J. Cole hitting the stage at Dreamville Fest is always a moment. But this time, he wasn’t just dropping fire verses – dude was opening up. Between tracks, Cole let the crowd know he’s had some regrets after that whole Kendrick diss situation.
“I dropped ‘Might Delete Later’ this past Friday,” Cole said. “Overall, I’m damn proud of that project. But that one track… let’s just say that ain’t how I’m built. I damn near slipped back into that old mindset.”
For those not in the loop, this all started a few weeks back with Kendrick dropping some heat on “Like That”. Cole took it personally on that “7 Minute Drill” track. He admits the world was hyped for the response, but that just ain’t him anymore.
“I love Kendrick,” Cole said on stage. “That response was a misstep, it was lame. And if I caused any hurt, my bad, K-Dot. This ain’t no beef, just a brother finding his way back.”
Cole doubled down on pushing back against the negativity. He emphasized growth, saying “the last few days felt terrible” and then dropped straight into “Love Yourz.” The crowd felt that.
For a bit of background, on Metro Boomin and Future‘s We Don’t Trust You track “Like That,” Kendrick rapped:
Think I won’t drop the location? I still got PTSD
“Like That” by Future, Metro’ Boomin, Kendrick Lamar
Motherfuck the Big 3, n***a, it’s just big me
N***a, bum, what? I’m really like that
And your best work is a light pack
N***a, Prince outlived Mike Jack’
N***a, bum, ‘fore all your dogs gettin’ buried
That’s a K with all these nines, he gon’ see Pet Sematary
Who knows how all this started between Cole, Drake, and Kendrick? The subliminals have been flying for years. But, maybe this moment at Dreamville Fest means these hip-hop kings are finally ready to let that drama go.
