The hip-hop world is abuzz after J. Cole dropped a surprise album, “Might Delete Later,” late on Thursday night. While the project itself has excited fans, all eyes are on the final song of the album, “7 Minute Drill,” which seems to be a response to Kendrick Lamar’s recent verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s song, “Like That.” In his verse “Like That,” Lamar effectively fires shots at Drake and J. Cole, suggesting that despite their popularity, he is the king of the rap game at present.
J. Cole doesn’t waste a moment tackling Lamar right away in the opening line of the song:
“I got a phone call; they say somebody dissing / You want some attention; it comes with extensions.”
Cole then delves into a critique of Lamar’s work, pointing out specific albums, such as “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” and suggesting Lamar’s quality has fallen off in recent years.
“He fell off like the Simpsons,”
Cole rhymes, poking fun at Lamar’s supposed descent.
This appears to be a very big rap feud, coming on the back of a year of simmering tension between these two well-regarded rappers. While no overt animosity has emerged, a competitive undercurrent has been simmering for years.
The back-and-forth wordplay of course is bound to provoke debate among the fans since a couple of lines of this kind are capable of adding a spark in this rather heated online engagement.
But Cole emphasizes the fact that he doesn’t merely amass accolades; he emphasizes the competitive fire of his business. He boasts about his sales figures and his influence on the genre. Cole then adds a subtle dig at Lamar’s critical acclaim with,
“Trophies look nice, but they don’t keep you warm.”
It is, therefore, unclear if this is the end of the exchange or merely the beginning of a full-blown rap feud. One thing is for sure: J. Cole has reignited the conversation about hip-hop’s heavyweight championship.
While it’s unclear what this means to the title-holder, fans can’t wait to argue whose is more deserving of the moniker.
