J. Cole fired back at Kendrick Lamar’s diss with “7 Minute Drill” on his surprise mixtape Might Delete Later. But not even three days later, he has already apologized for the track. Here’s what he had to say.
The Simpsons Catch a Stray
April 5, 2024: J. Cole clearly hasn’t caught up on The Simpsons lately. After Kendrick Lamar called him out last month on the diss track “Like That,” Cole must’ve been watching some TV while crafting a response to Lamar’s verse in the studio. Remember, Lamar sniped at Cole’s belief that the pair plus Drake were a part of rap’s “big three.” Calling the pair “bums,” he scoffed at the idea that either of them were in his league. (The other victim of Kenny’s deadly verse continues to avoid the booth like the plague, preferring to give motivational speeches in his absence.) On “7 Minute Drill,” Cole fires back, rapping lyrics like: “I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissing / You want some attention, it come with extensions / He still doing shows but fell off like The Simpsons / Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic / Your second shit put niggas 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.”
The cartoon comparison does some heavy lifting in the verse. The Simpsons becomes a simulacrum for Lamar’s past genius in albums like Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, but according to Cole, the Compton rapper is enduring a flop era. Too bad the simile doesn’t really fly. The show’s been good lately after enduring a yearslong funk. Should’ve brought up a show like Game of Thrones or something if you’re really trying to make that point. —Zoe Guy
“That Was the Lamest, Goofiest Shit”
April 8, 2024: Well, that didn’t last long. J. Cole already took back his diss to Lamar in “7 Minute Drill,” calling it “the lamest, goofiest shit.” Cole made the apology while headlining his own Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, not even 72 hours after first dropping his track. “I’m so proud of that project except for one part,” he told the crowd. “It’s one part of that shit that make me feel like, Man, that’s the lamest shit I ever did in my fucking life, right?”
Cole admitted he “damn near had a relapse” when Lamar first dissed him. He went on to praise the man who he just said “fell off like The Simpsons.” (The Simpsons is still waiting for its apology). “I want to say right now: How many people think Kendrick Lamar’s one of the greatest motherfuckers to ever touch a fucking microphone?” Cole asked. “Dreamville, y’all love Kendrick Lamar, correct? As do I.” As for “7 Minute Drill,” Cole said he’s taking “that song” off streaming. He didn’t call the tape Might Delete Later for nothing. —Justin Curto
