Videos by According2HipHop
J.Cole dropped off a four-pack of new freestyles in his Birthday Blizzard 2026 mixtape hosted by DJ Clue. He shocked the new LP on Tuesday (January 27). And he is talking heavy on this new mixtape.
J. Cole Appears to Call Out Drake on New Mixtape
There are several interesting lyrics featured on the new project. However, one recurring theme that Cole touches on is his disdain with rappers using bots and merch to inflate their album sales.
On the 99 build freestyle, he raps:
“These n****s swear they doin’ numbers, but it’s more to the story / You buss it down, it’s botted streams, and kids orderin’ merch.” (via @Kurrco/X)
Although the statement could apply to a lot of people, many fans on social media pointed to Drake as the target. Especially because back in November, California-born rap artist RBX filed a class action lawsuit against Spotify. In the filing, RBX alleges that the music giant turned a blind eye to bots that boosted the streams of the songs performed by Drake. Noting that the Grammy-winner benefited from “billions of fraudulent streams.” In addition, Drake has a thriving merchandise brand called October’s Very Own (OVO).
J. Cole calls out peers for inflating numbers with bots and merch sales 👀
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) January 28, 2026
"These n****s swear they doin' numbers, but it's more to the story / You buss it down, it's botted streams, and kids orderin' merch" — Cole on "99 Build Freestyle" pic.twitter.com/IU1AfFo76b
Cole again references the inflation of streams on his Golden Goose Freestyle.
“Lotta rappers make dough then be prone to lose it / For crumbs, dumb n****s sold their soul to Lucian …. N****s cheatin’ and I won’t еxcuse it / If I said it then I wrote it, stupid,” he raps.
Again its a vague statement that could apply to several people. But it most closely aligns with Drizzy. In 2022, he signed a deal with Universal Music Group for a reported $400 million. However, because UMG’s Republic Records was also included in the deal, it is often described as a 360 deal. The CEO of Universal Music Group is named Lucian Grainge.
J. Cole addresses artificial numbers, industry games, and authenticity in hip-hop on "Golden Goose Freestyle" 👀
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) January 28, 2026
"Lotta rappers make dough then be prone to lose it / For crumbs, dumb n****s sold their soul to Lucian"
"N****s cheatin’ and I won’t еxcuse it / If I said it then I… pic.twitter.com/1mbS0h2ruI
Fans on social media were quick to insinuate that Cole was calling out Drake.
“Drake, you have two days to respond,” one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Sounds like he’s talking to Drake honestly,” another user added.
“Damn, bro. The lightskins fighting where the owls at?” a third user chimed in.
Drake’s next album, Iceman, is set to drop later this year. Do you think Cole will get a response?
