J. Cole is finally addressing the elephant in the room. The rapper has spoken out about the very public feud between his longtime friends Drake and Kendrick Lamar, revealing that he still holds love and admiration for both artists despite the explosive battle that divided hip-hop.
In a recent interview with Apple Music, Cole opened up about his feelings watching two of his closest peers engage in one of the most talked-about rap beefs in recent memory.
Cole made it clear that his personal relationships with Drake and Kendrick remain intact, even if their public war of words suggested otherwise. “I still have love and admiration for both of them,” he said, according to TSR.
The Dreamville founder went on to express frustration with how the feud was consumed and amplified by the public. “I hate how the world has talked down on them,” Cole added, suggesting that the discourse surrounding the battle often crossed the line from competitive rap to personal attacks.
Cole’s position in the Drake-Kendrick dynamic has always been unique. The three rappers were long considered the “big three” of their generation, a label Cole himself acknowledged on his track “Let Go” from the Might Delete Later project. That same album featured Cole briefly entering the fray with “7 Minute Drill,” a response to Kendrick’s verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.”
However, Cole quickly backtracked, removing “7 Minute Drill” from streaming services and publicly apologizing for his involvement. At the Dreamville Festival shortly after, he told the crowd that his response “didn’t sit right” with his spirit and that he wanted to preserve his friendship with Kendrick.
The Drake-Kendrick feud escalated throughout 2024, with both artists releasing multiple diss tracks that dominated headlines for months. Tracks like “Family Matters,” “Meet the Grahams,” and “Not Like Us” became cultural flashpoints, with Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” eventually becoming a Grammy-winning anthem.
While fans and critics debated winners and losers, Cole largely stayed out of the fray after his early misstep. His recent comments suggest he has been watching closely and wishes the conversation had taken a different tone.
With the intensity of the feud having cooled considerably, Cole’s comments serve as a reminder of the personal friendships that existed before the music. Both Drake and Kendrick have moved on to new projects, Drake with his ICEMAN rollout and Kendrick continuing his victory lap after a historic 2024.
Cole, meanwhile, continues to build his legacy as a peacemaker within hip-hop, focused on Dreamville and his own artistry. His latest statement reinforces his position as someone who values the relationships behind the music, even when the world wants to pick sides.
