The Boldest Claims Made By Rappers In 2013

Last night while performing a concert in Brooklyn, Atlanta rapper Trinidad James made the claim that the south runs New York. The statement has caused quite a stir among hip-hop fans, with some defending James while others are calling for his head. Despite the controversy surrounding it, it isn't the first bold claim we've heard from a rapper this year; a handful of MCs have made immodest statements about their statures -- as well as the statures of their cities -- within hip-hop recently. We decided to compile the boldest of those claims and put them in a list.

Kendrick Lamar calls himself the king of New York

Kendrick's guest verse on Big Sean's "Control" was perhaps one of the most polarizing hip-hop moments in years. Everyone -- from MCs to radio DJs to ya mama -- was talking about it. Most of the controversy stemmed from the fact that Kendrick, a West Coast rapper, declared that he's the current king of hip-hop's birthplace. Some called it competition, while others called it disrespect.

Nicki Minaj claims she is "lyrically better" than most male MCs

Nicki Minaj believes she doesn't get the credit she deserves. This may be true -- her verse on Kanye West's "Monster" is still fire -- but her recent run of sugary pop hits, some of which she doesn't even rap on, makes this a pretty bold statement.

Kanye West calls second verse of "New Slaves" the greatest verse of all time

Kanye's Yeezus is a great album, and one of its gems is the heady "New Slaves," especially for that awesome Hungarian rock sample at the end. But we're not sure its second verse, which uses a lot of repetition to emphasize certain lines, should belong alongside the best of 'em. Actually, the song's first verse stood out to us more.

Big Sean says he can out rap anyone

We respect Sean for adopting this mentality whenever he joins another MC on a track, but there's a reason people were talking about Kendrick's verse on "Control" and not his.

Lil Wayne claims to be the new Tupac

To be fair, Wayne didn't compare himself to the late, great West Coast MC, but instead he said he was the new version of him. Wayne does have a number of songs that listeners can relate to and that advocate for change. But, Tupac never made an auto-tune cheese rock album (Rebirth).