Earlier in the year, J. Cole bowed out of Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s rap feud, followed by him going on another prolific feature run. On Wednesday (Oct. 2), Joe Budden gave the North Carolina rapper props for finding his rhythm again after the potentially career-damaging decision.
“I respect it more as time goes on. Way to keep yourself out of [the] mess. I think J. Cole has done an amazing job [at] keeping himself out of [the] mess,” Budden admitted on his podcast. “I think he got out of character for a second, and he had some behind-the-scenes phone calls and got right back in his bag. [He] didn’t want to risk a friendship over silly rap feuds.”
Notably, Cole fired back at Lamar’s “Like That” jabs with “7 Minute Drill,” which was removed from streaming platforms a bit over a week after it debuted. Future and Metro Boomin’s “Red Leather” marked his first guest appearance since the incident.
“It ain’t just his relationships. It’s him and all his artists [at Dreamville Records], and his side of town, and the friendships that we have with that whole side of town,” Budden further pointed out. As Rap-Up previously reported, TDE artists ScHoolboy Q and SiR seemingly had their Toronto shows axed due to Lamar’s fiery exchange with Drake.
Later in the conversation, Budden claimed that the “MIDDLE CHILD” hitmaker hit the ceiling lyrically. He explained, “My thing with Cole is there’s no more rapping he can do to let me know he’s a brilliant rapper. I’ve seen him rap the best with all these different people. It’s like he’s kind of taking some of the luster off of the phenomenal rapping bag.”
As far as 2024 goes, Cole lent his vocals to Tee Grizzley’s “Blow For Blow,” Tems’ “Free Fall,” and ASAP Rocky’s “Ruby Rosary,” among other guest appearances.
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