Surprise.
On Friday (April 5), J. Cole released a new 12-song EP, titled after his new vlog series, Might Delete Later, that includes a response to Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Metro Boomin’ and Future’s track, “Like That.”
On the EP’s final track, “7 Minute Drill,” Cole sends warning shots to Kendrick that reference his catalog with war-ready bars like, “Yo first s**t was classic, yo last s**t was tragic / Yo second s**t put n***as to sleep but they gassed it, your third s**t was massive, that was your prime / I was trailing right behind, now I Just now hit mine.”
In the next verse, Cole addresses Lamar’s absence between albums. He raps: “He averaging one hard verse like every 30 months or something / If he wasn’t dissin’, then we wouldn’t be discussin’ em.”
He is responding to Kendrick’s warning shot last week that shattered the “Big 3” comradery and addressed For All The Dawg‘s “First Person Shooter,” which, on “Like That,” Lamar rapped:
“Yeah, get up with me, f*ck sneak dissing/’First Person Shooter,’ I hope they came with three switches/ Think I won’t drop the location? I still got PTSD/Motherfuck the Big 3, n***a, it’s just big me.”
“Like That” debuted at #1 on Billboard 200 with over 31 million first-week streams, earning hip-hop’s best streaming week since 2021.
Immediately after its release, Cole’s “7 Minute Drill” received mixed reviews from fans across social media. Overall, the warning shots have hip-hop fans excited about the two superstars’ next releases.
In March, J. Cole began promoting Might Delete Later with DVD-inspired vlogs that showed him working on his anticipated album, The Fall Off, and teased EP tracks like “Ready ‘24.” The new EP features Cam’ron, Gucci Mane, Young Dro, Bas, Central Cee, Daylyt, and Ab-Soul.
Outside the beef, Might Delete Later includes the trending tracks “Pricey,” “Stickz N Stonez,” and “3001.” The new EP – available on all streaming platforms – was released on the Cole World imprint.
J. Cole’s surprise arrives on the eve of the rapper’s annual Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina. The two-day music festival takes place this Saturday and Sunday and features headlining acts such as SZA, 50 Cent, Nicki Minaj, and, of course, J. Cole himself.
Other performers include Key Glock, Rae Sremmurd, Schoolboy Q, Lil Yachty, Tezzo Touchdown, and more.