J. Cole stunned fans on Sunday night after walking back his Kendrick Lamar diss with some going so far as to proclaim the death of Hip-Hop.
During his headlining set, he expressed regret for dissing Lamar and vowed to pull the song from his latest project, Might Delete Later.
He admitted that firing at K.Dot gave him sleepless nights and even urged Lamar to “take ya best shot I’ma take it on the chin.” He added, “That was the lamest, goofiest s### […] That s### don’t sit right with my spirit.”
Cole also said that his own team didn’t want him to apologize. He acknowledged, “This is not what a lot of people want to hear.”
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Well, he was right, as many fans were furious with Cole’s retraction. “Damn Cole” and “Might Delete Later” was trending on X (formerly Twitter), with fans joking that the Dreamville founder fulfilled his promise.
One disgruntled fan referenced 50 Cent’s antics in Hip-Hop beefs, claiming he didn’t do all that “for J Cole to apologize to Kendrick for a mid diss track.”
Hip Hop is dead https://t.co/8Tn5NRtnzA
— Derence Bailey (@DerenceB) April 8, 2024
Others quoted Lamar’s “The Heart Part 4” which includes the lyrics:
“My fans can’t wait for me to son ya punk ass and crush your whole lil s###/I’ll Big Pun ya punk ass, you a scared little b####/Tiptoein’ around my name, n####, ya lame/And when I get at you, homie, don’t you just tell me you was just playin’.”
However, a few fans were kinder to Cole, empathizing with his speech.
“My goat can’t even fake the beef. I have to stan forever. I love this man,” one fan wrote.
My goat can’t even fake the beef. I have to stan forever. I love this man #DreamvilleFest pic.twitter.com/kj5MoeZIEY
— ciavalyn. (@jxstinftval) April 8, 2024
Meanwhile, others, including battle rapper Nu Jerzey Twork, called out Drizzy to respond. “I Need Drake To Slide ASAP,” he wrote.
This N#### J. Cole Apologized 🤦🏾♂️
— JEROOZ (@NUJERZEYTWORK) April 8, 2024
I Need Drake To Slide ASAP
Is Drake Gearing Up To Diss Kendrick Lamar?
Drake recently whipped up hysteria with a post on his Instagram Story. He shared a photo of the Larry O’Brien trophy alongside a notebook and pen, prompting fans to speculate he’s ready to respond to Lamar.
“Big 3” Update: #Drake’s turn 👀
— Hell1s (@Hell1s) April 7, 2024
Whose notebook did he find? 🤔🤣
No seriously, hope he responds https://t.co/RANDh4r6qi pic.twitter.com/pzv5XQHXQD
Check out some other reactions to Cole’s Kendrick Lamar apology below.
Joe Budden somewhere losing his s###!!! 😭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣#DreamvilleFest pic.twitter.com/jK85JVzhDN
— B MAD 730 (@Bmad730) April 8, 2024
WELP, one down. One more to go. pic.twitter.com/42u4UzdGIC
— Low (@LowKeyUHTN) April 8, 2024
Drake like this with his Larry O’Brien trophy after seeing J Cole speech pic.twitter.com/EfBNUyssh7
— cuddly whiskers (@isaidimced) April 8, 2024
J Cole:
— KJ (@KdotJohnson_) April 8, 2024
1. Let Nas down
2. Beefed with Diggy Simmons
3. Beefed with Noname
4. Said he felt bad for 69
5. Wanted to mentor Lil Pump
6. Apologized during a rap beef
I love that J.Cole addressed the Kendrick diss and shared that it was bothering him. To do that in front of thousands of people was brave, especially in Hip Hop where being hard all the time is the standard. #DreamvilleFest
— Eat_Tweet_Pray (@BrittanySharnez) April 8, 2024
J Cole let Nas down again???!!!
— ᴇᴍᴀɴɴʏ (@emannymusic) April 8, 2024
As a. rappers rapper. As a competitor. I am surprised. I am disgusted. I am disappointed.
— Mick (@mickjenkins) April 8, 2024
The funniest part about this is he didnt have to lie about Kendrick’s discography to make a diss song. Coulda just tried to out rap him. Only regrets it cuz he made it weird https://t.co/aL6jvggvM2
— Frak (@FrakThePerson) April 8, 2024
To be fair he did say "Might Delete Later" #DreamvilleFest pic.twitter.com/UF7czny3BA
— 🏁Noel Sevens🏁 (@hiphophead210) April 8, 2024
J Cole apologizing was some real friendship s###. I understand we want Hip Hop beef and diss tracks but let’s not act like it could get ugly behind the scenes. J Cole never been that guy looking for smoke. He’s always been the type to give ppl their flowers and spread love.
— Brydell Cocky ⓥ (@brydellcocky) April 8, 2024
J Cole put himself on the Summer Jam Screen. This is a day of hiphop infamy Cole surrendered and has forfeited his right to ever call himself the best mc. https://t.co/P0cqG6XRUz
— K DOT WON Thee Hip Hop/Vinyl Historian #🇺🇸ADOS (@Watson3172) April 8, 2024