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J. Cole is one of the forgotten elements in the 2024 rap beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. But he was actually the catalyst that kicked off the beef between hip-hop’s self-proclaimed “Big Three.”
J. Cole Addresses Kendrick Lamar Apology on New Mixtape
Cole took the initial shot, but quickly apologized for his remarks to Lamar. His decision to concede led to harsh criticism from some of the top tastemakers in hip hop. Most recently, Fat Joe. Cole addressed the backlash on his new “Birthday Blizzard 2026” freestyle, hosted by DJ Clue.
Cole appears to insinuate that being dropped out of the “Big 3” by those critics is actually the position where he is the most comfortable.
“I used to be top, see, the apology dropped me way out of the top 3, no problem, I’m probably my best when they doubt me,” he raps on the song (via Kurrco/X).
He also gives a deeper perspective into what it is really like to be at the top of the game. And how it’s not as great as it seems.
“The top ain’t really what I thought it would be, so I jumped off and landed back at the bottom and restarted at a level where I wasn’t regarded as much, just to climb past them again and tell them all to keep up,” he raps.
J. Cole speaks on his apology to Kendrick Lamar in a new freestyle from "Birthday Blizzard '26" 👀
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) January 28, 2026
"I used to be top, see, the apology dropped me way out of the top 3, no problem, I’m probably my best when they doubt me."
“The top ain’t really what I thought it would be, so I… https://t.co/2A8IgEx1Xy pic.twitter.com/T5QjO9Y7Y9
After Kendrick took exception to Cole’s first on First Person Shooter and fired back on Like That, Cole made his stance clear when he dropped Seven Minute Drill. However, shortly after dropping the freestyle, the YouTube link quickly disappeared. And the following night, Cole apologized to Kendrick during his Dreamville Festival in April 2024.
Cole is also set to drop his next studio album, The Fall Off, on February 6.
