The pioneers of the Soundcloud era have greatly impacted the sound of hip-hop today, for better or for worse. Though many of them emerged as some of the brightest stars of today, others failed to evolve or mature beyond their initial offerings.
Most would likely agree that Lil Pump falls in the latter category, especially since his career has been rather stagnant in recent years. In 2018, J. Cole practically predicted his downfall in "1985," and seemingly addressed it once again on "Lion King On Ice" in 2020.
During a recent appearance on The Bootleg Kev podcast, Lil Pump reflected on Cole's prediction of his downfall. From his perspective, Cole was more curious about what was happening with the new generation, especially since lyrical rappers were being pushed to the side.
"He was trying to understand [the] young generation, ’cause at that time people didn’t understand what was going on with the music,” he said. “‘There’s this new wave coming in, we don’t understand it but we’re just gonna roll with it.’ But I fuck with J. Cole, I don’t have no problems with him.”
However, Pump also explained that he doesn't think Cole was correct in his assessment of his career. Though we've witnessed Pump leap into the world of OnlyFans and basically slow down on releasing music, the Florida rapper said that he's still a relevant figure who hasn't been forgotten by the masses.
"Nope, because I’m still here,” he said. “I don’t think he predicted shit. I’m still here.”
Despite the brief feud between the two parties, J. Cole and Lil Pump sat down for a lengthy conversation where they came to a mutual understanding with one another. Ultimately, J. Cole wasn't trying to tear down the new generation of rappers. Instead, he wanted to provide them with some sort of game to live by, especially as they navigate the music industry.
Check out Lil Pump's comments about J. Cole's "1985" bars below.
