MUSIC
The Drake and J. Cole vs Kendrick Lamar beef explained
The track ‘7 Minute Drill’ from J. Cole’s new album ‘Might Delete Later’ sparked a revival of the feud between hip-hop legends.
J. Cole shocked the world of hip-hop with the release of a surprise album, ‘Might Delete Later’, last week. A track entitled ‘7 Minute Drill’ has made headlines with many fans suggested that it is the latest instalment in a burgeoning rap rivalry.
In recent years J. Cole has found himself at odds with Kendrick Lamar and his latest release makes pretty clear reference to the beef. J. Cole and Drake have worked collaboratively in a number of projects and the latter has also found himself on the receiving end of Kendrick’s pen in the past.
So how did the beef between Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Drake begin? We take a look...
Why did Kendrick Lamar diss J. Cole and Drake?
J. Cole and Drake are currently on their ‘It’s All a Blur Tour’ and their professional relationship is clearly a close one. Both rappers are among the most successful contemporary hip-hop artists and dominate streaming and music sales.
Kendrick Lamar, too, is a hugely successful artist but his prominence is more based on the incredible critical reception that his projects garner, rather than straight record sales. Kendrick and Drake, in particular, have a history of beef that spans more than a decade and recent output has fanned the flames.
Last year Drake and Cole released a track entitled ‘First Person Shooter’ in which the latter claimed that he, Kendrick and Drake were at the top of the rap game.
“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,” Cole rapped.
However that suggestion did not go down well with Kendrick Lamar, who responded with his verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s ‘Like That’ last month. In the song Kendrick launches insults at both J. Cole and Drake, dismissing talk that they are on the same level.
“Yeah, get up with me, f**k sneak dissing/ ‘First Person Shooter,’ I hope they came with three switches,” Kendrick responded. “Think I won’t drop the location? I still got PTSD/ Motherf**k the Big 3, n***a, it’s just big me.”
J. Cole says sorry for Kendrick diss
‘7 Minute Drill’ was J. Cole’s attempt to hit back at Kendrick. He responded by saying that Kendrick is past his best and is now “trailing” his own output. J. Cole insists that this is just a “warning shot”, suggesting that we may be seeing more from this hip-hop beef in future: “Your third s**t 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.”
But just days after releasing the track, J. Cole shocked rap fans by apologising. He took to the stage at North Carolina’s Dreamville Festival last week and admitted that he regretted releasing the song, which was subsequently pulled from streaming services.
“I ain’t gonna lie to y’all the past two days felt terrible,” J. Cole told the crowd. “I damn near had a relapse”.
On Saturday it looked as if the next chapter of this sprawling rap beef had been written when a song emerged online, purportedly from Drake. The track, entitled ‘Drop and Give Me 50′, features a voice that sounds remarkably like Drake’s and the lyrics include swipes at Kendrick Lamar and other big names. Many suspect, however, that the latest release could be the work of artificial intelligence.