Thirty days ago from today, J. Cole, announced that he would graciously bow down to the beef with Kendrick Lamar at his April 7th Dreamville festival in Raleigh, NC.
Speaking to the Dreamville crowd, Cole revealed that the diss against the Compton rapper didn’t sit right with his spirit and disrupted his peace.
Recap of J. Cole’s decision:
“For the first time, I was tested. Why am I tested? Because I’ve got the world, and I’ve got my n*ggas like ‘What are you gonna do Cole?’ … I felt conflicted because I know I don’t really feel no way, but the world wants to see blood.”
“I moved in a way that I spiritually feel bad about. I tried to jab my n***a back and keep it friendly, but at the end of the day, when I listen to it and when I see the talk, that sh*t doesn’t sit right with me with my spirit. That sh*t disrupts my f*cking peace. So what I want to say right here tonight is that in the midst of me doing that – trying to find a little angle and downplay this n***a’s catalog and greatness – how many people here think Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest motherf*ckers to ever touch the f*cking microphone?”
The news had social media buzzing as the “Middle Child” rapper who was caught in the “middle” of the rap war backed away. Some on social media commended him for making the right decision while others thought it was the wrong move to drop out of the beef.
Following up on his statement from the Dreamville Festival, the NC rapper deleted “7 Minute Drill” from his Might Delete Later project, no longer caught in the “middle child” of the battle.
In the aftermath of bowing down, here’s a timeline of Drake vs Kendrick Lamar feud:
- April 13th: Drake’s “Push Ups” leaks
- April 24th: Drake responds with “Taylor Made Freestyle,” diss track featuring an AI-generated voice of Tupac and Snoop
- April 30th: Lamar responds with, “Euphoria”
- May 3rd: Lamar drops a follow-up diss track , “6:16 in LA”
- May 3rd: Drake launches “Family Matters”
- May 4th: Lamar responds within a hour later with “Meet the Grahams”
- May 4th: Less than 24 hours later, Lamar drops “Not Like Us”
- May 5th: Drake releases “The Heart Part 6”
- May 7th: Security Guard Shot Outside of Drake’s mansion
- May 7th: News spread of vandalizing Drake’s Ovo store in London with the words spray painted, “Not Like Us.”
L-R: Kendrick Lamar and Drake; Photo Credit: Getty Images
With today’s news of Drake’s security guard, looking back J. Cole was right when it comes to the world wanting to see blood, and it just didn’t sit right with his spirit. He moved in a way that wasn’t led by the world’s views, the opinion of his peers, nor by pride. He made a sound decision for himself, mentally and spiritually, to maintain his peace of mind and get realign back to his purpose.
It’s also an example of or those to avoid distractions, get realigned backinto your purpose.
