J. Cole has a message for Kendrick Lamar. On Friday, April 5, the rapper, aged 39, unexpectedly dropped his latest project “Might Delete Later,” sparking immediate attention from fans who detected a diss aimed at the “Rich Spirit” artist, aged 36.
On the track “7 Minute Drill,” which concludes the album, Cole seems to address Lamar’s critique of his performance on their joint track with Future and Metro Boomin, “Like That.”
“I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissing/ You want some attention, it comes with extensions,” Cole begins on the track.
The two-time Grammy winner then directs criticism at Lamar’s discography, launching insults at 2022’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” labeling it as “tragic,” and suggesting that “To Pimp a Butterfly” was dull.
“He still doin’ shows, but fell off like the Simpsons/ Your first s— was classic, your last s— was tragic/ Your second s— put n—– to sleep, but they gassed it/ Your third s— was massive and that was your prime/ I was trailing right behind and I just now hit mine/ Now I’m front of the line with a comfortable lead/ How ironic, soon as I got it, now he want somethin’ with me,” Cole fires off.
Cole then describes his words as a “warning shot,” suggesting that he could escalate matters with the “All the Stars” musician.
“He averagin’ one hard verse like every 30 months or somethin’/ If he wasn’t dissin’, then we wouldn’t be discussin’ ’em/ Lord, don’t make me have to smoke this n—- ’cause I f— with him/ But push come to shove, on this mic, I will humble him,” he declares.
Cole then criticizes Lamar’s infrequent releases, stating, “Four albums in 12 years, n—-, I can divide.”
Later in the song, there’s a beat switch that fans speculate includes a sample from Drake’s “Energy” off “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.”
The feud between the “She Knows” artist and Lamar dates back to Drake’s 2023 track “First Person Shooter,” where Cole, referring to himself, the Canadian rapper, and Lamar, labeled them the “big three” of modern rap.
“Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K. Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? / We the big three, like we started a league,” he rapped on the track. “We the big three like we started a league, but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali.”
However, Lamar appeared to dispute Cole’s claim. When he collaborated with Future and Metro Boomin for “Like That” in March, he referenced “First Person Shooter” and countered with “it’s just big me,” alluding to Cole’s line in the 2023 song.
The rap heavyweights have collaborated on multiple occasions over the years. Lamar featured on Drake’s 2011 track “Buried Alive Interlude,” and Drake returned the favor on Lamar’s 2012 hit “Poetic Justice.”
Cole and Lamar also joined forces on several occasions, releasing singles like “Temptation” and “Shock the World” in 2011, as well as the joint number “Black Friday” in 2015.
During an appearance on Lil Yachty’s A Safe Place podcast in November, Cole confirmed the existence of their long-rumored collaborative album, stating that it was “a real thing” at one point.
“In a nutshell, [Lamar] had pulled up on me at No I.D.’s spot after we was already building this relationship, and I had these beats at the time and I was playing them for him,” he said.
Cole continued:
“So he took them and, you know, in that moment, we talked about, ‘Yo, bro, we should do a project.’ At that time he’s not on like that, but I’m f—in’ with him.”
However, timing wasn’t on their side.
“At one point, it was a real thing,” he said. “But bro, time and life, we ain’t ever got the chance to go in and do it correctly, because that would take time. For us to do something that’s full of our potential, that meets our real potential, you’re gonna need time. At least a year.”