Fat Joe Says He Can't Respect J. Cole After He Backed Down From Kendrick Lamar

BY Cole Blake
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NBA: Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks
Jan 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Recording artist Fat Joe sits courtside during the game between the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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Fat Joe and Jadakiss discussed J. Cole as he gears up to finally release his long-awaited album, "The Fall-Off."

Fat Joe says he can't appreciate J. Cole's music as much as he did before his feud with Kendrick Lamar in 2024. He explained why it doesn't hit the same during an episode of his Joe & Jada podcast ahead of the release of Cole's new album, The Fall-Off.

"I don't look at him the same," Joe said. "He ain't come outside... I don't look at you the same. The f*cking sword is dull. I don't care what he spits. I've always said he's one of the greatest, and all that is irrelevant to me when you talking all that gangsta sh*t and they call you to the yard, and you don't step outside."

Joe continued: "I don't give a f*ck if you lose. I'll never forget Everlast and Eminem. Everlast definitely knew he couldn't beat Eminem, but he came outside to the yard. He came outside. That's just how I look at... He caught stage fright."

Jada disagreed with Joe, instead arguing that the music should stand on its own. "The music man. The music is great," he said.

When Is J. Cole Releasing "The Fall-Off"?

J. Cole will finally be releasing The Fall-Off on February 6. He shared the first single from the project, "Disc 2 Track 2," last week. The title seemingly implies it will be a double album.

Elsewhere during Fat Joe and Jadakiss' conversation, Jada hinted at Cole having plans for an additional mixtape to go along with The Fall-Off. “He’s got a project coming out called 'The Fall-Off', and he’s got a mixtape where he used some of The Lox. He rhymed over 'Money, Power Respect,' and he rhymed over 'Can I Live.' Killed them sh*ts. Cole is coming back in a major way," Jada said.

He also praised Cole's new music and said his handling of his beef with Kendrick Lamar won't matter after The Fall-Off drops. "Once you hear his bars, all of that sh*t don't matter. He's coming crazy... It's all about the music. You're going off the internet," he said.

About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.

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