J Cole is in a weird situation. The rapper wasn’t defeated in a fight like Drake. However, the fact that he chose to give up and make way for Kendrick Lamar is viewed by many as a fate worse than failure. At least Drake stood up for what he believed in, right? The debate continues over whether Kerr’s decision was wise or cowardly. Fat Joe recently weighed in on the “Dreamville” star’s legacy on the Jay Shetty Podcast. He offered flowers to J Cole, but noted that things will never be quite the same.
“He must have been eliminated,” Fat Joe asserted. “They took that away because in hip-hop, when they call you out, you come out.” The Terror Squad founder admits that J. Cole’s sense of self-preservation is wise in some ways , but he noted that this comes at a huge cost. “He probably saw that it was going to get really messy and ugly,” Fat Joe added. “So he said, ‘You know this isn’t me, I don’t want any part of it.'” Joe’s reputation for rap beef is ironclad, so it’s hard to argue with his stance. The rapper took shots at everyone from 2Pac to JAY-Z to 50 Cent and never backed down. For him, retreating was not an option.
Fat Joe hopes J Cole can meet the challenge
Part of Fat Joe’s reasoning is that complaints on record are not the same as complaints in real life. The rapper is confused by J Cole’s decision to throw in the towel because his battle with Lamar was strictly a lyrical battle. “I had one of the worst, most dangerous feuds with 50 Cent,” Joe told Shetty. “I sat next to him at the game yesterday and had the best time in the world. We’re brothers.” The rapper once again accused Cole of shying away from the game. “When you’re called out in hip-hop, you have to respond,” he asserts. “I’m a huge J Cole fan, but that’s when it all started.”
Fat Joe isn’t the only one who thinks this way. Kanye West Absolutely Attacks Cole on ‘Like That’ Remix, Throwing More Shots at the Dreamville star than his alleged ‘main’ target Drake More. Kerr’s reluctance to attack Kendrick Lamar also made the game frustrating. “Hip-hop [or] Rap or whatever you guys call it these days has been watered down,” the Compton emcee wrote on Twitter. “Then Cole apologized and turned this shit into unsweetened Kool-Aid. Cole was able to make a comeback.
About the author
Elias is the music writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined the site in 2024 and covers a wide range of topics including pop culture, movies, sports, and, of course, hip-hop. You can find him publishing for HNHH from Monday to Friday, especially coverage of new albums and singles. His favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808 Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He likes L.A. hip-hop, but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he bought was Will Smith’s “Big Willie Style,” which he thinks still sounds great.
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