Depending on who you ask, the state of hip-hop can easily be dismissed as diluted and lacking substance, where as some would argue it is at an all-time high. Granted, a message board or social poll could weigh out the odds from one generation to the next, but listening to the opinions from the industry’s elite is far more interesting.

On the latest episode of OTHERtone, Pharrell and Scott Vener invited experimental mega-producer Flying Lotus on the show to tackle the uncertainty and provocative question of where does the state of hip-hop skew. The clip starts out with Vener posing the question to FlyLo, “do you think hip-hop is in a good place right now, like lyricist-wise?” To his surprise, the electronic producer chuckles and responds, “yeah, absolutely.”

Vener expands his question by noting that hip-hop might be dominated by artists who aren’t as skilled. P quickly jumps to the defense to rebuttal, “every generation” says there’s a younger set of people who are shaping the overall sound. Both musicians bring an evenhanded stance on the issue, with FlyLo later adding, “now there’s room for everybody in hip-hop,” and that any skill set or level can succeed in the genre.

Watch the full clip above, as they dive into a topic that has been prosing the attention of listeners for quite some time.