“Hey, come over here. This is my guy right here. First off, I have to say thanks for being the first to bring us back to Arena so we can perform for everyone. Dreamville, you all love Kendrick Lamar, right? I do too. But I have to say publicly, that whole situation was the lamest and goofiest thing. It made me feel like I was back in the days when I was making mistakes.
So, it seems like Drake is feeling some type of way because J. Cole didn’t back him up during his feud with Kendrick. Now, Drake’s fans are calling Cole a traitor for supposedly betraying him. But some people think Cole just realized Drake was using him to boost his credibility in the hip-hop world and never really cared about him, which fits with Kendrick’s line on “Not Like Us” where he says Drake is more of a colonizer than a colleague.
So, what’s really going on with J. Cole in this beef? Did he switch sides and betray Drake, or did he just decide to stay neutral? Let’s break it down.
For some context, J. Cole’s involvement began when he teamed up with Drake last year on the track “First Person Shooter.” In that song, he mentions the Big Three rappers—himself, Drake, and Kendrick. He raps, “Love when they argue. The hardest MC, is it Kad, is it Aubry, or me? We The Big Three, like we started a league, but right now I feel like Muhammad Ali.”
“First Person Shooter” hit the top of the US Billboard Hot 100, making it Cole’s first number-one and Drake’s 13th. This also tied Drake with Michael Jackson for the most number-one singles by a male solo artist. But even with this big win, Kendrick Lamar wasn’t thrilled about being lumped in with Drake, especially since Drake has had a history of sneaky jabs at him.
The beef started with Kendrick’s 2013 verse on Big Sean’s track “Control,” where he called out several rappers. While most took it as a friendly challenge, Drake felt personally attacked and began to distance himself from Kendrick in his own music.
Drake wasn’t impressed with “Control” and felt it was just a fleeting Twitter moment. He said the track was cool for a moment but didn’t have lasting power. For Drake, it was more about enduring impact than just the initial hype.
He also reflected on Kendrick’s decision to name-check other rappers. Drake thought Kendrick might have been aiming for a big, attention-grabbing moment, which could strain real relationships. Drake himself had toyed with the idea of taking a similar confrontational approach but worried it would limit him to a predictable, combative role.
Two years later, Drake still seemed stung. He collaborated with The Game on “100” and shot the video in Compton, Kendrick’s hometown. On the track, Drake even claimed he could steal Kendrick’s fans if he went mainstream, suggesting that his authenticity might cost him some popularity.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s beef didn’t just simmer down; it got more intense over time. Drake kept throwing subtle shots at Kendrick, both in his music and on social media. Earlier this year, just before things really kicked off, Drake even posted a selfie wearing a shirt from Compton Community College—a clear dig.
Eventually, Kendrick had had enough. He called out Drake and J. Cole in his track “Like That,” with Future and Metro Boomin. Kendrick raps, “Yeah, get up with me, f* sneak dissing. ‘First Person Shooter,’ I hope they came with three switches, motherf*er. The Big Three? It’s just Big Me.” He also hints at Drake and Cole by mentioning his bodyguard: “Two T’s, got two T’s with me. I’m snatching chains and burning tattoos. It’s up. Lost too many soldiers not to play it safe.” Kendrick even compares himself to Prince, saying that Prince outlived Michael Jackson and taking a jab at Drake’s line about being one number-one song away from Jackson. Kendrick raps, “And your best work is a light pat. Prince outlived Mike Jack, by the way.”
Prince and MJ had their own famous feud, with Prince never hesitating to take shots at MJ. He once even joked that MJ’s album was named “Bad” because there wasn’t enough room for “Pathetic” on the cover. Kendrick has compared himself to Prince before, like on Future’s “Mass Off” remix, where he raps, “She said she broke down when Prince died. It’s all right. My hair down, Prince lived through me. I am Prince.” On “Like That,” Kendrick takes another swipe at Drake and his 2023 album “For All the Dogs.” Kendrick raps, “For all your dogs getting buried, that’s okay. With all these nines, he going to see Pet Cemetery.” He’s using wordplay to say his lyrical skills are like an AK-47, while suggesting Drake and Cole might be packing less powerful 9mm pistols. The K9 reference plays on both dogs and Kendrick’s initials.
Drake’s response was predictable. He took the bait, and the media jumped on it, even reporting that Drake might be leaving the US. The New York Post noted that he listed his $88 million Beverly Hills home, his last US property, and has no plans to buy more stateside, preferring to stay in his hometown of Toronto.
As for J. Cole, it seemed like he might join forces with Drake against Kendrick, but he quickly bowed out of the feud. After Kendrick’s diss in “Like That,” Cole fired back with “7-Minute Drill,” addressing Kendrick’s threats. Cole implies that while he too has people backing him, it’s weak to risk others’ safety in a personal feud, suggesting Kendrick’s courage is questionable when he hides behind bodyguards.
In his verse, J. Cole raps, “My guy, if you give the signal, he’s ready to go. He’s put in so much work in these streets that he’s practically earned a pension. I told him to relax. What would it look like if I had henchmen? If things get heated, I’m the one in charge.” Cole then takes a shot at Kendrick Lamar, saying that even though Kendrick’s tours have been successful, his music isn’t as good as it used to be. “Your first album was a classic, your last one was a letdown. Your second one had people sleeping, though they acted like it was great. Your third was huge, that was your peak. I was right behind you, and I’ve just hit my stride.”
Cole also hints that Kendrick might be stirring up drama to stay relevant, suggesting that without the beef, no one would be paying attention to his music. “You drop a hot verse every few years. If he wasn’t dissing, we wouldn’t even be talking about him.”
But then, in the next verse, Cole shows he has mixed feelings about Kendrick, suggesting that Kendrick used to be a friend but now seems to be putting on a show for his fans. Cole also accuses Kendrick of switching sides, maybe alluding to how Cole played a role in getting Kendrick signed by Dr. Dre.
In an interview, Cole opens up about his role in bringing Kendrick to Dr. Dre’s attention. When asked if he was the one who told Dre about Kendrick, he says, “Well, you’re J. Cole. We have to know.”
“That’s never been…”
“Eve, yeah. Eve is here. He’s been asking for you all night. He just asked if you were the one who told Dre about Kendrick, which, yes, the answer is yes. I’m not saying I was the first to tell him. There was a—what’s his name, the light-skinned guy who used to work for Dre? Manny. When I brought Kendrick to Dre, I said, ‘Check this out. I was working on Detox, but look at this.’”
A few days after dropping “7-Minute Drill,” Cole publicly apologized for dissing Kendrick, calling it one of the low points of his career. At his Dreamville Festival, he talked about his struggle after releasing the track. “Man, that was the lamest thing I’ve ever done. I know this might not be what people want to hear, but I have to be honest. I messed up. You all saw the track I dropped a few weeks ago. All this time, I was going my own way, but I was tested. Why? Because I’ve got the world watching. I got flooded with messages. It was like war time. I was conflicted. I know my heart and how I feel about my peers. I’ve been lucky to stand beside them and chase greatness. So, even though I didn’t really feel anything, the world wanted drama. I moved in a way that felt wrong to me. I tried to keep it friendly, but when I saw the reaction, it disrupted my peace. I want to say that Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest ever with a mic. Dreamville, do you love Kendrick Lamar? I do. So I want to publicly admit that what I did was lame and goofy. It made me feel like I was moving wrong 10 years ago. I hope Kendrick can forgive me, and if he’s upset, I’m ready to face it. It’s all love, and I hope to get back on track. The past few days have been tough, but they’ve shown me how well I’ve been doing for the last decade.”
Then, in Kendrick’s final diss track, “Not Like Us,” he name-drops Cole again, suggesting that Drake is the one who pulled Cole into the drama. Kendrick raps, “Did Cole mess up? I don’t know why you’re still pretending.”
Let’s dive into this. Kendrick seems to be suggesting that Drake played Cole dirty. He might be saying that Drake dragged Cole into “First Person Shooter” just to sneakily diss Kendrick, and then used Cole’s respect to boost his own credibility in the hip-hop world. Kendrick’s also hinting that Drake’s actions led to a series of embarrassing moments for Cole, like publicly apologizing to Kendrick, stepping back from the beef, and even pulling “7-Minute Drill” from streaming platforms. Essentially, Kendrick thinks Drake was just using Cole to make himself look better.
On the other hand, Drake didn’t hold back after Cole exited the beef. He took shots at Cole in both “Push-ups” and “Family Matters,” calling him weak for apologizing to Kendrick and stepping away. In “Push-ups,” Drake raps, “I don’t care what Cole think. That dude was weak as fu.” And in “Family Matters,” he says, “Cole losing sleep on this. It ain’t me. You’re right about the Big Three. It’s only Big D, and there’s video proof.”
Despite the criticism from Drake, Cole’s decision to bow out of the beef seems to have been a smart move. While Drake’s fans were harsh on him for stepping back, others joked about him enjoying a beach vacation. In fact, a TikTok user recently ran into Cole at the beach and even posted a photo with him. Fans are having a good laugh, saying he’s just chilling and working on his album in peace.
But not everyone is happy with Cole’s choices. Sources close to Drake say he feels betrayed, and some fans are calling Cole two-faced. One fan commented, “You betrayed Drizzy by first apologizing to K.Dot, then jumping on Metro Boomin’s track to diss Drake. J. Cole is no longer my favorite rapper.” Another added, “Not only did Judas Cole fold by apologizing to the Ops live on stage, but he also betrayed Drake by hopping on the ‘We Still Don’t Trust You’ tape. It be your own people, man.”
So, what do you think about J. Cole’s role in this whole beef? Did he do the right thing by apologizing to Kendrick and stepping back, or did he betray Drake and switch sides? Drop your thoughts below