J. Cole Addresses Bowing Out of Kendrick Lamar Feud & Shows Love to Drake on New Song: Listen
It’s been just over six months to the day J. Cole waved the white flag at his Dreamville Festival to withdraw from the Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud.
With the added perspective from watching how it all played out, Cole addressed bowing out of the beef on a new track titled “Port Antonio.” The Dreamville boss released the track via his Instagram account on Wednesday night (Oct. 9).
More from Billboard
“I pulled the plug because I seen where that was ’bout to go/ They wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make they pockets grow/ They see this fire in my pen and think I’m dodging smoke/ I wouldn’t have lost a battle, dog, I woulda lost a bro/ I woulda gained a foe,” he raps.
Cole went on to show love to Drake, as he appreciated his “First Person Shooter” collaborator’s support while having enough of people trying to paint him taking a side. “They say I’m pickin’ sides, don’t you lie on me, my n—a to start another war/ Ay, Drake, you’ll always be my n—a/ I ain’t ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my n—a/ F–k all the narratives/ Tapping back into your magic pen is what’s imperative,” he rhymes.
With the jarring allegations made by both sides in the Drake and Kendrick feud, Cole believes they crossed lines that shouldn’t have been. “I understand the thirst of being first that made them both swing/ Protecting legacies, so lines got crossed, perhaps regrettably/ My friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me,” he continues in the track.
Instead of opting to feud, Jermaine explains his approach to rapping and pushing the culture forward rather than beating one another down. “Reminding these folks why we do it/ It’s not for beefing, it’s for speaking our thoughts/ Pushing ourselves, reaching the charts/ Reaching your minds, deep in your heart/ Screaming to find emotions to touch/ Somethin’ inside to open you up/ Help you cope with the rough times and s–t,” he finishes on the track.
Just a couple of days after releasing his “7 Minute Drill” Kendrick Lamar diss track, J. Cole immediately expressed regret for doing so while on stage at his Dreamville Fest in his home state of North Carolina back in April.
“I’m so proud of [Might Delete Later], except for one part. It’s one part of that s–t that makes me feel like, man that’s the lamest s–t I did in my f–king life, right? And I know this is not what a lot of people want to hear,” he told fans. “I was conflicted because, one, I know my heart and I know how I feel about my peers, these two n—as 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.”
He eventually removed “7 Minute Drill” from streaming services, and Cole’s side-stepping led to Lamar and Drake battling, which played out over the course of the next month into May.
Listen to “Port Antonio” below.
Best of Billboard
Sign up for Billboard's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
