J. Cole apologizes to Kendrick Lamar for 'lame' diss '7 Minute Drill': 'I was conflicted'

J. Cole is respectfully bowing out of the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake.

The North Carolina rapper dropped a surprise album "Might Delete Later" on Friday, including the song "7 Minute Drill" in which he appeared to respond to Lamar's fiery bars on Future and Metro Boomin's "Like That."

During Cole's Dreamville Festival in North Carolina on Sunday, the rapper said during his headline set that his diss track was a "lame" and "goofy" decision, in videos captured by attendees.

"I ain't gonna lie to y'all the past two days felt terrible," he told an audience. "I damn near had a relapse."

In "7 Minute Drill," Cole alluded to hearing about Lamar's diss, rapping, "I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissing / You want some attention, it come with extensions."

"He still doing shows but fell off like 'The Simpsons,'" he continued, adding that Lamar's first album was "classic" and his latest was "tragic."

Cole said Lamar is now past his "prime" while he "just now hit mine."

To cap it off, he said that he appreciates Lamar's music, "But push come to shove on this mic I will humble him."

At Dreamville Festival, Cole said he felt pressure from his friends and colleagues, calling for him to go to "war" with Lamar.

"I was conflicted because … I know how I feel about my peers, these two (rappers) that I've been blessed to even stand beside in this game, let alone chase they're greatness … But the world want to see blood," he reflected.

Cole said the tone of the diss track was meant to come off more friendly, but the final product "didn't sit right with my spirit." The rapper went on to praise Lamar as "one of the greatest" in the industry.

He added that if Lamar took offense, "I got my chin out. Take your best shot, I'll take that on the chin."

Cole went on to declare that the song "7 Minute Drill" would be taken off streaming services. As of Monday morning, it is still available.

Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Drake beef, explained

Cole once referred to himself, Drake (Aubrey Graham) and Lamar as the "big three" in modern rap in Drake's 2023 song "First Person Shooter."

"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," he rapped, referring to Ice Cube’s Big 3 basketball league. "We the big three like we started a league, but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali."

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Lamar made it clear he didn't feel the same way when he hopped on Future and Metro Boomin's joint album "We Don't Trust You," which dropped on March 22.

In the track, Lamar calls out "First Person Shooter" by name and said "it's just big me" when it comes to rap titans.

Drake has yet to deliver a rap response to Lamar.

The three rappers have collaborated on numerous occasions in the early days of their careers. Lamar appeared on Drake's 2011 song "Buried Alive Interlude" and Drake appeared on Lamar's 2012 song "Poetic Justice." As for Lamar and J. Cole, J. Cole rapped and produced Lamar's 2011 songs "Temptation" and "Shock the World." Lamar and J. Cole also released a joint 2015 project titled "Black Friday" in which they rapped over each other's songs.

J. Cole, who has collaborated with Drake on many tracks, seemingly got looped into Drake and Lamar's beef which dates back to 2013.

In 2013, Lamar called out Drake, and several other rappers, on Big Sean's "Control," claiming that although he loves their music, he wants to "murder" them and snatch their "core fans."

Drake responded in a Billboard interview, telling the outlet, "It just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all it was. I know good and well that (Lamar)‘s not murdering me, at all, in any platform. So when that day presents itself, I guess we can revisit the topic."

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The feud escalated in 2015 when Lamar accused Drake of using a ghost writer in "King Kunta" and Drake later said on The Game's "100" that he would have all of Lamar's fans "if I didn't go pop."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: J Cole apologizes to Kendrick Lamar for diss on '7 Minute Drill'