J. Cole Insists He Pulled Out of Kendrick Lamar Beef Because He ‘Would’ve Lost a Bro’ Instead of Losing a Battle on New Song ‘Port Antonio’
J. Cole reveals the real reason he pulled out of the Kendrick Lamar rap battle and addresses Drake on the new song "Port Antonio."
J. Cole Drops New Song
On Wednesday (Oct. 9), the Dreamville head honcho surprised fans with the new song released on YouTube. "Port Antonio" is a slow burn, and finds the North Carolina rapper addressing why he bowed out of the Kendrick Lamar beef back in April and the fallout of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake rap battle.
"Protectin' legacies, so lines got crossed, perhaps regrettably/My friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me," he raps on the DZL, Omen and Cole-produced track below. "Now some will discredit me, tryna wipe away my pedigree/But please, find a ni**a out that's rappin' this incredibly."
Later on, Cole references the real reason he waved the white flag after initially responding to Kendrick's "Like That" verse on "7 Minute Drill."
"I pulled the plug because I seen where that was ’bout to go/They wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make they pockets grow," Cole rhymes. "They see this fire in my pen they think I'm dodging smoke/I wouldn't have lost a battle, dawg, I would have lost a bro/And all for what?/Just to obtain some ol' props from strangers that don't got a clue what I been aiming fo' since the age of 14/Jermaine is no king if that means I got to dig up dirt and pay a whole team of algorithm bot ni**as just to sway the whole thing on social media/Competing for your favorable memes."
Cole also addresses Drake by name. "Hey Drake, you'll always be my ni**a/I ain't ashamed to say you did a lot fo' me, my ni**a/F**k all the narratives/Tapping back into your magic pen is what's imperative," Cole instructs.
"Port Antonio" could be a sign that J. Cole's long-awaited album, The Fall Off, is coming soon.
Read More: J. Cole’s The Fall Off Album - Everything We Know
Check out J. Cole's new song "Port Antonio" below.