khaled’s ninth studio album, Major Key. 

This is one of the most controversial songs of Cole’s career, starting with the suggestive title. The beat may be soft, but the words are cutting. On the surface, the song is about how rap is becoming a reductive art form due to its popularity and a shot at blind celebrity worship. But people started to suspect that the lyrics were specifically referring to Kanye West and Drake. About two years later, Cole said in an interview with rapper and radio host Angie Martinez that while he didn’t intend to diss Kanye specifically, the lyrics to the first verse certainly could apply to him. Originally planned for inclusion on Cole’s fourth studio album, 4 Your Eyez Only, the song was left off because it was felt not to fit the overall theme.

This minimalist, laid-back song is a delicate mix of those who are dating or married and living with regret after failing to resist the temptation of another lover, and those who live with regret from not being able to overcome their drug addiction. Cole’s ability to write lyrics that are open to multiple interpretations is one of his greatest strengths. The song becomes all the more interesting after you understand the significance of the title and the music video, which stars famous comedian Kevin Hart. Hart received scathing criticism when it came out that he had cheated on his then-pregnant wife. He gave a sincere apology on a show but it did little to sway harsh public opinion of him. Cole titled the song to pun on Hart’s name in connection with the message behind the lyrics and brought the point home by having Hart himself appear in the video. The melodic chorus is praiseworthy as well. Check out KOD, Cole’s fifth studio album, to hear the track.