Joe Budden Calls Out J. Cole For “Soft Hip-Hop Sh*t” While Addressing Beef On “Port Antonio”
J. Cole surprise-released “Port Antonio” last week and addressed backing out of the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, which fostered a myriad of reactions from fans and media members. Joe Budden, one of the most outspoken pundits during the heavyweight feud, labeled the 39-year-old’s explanation as “soft Hip-Hop sh*t.”
On “Port Antonio,” the Dreamville rapper acknowledged that people have revoked his status as part of the “Big 3” and claimed that it has made him feel “finally free.” The eponymous podcast host took him to task on Saturday’s episode (Oct. 12).
“What do you mean you’re ‘finally free’?” Budden asked. “That dismisses all accountability from the part that he has played in the ‘Big Three’ debacle […] What do you mean you’re ‘finally free’ as if you never wanted parts of the ‘Big Three’ conversation? That is a load of crap! I’m not gonna let you ni**as just piss me on and tell me it’s raining. Get the f**k outta here!”
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Joe Budden also called J. Cole out for clarifying that he was capable of engaging in rap beef, but did not participate in this particular one because he did not want to lose his friendships with Drake or Kendrick Lamar. “Don’t pop back up and say, ‘I would’ve, I could’ve, but then I would’ve lost [a brother],'” he exclaimed. “Not over ‘Dead Presidents,'” referring to Cole flipping Lonnie Liston Smith’s “A Garden Of Peace,” similar to how JAY-Z did on “Dead Presidents II.”
He went on to denounce the “Middle Child” rapper’s approach and broadened it to the genre at large. “I hate this soft Hip-Hop sh*t!” he asserted. “It’s soft, call it what it is! These Hip-Hop ni**as is feeling like h*es out here!” Despite taking issue with the content, Budden did call Cole’s performance “exceptional rapping.”
The Might Delete Later rapper released “Port Antonio” at an opportune time. Members of Hip-Hop media began to speculate whether he and Drake were on good terms after Cole appeared on tracks with Future, Daylyt, and A$AP Rocky, all of whom opposed the Toronto superstar during his feud with Kendrick Lamar. “They say I’m pickin’ sides, ayy, don’t you lie on me, my ni**a/ Then start another war, ayy, Drake, you’ll always be my ni**a/ I ain’t ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my ni**a/ F**k all the narratives,” Cole rapped.
J. Cole initially dissed Kendrick Lamar on “7 Minute Drill,” the final song on his April mixtape Might Delete Later, after K. Dot dissed him and Drake on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.” He attacked Lamar’s discography, rapping, “Your first sh*t was classic, your last sh*t was tragic/ Your second sh*t put ni**as to sleep, but they gassed it/ Your third sh*t was massive and that was your prime.”
Two days later, he spoke at Dreamville Fest and called what he did “lame” and eventually removed “7 Minute Drill” from all streaming services. “I was conflicted because, I know my heart and I know how I feel about my peers, these two ni**as that I’m blessed to even stand beside in this game and let alone chase their greatness,” he said. “I felt conflicted because I know I don’t really feel no way. But the world want to see blood. I moved in a way that, spiritually, I feel bad.”
“That was the lamest, goofiest sh*t,” he added. “I pray that God aligns me back on my purpose and on my path. I pray that my n**ga didn’t really feel no way. And if he did, my ni**a I got my chin out. Take your best shot, I’ma take that sh*t on the chin. Boy, do what you do. All good.”
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