During a headline performance at the Dreamville Festival in North Carolina, rapper J. Cole voiced regret over his recent musical attack on Kendrick Lamar.
J. Cole regrets dissing Kendrick Lamar at Dreamville Festival
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The song in question, titled 7 Minute Drill, was part of his latest album Might Delete Later, which debuted just days before the festival on Friday, 5 April 2024.
Addressing the crowd, Cole described the diss track as the “lamest” action he has taken in his career, marking a significant public reconciliation attempt with Lamar.
Speaking candidly to the audience, he admitted that the contentious track did not align with his values, stating it “spiritually felt bad” and disrupted his peace.
“I was conflicted because, one I know my heart and I know how I feel about my peers, these two n—s 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 said.
By the end of his performance, Cole made a direct appeal to the fans and Lamar himself, hoping for forgiveness and to realign with his true artistic path.
His remorse was palpable as he reflected on the negative impact the last two days had on him, emphasising how disturbed his peace had been since the track’s release.
“I just want to come up here and publicly be like, bruh, that was the lamest, goofiest shit. I say all that to say it made me feel like 10 years ago when I was moving incorrectly. And I pray that god will line me back up on my purpose and on my path, I pray that my n—a really didn’t feel no way and if he did, my n—a, I got my chin out.
“Take your best shot, I’ma take that shit on the chin boy, do what you do. All good. It’s love. And I pray that y’all are like, forgive a n—a for the misstep and I can get back to my true path. Because I ain’t gonna lie to y’all. The past two days felt terrible. It let me know how good I’ve been sleeping for the past 10 years,” Cole pleaded.
J. Cole vs Kendrick Lamar history
The tension between J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar reached its peak with the release of 7 Minute Drill, but their history is complex, woven with mutual respect and competition.
Both artists have previously praised each other’s work and even teased a joint album over the years.
Their relationship, marked by both collaboration and rivalry, took a competitive turn with Lamar’s verse on Like That, which seemingly targeted Cole and Drake.
This prompted Cole’s retaliatory lyrics in 7 Minute Drill, where he critically assessed Lamar’s musical journey and impact, albeit in a confrontational tone.
“He still doing shows but fell off like ‘The Simpsons’ / Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic / Your second shit put n—s to sleep but they gassed it / Your third shit was massive and that was your prime / I was trailing right behind and I just now hit mine.
“He averaging one ‘Heart’ verse like every 30 months or something / If he wasn’t dissing, then we wouldn’t be discussing nothin’ / Blood don’t make me have to smoke this n—a ’cause I fuck with him / But push come to shove on this mic I will humble him,” he raps
Social media reacts to the apology
Following Cole’s public apology, social media was abuzz with reactions ranging from support for his candidness to disappointment over the feud.
Here are some of the reactions we picked: