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Whew! J. Cole has hopped off his bike and back into the booth. Days after Drake popped off about fake friends, Cole revealed why he exited earlier from the beef between Drizzy and Kendrick Lamar. On Wednesday (Oct. 9), the North Carolina artist released ‘Port Antonio’ — five minutes of lyrics clearing the “narratives.”
Cole tapped into his conscious rap style to address his silence after Drake and Kendrick’s beef escalated to disses about each other’s families, Blackness, career accomplishments, fashion, and shoe size!
RELATED: 36 Hours In And Kendrick Lamar Is On His Third Diss Track Against Drake (LISTEN)
Two days after Kendrick released ‘Not Like Us’ and Drake dropped ‘The Heart Part 6’ in response in May, J. Cole was spotted allegedly cooking up beats at the beach. He took a photo with a fan, and the scenario had social media cuttin’ up with memes about his early exit from the booth war.
The memes are true! 😂 #jcole https://t.co/ghz6czYi8D
— Jovany🪬 (@ThisisJovany) May 8, 2024
Cole Said THIS Drake & Kendrick’s Beef On ‘Port Antonio’
Now, in ‘Port Antonio, Cole raps about not wanting to lose a brother over a beef egged on by others. Verse two is where he really goes in though, sharing for the first time his impression of their diss songs.
“I can see hate in both of your eyes but the third’s blind. So you search lines, But you struggle, which explains the puzzled look on the dull face as the word finds. I hate what raps become but like do-not-disturb signs. Can’t knock it if I see it’s ’bout the dough. They instigate the f**kery because it’s profitable. But singin’ “stop the violence” tunes when dudes in hospitals,” Cole raps in second verse.
In the next few bars, Jermaine didn’t beat around the bush about why he bowed out early. Drake and Kendrick Lamar fans can trace their tit-for-tat energy back to the 2010s, but the beef boiled over this year when K. Dot slid on Future and Metro Boomin’s song, ‘Like That.’ Cole had previously called himself, Kendrick, and Drake the ‘Big 3,’ but in ‘Like That,’ Dot basically said nah, “It’s just big me.”
Cole clapped back at Kendrick in the song ‘7 Minute Drill,’ suggesting the rapper fell off. Days later, at his Dreamville Fest, Cole announced his change of heart and publicly apologized to Dot. The song was later pulled from streaming platforms. The reasons J. Cole gave then aligns with what he shared on ‘Port Antonio.
“I pulled the plug because I’ve 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 dodgin’ smoke. I wouldn’t have lost a battle, dawg, I woulda lost a bro. I woulda gained a foe, and all for what? Just to attain some mo’. Props from strangers that don’t got a clue what I been aimin’ for?”
He said he couldn’t be a “king” while having to dig up dirt, pay teams to create public narratives, or compete for social media. At the same time, J. Cole said he also understood “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. Now some will discredit me, try wipe away my pedigree. But please, find a n***a out that’s rappin’ this incredibly, uh,” Cole rapped, adding that he isn’t picking sides.
Cole Says Drake Will Always Be His Friend
As mentioned, over the weekend, Drake took the stage in Toronto at a nostalgia party and opened up about fake friends. He didn’t name-drop anyone, but fans quickly linked his words to the rap beef and how it created an aura of picking sides.
In addition to denying he’s doing so, Cole also spoke to Drake in ‘Port Antonio,’ thanking him for their friendship. He closed the song by sharing advice for how the 6God should move forward.
“Drake, you’ll always be my n***a. I ain’t ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my nigga. Fuck all the narratives. Tappin’ back into your magic pen is what’s imperative. Remindin’ these folks why we do it, it’s not for beefin’. It’s for speakin’ our thoughts, pushin’ ourselves, reachin’ the charts. Reaching your minds, deep in your heart, screamin’ to find. Emotions to touch, somethin’ inside to open you up, Help you cope with the rough times and shit. I’m sendin’ love ’cause we ain’t promised shit. My nigga.”
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