J. Cole says that he was originally going to include two appearances by Kendrick Lamar on his album, The Fall-Off, before their relationship deteriorated in 2024. He discussed their viral beef during an appearance on Cam'ron's Talk With Flee show on Tuesday.
At one point during the conversation, Cam asked Cole about his initial reaction to Lamar dissing him on Metro Boomin and Future's "Like That." He recalled: "My first reaction is, 'That sh*t is hard.' Like, it's a hard ass verse. Undeniably. The beat crazy, the song is ill. He went crazy. That's my first reaction. I don't know what I'm listening for. I'm like, 'That sh*t is tough.' My second reaction is, 'Not now, n***a.' My second reaction is like, 'No, n***a. This is inconvenient for me.' Right at that time, I had just got off tour with Drake. I had went on tour with Drake. We did that, and I had Might Delete Later in the chamber... as a mixtape. And then, I had The Fall-Off finished. I probably had to tweak a couple mixes, but I had this album finished." From there, he revealed that Kendrick Lamar was featured on two different songs from the project.
Cole ended up revising The Fall-Off and releasing it on February 6, 2026. He included appearances from Burna Boy, Erykah Badu, Future, Morray, Petey Pablo, PJ, and Tems.
J. Cole's Relationship With Drake, & Kendrick Lamar
Elsewhere during the conversation, Cole discussed where his relationship with Kendrick Lamar and Drake currently stands. He revealed that he still has love for both of them, but they don't speak as much anymore.
"I genuinely love these n****s, but I'm not gonna act like we've been communicating and talking," Cole admitted. "I've had conversations with them post-everything, but it's not like it's a lot. That's me not knowing where they at, me assuming because I've heard X, Y, and Z, but it has nothing to do with how I actually feel. I genuinely love these n****s, I be wanting to shoot off a text. I ain't gon' lie. Even saying that on the mic is kinda lame to me, but it is my truth."
