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Symba believes he’s the target of a subliminal shot from J. Cole—and he’s ready to respond.
On Tuesday night (Jan. 27), Cole released four new freestyles, including Bronx Zoo Freestyle. One set of bars in particular caught listeners’ attention:
“Young Simba, some ni**as threw some hate my way / But only thing they should say is, ‘Cole, you like a father to me.’”
Some fans, Symba included, interpreted the line as a jab aimed at the Bay Area rapper, who previously dissed Cole after the Dreamville leader bowed out of the battle with Kendrick Lamar in 2024.
Symba addressed the situation during a call-in to the Rory and Mal Podcast on Wednesday (Jan. 28). “I’m pulling up to the studio, and I think you know what I’m gon’ do,” Symba said. While he took the mention as a sign of respect, he made it clear he wouldn’t let the bars slide. “You’re not my father… He don’t duck smoke.”
Despite the tension, Symba shouted out Cole and said he’s excited to hear The Fall-Off. Still, he left the door open for a response record.
There’s also a chance the perceived diss may be a misunderstanding. Early in his career, Cole frequently referred to himself as “Simba,” releasing tracks like “Simba,” “Grown Simba,” and “Return of Simba.” If that’s the case, the line may have been self-referential—though that hasn’t stopped the debate, or Symba’s readiness to fire back.
Rory and Mal call Symba to discuss J.Cole dissing him on Cole's new mixtape Birthday Blizzard '26. Symba reveals he is recording a response track 😲 pic.twitter.com/dbl0RFemRp
— The Engineer (@TheEngineer4k) January 29, 2026
