Why did J Cole apologise to Kendrick Lamar? Will Drake reply?

Hip-hop has been shaken and stirred over recent days and weeks, but the latest movement has seen the world of rap music flipped upside down. J Cole has apologised to Kendrick Lamar in a move that has sent fans on both sides into overdrive. But where does this leave the beef? And what about Aubrey?

At his Dreamville festival, the North Carolina rapper took a breather to sit on a stool and address the crowd: “I’m so proud of [’Might Delete Later’], except for one part,” said Cole. “It’s one part of that sh*t that makes me feel like, man that’s the lamest shit I did in my f*ckin’ life, right? And I know this is not what a lot of people want to hear.”

What did Cole say about Kendrick Lamar at Dreamville?

J Cole released a mixtape last week (Might Delete Later) which included an entire track aimed at Lamar, which attacked both his discography and his infrequent appearances on the scene. The shots were taken at the Compton rapper after his surprise verse on ‘Like That’, which called out both J Cole and Drake.

“I was conflicted because”, Jermaine admitted, “one I know my heart and I know how I feel about my peers, these two n—s that I just been blessed to even stand beside in this game, let alone chase they greatness. So I felt conflicted ‘cause I’m like, bruh I don’t even feel no way. But the world wanna see blood. I don’t know if y’all can feel that, but the world wanna see blood.”

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Cole says 7 Minute Drill ‘the lamest, goofiest sh*t’

“Spiritually it felt bad on me, that sh*t don’t sit right with my spirit. That sh*t disrupts my f*ckin’ peace. So what I want to say right here tonight is in the midst of me doing that and in that sh*t, trying to find a little angle and downplay this n—a’s fucking catalog and his greatness, I want to say right now tonight, how many people think Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest motherf*cker’s to ever touch a f*ckin’ microphone? Dreamville, y’all love Kendrick Lamar, correct? As do I.”

“So,” he added while mentioning ‘7 Minute Drill’, a track that many felt was rushed and simply a weak showing of Cole’s battling ability, “I just want to come up here and publicly be like, bruh, that was the lamest, goofiest sh*t. I say all that to say it made me feel like 10 years ago when I was moving incorrectly. And I pray that god will line me back up on my purpose and on my path, I pray that my n—a really didn’t feel no way and if he did, my n—a, I got my chin out.”

“Take your best shot, I’ma take that sh*t on the chin boy, do what you do. All good. It’s love. And I pray that y’all are like, forgive a n—a for the misstep and I can get back to my true path. Because I ain’t gonna lie to y’all. The past two days felt terrible. It let me know how good I’ve been sleeping for the past 10 years.”

Will Drake reply to Kendrick Lamar?

This turn of events leaves J Cole in a curious position. After practically admitting defeat to Kendrick Lamar after the first (tentative) round, can he be considered the best in the game? His ‘Might Delete Later’ mixtape promised a lot in terms of lyrics and flow, continuing on from what we heard on ‘The Off-Season’, the album that put him in the debate to be better than K Dot and Drake. But will fans see his upcoming album ‘The Fall Off’ in a different light when it’s released?

With all these questions surrounding Cole, the white elephant remains: Drake has been (mostly) silent in all of this.

The Canadian is yet to respond over a beat, but his typically sly movements have caught the attention. A couple of Instagram posts have been interpreted as messages in response to the music, but we are still waiting for a true reply.

He did acknowledge the beef on his tour, saying “I got my head up high, my back straight, I’m 10 f*cking toes down, and feeling like anywhere else I go, and I know no matter what, there’s not a n—a on this Earth that can ever f*ck with me in my life”, but we all know that in hip-hop, that’s not good enough.