Competition has been in the air this year. There have been some blockbuster level releases from some hip hop heavyweights in 2021, and some are already debating album of the year. 

On Wednesday (September 22), J.Cole released his “Heaven’s EP”where he raps over Drake’s Certified Lover Boy track, “Pipe Down.” On the track, Cole questions his place in the game, often being placed third to Drake and Kendrick Lamar. 

Charlamagne tha God gave his opinion on J. Cole’s place in the game on Wednesday’s episode of The Breakfast Club. "J. Cole album is better than both CLB and Donda, just want to throw that out there since we having discussions about Rap. People forgot about J. Cole's album, I'm not gonna say they forgot about it 'cause it's the highest-selling Rap album of the year, right?" said Charlamagne. "Or is it still Moneybagg Yo? No, it's gotta be Drake. But Cole album came out earlier this year. Cole and Tyler, The Creator put out the best Rap albums of the year. To me, personally."

With some significant projects due before the end of the year, it is hard to make AOTY claims already, but who do you have in your first spot so far?