Rapper J. Cole caused a stir when he said that dropping his diss track against Kendrick Lamar was the “lamest, goofiest sh*t” on Sunday. Lamar had taken shots at him and Drake on his verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s song, “Like That,” which led to a feud that escalated. Other artists had mixed reactions to Cole’s decision to back down.
Important Information
Just a few days after dropping the diss single “7 Minute Drill,” which was directed at Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole made a U-turn, telling listeners that the song was the “lamest, goofiest sh*t” that “don’t sit right with my spirit” when performing live in North Carolina on Sunday night.
He added that he was torn about releasing a diss track because he respected Lamar and claimed he published the song because the “world wanna see blood.”
J. Cole delivered what he dubbed “warning shots” to Kendrick Lamar in “7 Minute Drill,” which was released on Friday. He branded his previous album “tragic” and said Lamar was past his prime.
J. Cole made reference to the jabs Lamar took at him and Drake in his verse on “Like That” last month when he accused Lamar of rapping in order to get “attention.”
The Chief Critics
Other musicians responded negatively to J. Cole’s decision to retract his diss track. Rapper Mick Jenkins tweeted: “As a. rappers rapper [sic].” in the capacity of a rival. It surprises me. I find it repulsive. I’m disappointed,” he wrote in a follow-up post, adding that he hopes to see rappers who hold the highest regard for themselves “rap like it when they are challenged.” Rapper Blaqbonez from Nigeria said in a tweet that J. Cole “hurt me, hurt us.” Comedian Lil Duval tweeted, “We knew the Kendrick and J Cole [sic] beef was friendly competition, which is why we liked it,” criticizing J. Cole for caving in. Nobody perceived it as negative or unpleasant energy.
Contra
In an Instagram remark, singer Ari Lennox, who is signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville Records, backed the rapper. “You really are.” I value you as a human being. Lennox wrote, “I admire your self-awareness and your self-reflection,” and said, “I made history tonight.” On his Monday morning program, “The Breakfast Club” radio host Charlamagne tha God said that while he understands why fans are disappointed in J. Cole’s response, he also added that people “want a man to attack a man for your entertainment because we are a culture that feeds off conflict.”
Key Background
In his verse on “Like That,” which was released in March and arrived at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last week, Kendrick Lamar seemed to criticize both Drake and J. Cole. When J. Cole, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar collaborated on the song “First Person Shooter,” J. Cole proclaimed that he, Drake, and Lamar were the “big three” of modern rap. However, Lamar dismissed the notion of a “big three” on “Like That,” asserting that there is only a “big me.” The lyrics were the most recent in a long-running spat between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, who listeners think have repeatedly made subtly offensive remarks about one another in their songs over the previous ten years.
Tangent
J. Cole’s “7 Minute Drill” rap was lambasted by other musicians and music critics prior to his retreat. J. Cole’s tone was described as “narcoleptic” by rapper and podcast host Joe Budden, who also said that it would have been a better rap if he had sounded “alive.” J. Cole brought a “knife to a gunfight,” according to Rolling Stone writer Andre Gee, who suggested the song’s lyrics lacked the aggression to win over listeners. Alphonse Pierre, a pitchfork critic, claimed that J. Cole “doesn’t have the heart for the lying, disrespect, and animosity it requires to make an effective diss track,” adding that “rap beef is just not for him.” J. Cole’s rap was also criticized by Billboard for being uninspired, saying the song “never crosses the lines that need to be crossed.”
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