J. Cole said he regrets releasing a diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar amid their ongoing feud.
Videos circulating on social media captured Cole addressing the crowd at Dreamville Festival on Sunday, just two days after dropping his latest album, "Might Delete Later," during which he apologized for one of its tracks, titled "7 Minute Drill."
"I’m so proud of [‘Might Delete Later’], except for one part," said Cole, Variety reported. "It’s one part of that [expletive] that makes me feel like, man that’s the lamest [expletive] I did in my [expletive] life, right? And I know this is not what a lot of people want to hear."
Cole went on to explain that he felt conflicted about releasing that track, adding that it felt "spiritually bad on me."
"I want to say right now tonight, how many people think Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest [expletive] to ever touch a [expletive]’ microphone? Dreamville, y’all love Kendrick Lamar, correct? As do I," he continued, explaining that "the past two days felt terrible."
The statements follow an escalation in the long-standing rivalry between the two artists, which intensified last October.
At the time, Drake and J. Cole collaborated on the hit track "First Person Shooter," where they suggested themselves as part of the hip-hop "big three," alongside Lamar.
Lamar responded in March with a verse on Future and Metro Boomin's "Like That," stating that there is no "big three," only "big me," CNN noted.
In a subsequent interview on Hot 97's "Cipha Sounds & Rosenberg" show, Lamar clarified that he was emphasizing his hunger rather than making a statement about talent.
Having collaborated previously, the two artists, along with Drake, have risen as influential figures in hip-hop. They boast multiple Grammy Awards each, with Lamar notably achieving the 2018 Pulitzer Prize, a historic first for a nonclassical or jazz musician.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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