Fat Joe suggests that J. Cole taking the high road during his publicized beef with Kendrick Lamar did more harm than good to his legacy
On Monday (July 29), the Terror Squad rapper appeared on the Jay Shetty Podcast, where he shared his opinion that the Dreamville leader’s decision to back down in his rap battle with K. Dot negatively impacted his reputation.
“I had one of the biggest, most dangerous beefs with 50 Cent, and I was sitting next to him at the game yesterday, having the best time in the world. We’re brothers. When you’re called out in Hip-Hop, you gotta respond. I’m a big fan of J. Cole, but it started from that,” he began.
He continued: “He probably saw that it could get real messy and real ugly and so he said, ‘Yo, you know this ain’t me I don’t want no parts of it.’ But, he definitely got a stripe off… They took a stripe off that because in Hip-Hop, when they call you out, you come out.”
On Sunday, April 7, J. Cole closed out the 2024 Dreamville Festival with a surprise public apology to Kendrick Lamar. This came after Lamar’s highly publicized diss track “Like That” targeting Cole and Drake, to which Cole responded with the scathing “7 Minute Drill.”
“…Man, that’s the lamest shit I ever did. In my fucking life’ right?” said Cole of making the track. “And, I know, this is not what a lot of people want to hear… I can hear my n***as up there right now like… ‘Nahhh, don’t do that.’ But, I gotta keep it 100 with y’all. I damn near had a relapse, right? Because, y’all heard some shit that happened two-three weeks ago, however long it was… y’all heard that bazooka that was dropped.”
He continued: “I felt conflicted ’cause I’m like, bruh I know I don’t really feel a way. But the world wanna see blood… so I say all of that to say, in my spirit of trying to get this music out, I moved in a way that spiritually feels bad on me. I tried to jab my n***a back and I tried to keep it friendly. But at the end of the day, when I listen to it and when it comes out and I see the talk, that sh*t don’t sit right with my spirit.
“That sh*t disrupts my f*cking peace. So I want I want to say tonight, in the midst of me doing that, and in that sh*t, trynna find a lil angle and downplay this n***a’s f*cking catalog and his greatness… I wanna say right here tonight, how many people think Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest muthaf*ckas to ever touch a microphone? Dreamville, y’all love Kendrick Lamar correct? As do I.”
Cole closed his speech offering a free response by Lamar without future retaliation. “I pray my n***a really didn’t feel no way,” said Cole. “And if he did, my n***a, I got my chin out. Take ya best shot. I’ma take that shit on the chin. Do what you do. I’ma take that on the chin like all good.” Soon after, J. Cole pulled “7 Minute Drill” from all streaming platforms.
Fat Joe joins a slew of industry figures, including Suge Knight, Kanye West, Lil Duval, and TDE’s Punch, in taking shots at J. Cole following his surprising public apology to Kendrick Lamar.