J. Cole is speaking publicly about the highly visible feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, a conflict that dominated hip hop headlines for more than a year and eventually spilled beyond music into legal territory.
The rapper briefly entered the dispute with his track “7 Minute Drill,” which included criticism aimed at Lamar. Not long after releasing the song, however, Cole reconsidered his role in the conflict and later delivered a public apology during his performance at Dreamville Fest in 2024.
In a new interview with Apple Music host Nadeska Alexis, Cole said the rivalry never changed how he personally feels about the two artists.
“I got genuine admiration for these dudes,” he said.
Cole emphasized that his respect runs deeper than competition within the industry.
“I got genuine love for these dudes,” he continued.
During the early 2010s, the three rappers often appeared linked by a shared rise in hip hop, each pushing for chart success while still acknowledging one another as peers. Cole now says the public response to their rivalry may have made the situation worse.
“I hate how the world sh*t on either one of them in defense of the other…even saying it out loud is a little silly,” he added.
Cole also described the internal conflict he experienced leading up to his performance at Dreamville Fest, where he ultimately chose to apologize to Lamar in front of the crowd.
“It hit me an hour before [hitting the stage],” Cole said.
The rapper admitted he had been struggling in the days leading up to the show.
“Before that, I was stressing the f*ck out. Then the moment for the idea came to me like a guide, and I lifted, and I got light, and I got excited. I got so excited because to tell you, three or four days before that, it was like, ‘Oh my, nah, this is terrible.’ Because I felt like I misrepresented myself. You know what I mean?”
Cole said the pressure intensified as the controversy surrounding the feud dominated the conversation around his music.
“I felt miserable about it…So I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I gotta go on this stage and come out here and pretend almost. Like, people think that I’m representing that.’ Might Delete Later had just dropped…the drama of all of this is the biggest news happening, and I’m coming out as a representative of what the f*ck they just heard.”