After a few featured verses on A$AP Rocky, Daylyt, and Tee Grizzley tracks, J. Cole is back with a surprise solo track, “Port Antonio,” addressing the currently dormant beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, that he famously bowed out of.
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The new release is Cole’s contribution to the highly publicized beef and barrage of diss tracks that stemmed since first declaring on his verse on Drake’s “First Person Shooter” that he Drake, and Lamar were “the big three” of mainstream rap. Cole then tentatively upped the stakes with “7 Minute Drill” taking shots at Lamar’s recent music.
Lamar, of course, promptly responded to Cole’s claims on “Like That,” rapping, “Motherf*** the big three.… it’s just big me.” Drake then replied to with “Push Ups,” prompting Cole to realize what was going on and that he wanted nothing to do with it, apologizing for “7 Minute Drill,” and… well, the rest, if you don’t already know it, can be easily found with a simple internet search.
Before getting into it, Cole lyrically touched on the early days before his come-up on his opening verse, when he desired the fancy clothes of local drug dealers, luckily being able to find success through more credible means, getting rich off his pen.
Delving into the Drake/Kendrick feud in the second verse, Cole offered his reasoning for opting to wave the white flag, following the release of “7 Minute Drill.”
“I pulled the plug because I’ve seen where that was ‘bout to go / They wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make they pockets grow / They see this fire in my pen and think I’m dodgin’ smoke / I wouldn’t have lost a battle, dawg, I woulda lost a bro / I woulda gained a foe, and all for what? Just to attain some mo’ / Props from strangers that don’t got a clue what I been aimin' for? / Since the age of fourteen, Jermaine is no king / If that means I gotta dig up dirt and pay the whole team / Of algorithm-bot n****s just to sway the whole thing / On social media, competin' for your favorable means,” Cole recites on the second verse.
Throughout the following bars, on the Cleo Sol’s “Know That You Are Loved” sampled track, Cole goes on to note that while he feels partially to blame for instigating its start, he understands why Drake and Kendrick waged war against one another.
Expressing, “I understand the thirst of being first that made ‘em both swing / Protecting legacies, so lines got crossed, perhaps regrettably / My friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me / Now some will discredit me, try wipe away my pedigree / But please, find a n**** out that’s rappin’ this incredibly.”
Ending with words of encouragement for the publicly appointed loser of the battle, Drake. Cole champions Drizzy to get back in the game, focus on the philosophy of Hip-Hop, and remember why he started rapping in the first place.
“They say I’m pickin' sides, ayy, don’t you lie on me, my n**** / Then start another war, ayy, Drake, you’ll always be my n**** / I ain’t ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my n**** / F*** all the narratives / Tappin’ back into your magic pen is what’s imperative / Remindin’ these folks why we do it, it’s not for beefin’ / It’s for speakin' our thoughts, pushin' ourselves, reachin' the charts / Reaching your minds, deep in your heart, screamin' to find / Emotions to touch, somethin' inside to open you up / Help you cope with the rough times and s*** / I’m sendin' love ‘cause we ain’t promised s***.”
Listen to “Port Antonio” below.