J. Cole inserted himself in the middle of Drake and Kendrick Lamar‘s feud with “7 Minute Drill” from his Might Delete Later project, a song he actually did delete later. J. Cole, who caught plenty of ire over walking back the diss, addresses Kendrick Lamar on the new “Port Antonio” track and X has thoughts as expected.
After an active 2024 with several features alongside the likes of Tee Grizzley, Tems, and A$AP Rocky, J. Cole dropped “Port Antonio” via his YouTube channel. The track, reportedly produced by DZL, Dreamville artist Omen, and Cole himself, has a sound somewhat reminiscent of Jay-Z’s ” Dead Presidents II” while also sampling Cleo Soul’s live version of “Know That You Are Loved.”
The verse is a return of the ultra-confident emcee, but with the added nuggets of wisdom that the North Carolina star often adds to his lyrics. However, the second verse is where he gets into his connection to the Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud and shouts the Canadian superstar out by name while also giving him advice.
From “Port Antonio”:
They instigate the f*ckery because it’s profitable
But singin’ “stop the violence” tunes when dudes in hospitals
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?
Since the age of fourteen, Jermaine is no king
If that means I gotta dig up dirt and pay the whole team
Of algorithm-bot n*ggas just to sway the whole thing
On social media, competin’ for your favorable means
To be considered best of live and rest, the weight of both things
I understand the thirst of being first that made ’em both swing
Protecting legacies, so lines got crossed, perhaps regrettably
My friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me
Later in the verse, J. Cole speaks directly to Drake saying, “Drake, you’ll always be my n*gga/I ain’t ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my n*gga/F*ck all the narratives, tappin’ back into your magic pen is what’s imperative.”
On X, folks are taking shots at the Dreamville honcho for mentioning the beef and propping up Drake, although some applauded the maturity of J. Cole. We’ve got reactions from all sides below.
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Photo: Getty