Does anyone still remember Section.80? To those who’ve followed the Compton-raised emcee since he rapped under the moniker K-Dot, the question may seem ridiculous if not rhetorical. But present-day Kendrick Lamar isn’t the same man who once playfully rapped about joining the Mile High Club while simultaneously contemplating the afterlife and his relationship with God. After changing notions regarding a rap concept album with 2012’s highly acclaimed good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick now stands at the center of hip-hop’s vast universe, no longer dying of thirst. Controversy was bound to find the young star.
Immediately after hearing Kendrick’s recognizably intense tone, one realizes this track no longer belongs to Big Sean — despite it being cut along side his latest studio album, Hall of Fame. Kendrick viciously tears apart 11 up-and-coming rappers and declares each of their respective careers meaningless during a three-minute span. As he nearly yells over the song’s menacing beat, his ascension to rap royalty couldn’t be more apparent. While rappers have made feeble attempts to challenge this haughty verse (i.e. Meek Mill), electronic producer Flying Lotus summed it up best when he said: “Anyone who felt they needed to write a response to Kendrick’s ‘Control’ verse already lost.”