The J. Cole–Kendrick Lamar beef EXPOSES rap culture

J. Cole has committed the ultimate offense in the rap game — apologizing for releasing a dis track.

The track, titled “7 Minute Drill,” was a reply to Kendrick Lamar’s verse on the hit single “Like That.” In J. Cole’s dis, he said that Lamar had “fallen off like the Simpsons” and called his latest album “tragic.”

“It made me feel like 10 years ago, when I was moving incorrectly, and I pray that God will line me back up on my purpose,” J. Cole told an audience at his show. “I ain’t going to lie to y’all — the past two days felt terrible,” he added.

Jason Whitlock believes that this “sounds like maturity happening in the rap music industry,” and Christian Gospel rapper Dee-1 agrees.

“I heard a lot of growth and a lot of maturity from J. Cole. I heard a brother who acknowledged that he’s trying to be driven by his God-given purpose as opposed to his ego,” Dee-1 says.

However, this opinion is not reflected by the rap-loving masses.

“What you’re seeing on social media is that is not what people want to see. People want hip-hop to be a blood sport,” Dee-1 tells Whitlock, noting that this isn’t good for the black community as a whole.

“The two black mainstream artists who are considered to be conscious artists, what does that look like if they are sitting out here beefing? That looks horrible for us as a black community,” Dee-1 says.

Unfortunately, those fans who watched the beef unfold care more about being entertained than they do about doing the right thing.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to ask yourself: Is your desire to be entertained going to have to come at the expense of peace and progress inside of the hip-hop community?” Dee-1 says.

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