J. Cole once said, "What good is takin' over. When we know what you gon' do? The only real revolution happens right inside of you!"

This is from the third verse of his single, High for Hours. This song came out earlier this year on Martin Luther King's Day. It talks about the issues of the social injustices that Cole sees in America today.

Now, I know some of you might be wondering why am I comparing rappers to possibly two of the greatest minds of the 20th century, so let me tell you why. Just like King and Malcolm X used platforms to spread their messages, Lamar and Cole do the same thing; promote the messages of Black excellence and their insight to the racial and social injustices.

Since I already talked about Cole I will continue on his comparison with Dr. King. "Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace."

This is one of many quotes from Dr. King and it talks about how he viewed violence for change as a bad choice but understands that it could promote success like it had in many other countries around the world. This is where Dr. King and Cole share similar ideals. If you are a fan of J. Cole, and if you are not, then shame, shame, SHAME on you, then you can attest to how he is proud to admit that he once believed the violence was the only way of solving problems. As he grew up and expanded his knowledge, this solution was not the only way of making a change.

Showing compassion and love has become Cole's message and it can be seen in these lyrics from Knock Tha Hustle, "Headed for coffin or jail, to never try is the ultimate fail. But love is wanting more for someone than they want for themselves. Deep, I guess I love a lot."

Cole has built his purpose in life as changing this country and the world through helping those who do not have a voice by doing it himself. All of this is because he loves a lot and wants humanity to become whole, does this sound familiar?

Obviously, I have to talk about Kendrick Lamar and how he compares to Malcolm Little, better known as Malcolm X. This is a quote by Malcolm X, "We are not anti-white. But we don't have time for the white man. The white man is on top already, the white man is the boss already... he has first-class citizenship already. So you are wasting your time talking to the white man. We are working on our own people." What this quote is saying is that Malcolm X does not hate whites, but their friendship and help are neither wanted or needed.

Lamar says this best in his song, The Blacker The Berry. "Been feeling this way since I was 16, came to my senses. You(whites) never liked us(blacks) anyways, f*** your friendship, I meant it. I'm African-American, I'm African. I'm black as the moon, heritage of a small village."

This entire song is fast paced and powerful with every word, but especially with the portion I just wrote above. Like Malcolm X, Lamar does not want the help and believes that blacks can figure this problem out on their own. Now, before anyone gets mad at these statements I am making, you have to understand that Kendrick Lamar was raised in Compton, California which is notorious for gang wars and violence and having police treat blacks unjustly to this day.

Lamar and Malcolm X are so much alike that both have a past of violence and being in trouble with the law. Their past shaped their perspectives just like it did for Dr. King and Cole.

Dr. King and Cole did not sell drugs and had a clean wrap-sheet growing up. Even though both have faced various types of racism their outcome came to peaceful and working together with everyone. While Malcolm X and Lamar were not too trustworthy of their white counterparts, that does not mean they hated them or would not eventually work with them to help solve issues or to just be friends.

Having two of the most prominent rappers of our generation be socially aware is what makes them the MLK and Malcolm X of the rap world. They reach masses all over the globe and as musicians, they are looked at as role models, pretty goods ones as far as I'm concerned. Whether it's Kendrick Lamar's aggressive and fast pace style or J. Cole's smooth and compassionate style, both reach audiences that we cannot even start to imagine. With that, I thank both rap geniuses for what they have and will continue to do for the world through their lyrics.