J. Cole has resurfaced with a new song “Port Antonio” which he used to address the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef.
You can recall J. Cole getting a lot of flack in hip-hop from fans and some of his peers over the summer when he apologized to Kendrick Lamar and decided not to further participate in the rap beef. Cole initially released a diss track, “7 Minute Drill,” aimed at K.Dot but later removed it from all streaming platforms. He also praised the Compton rapper during his set at the Dreamville Festival.
Cole received mixed reactions from fans, but mostly criticisms following the move with some of his peers in rap calling it a career-defining moment that could prove detrimental to his legacy. However, J. Cole has since been bouncing back from that ordeal following weeks of staying silent. Nevertheless, the journey back to good grace hasn’t been easy as he received further criticism for his verse on Cash Cobain’s “Grippy,” which some fans say is possibly his worst verse yet.
“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,” Cole raps while seemingly taking a jab at Kendrick Lamar who was accused of buying views and paying for bots to troll Drake during their beef. “They see this fire in my pen and think I’m dodgin’ smoke/ I wouldn’t have lost a battle, dawg, I would’ve lost a bro,” Cole admitted. “I would’ve 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?”
J. Cole also addressed Drake directly while making it clear that he was never picking sides in Drizzy’s explosive beef with Lamar. “Drake, you’ll always be my n—a/ I ain’t ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my n—a,” he raps.
The Dreamville rapper went on a massive feature run this summer leading up to the release of “Port Antonio.” He collaborated with ASAP Rocky on the song “Ruby Rosary” in September and again with Tee Grizzley on “Blow For Blow,” before linking up with Afrobeats singer Tems on “Free Fall.” Cole received a lot of praise from fans for the verses he delivered on those songs, with some arguing that he might be the best rapper out of the so-called Big 3.
