J Cole Regrets Kendrick Lamar Diss: Why He Removed “7 Minute Drill”
Last updated: 9 September 2026
J. Cole didn’t take long to regret his response to Kendrick Lamar.
Just two days after releasing “7 Minute Drill,” a diss track aimed at Kendrick, Cole stood on the Dreamville Festival stage in North Carolina and publicly admitted that he was unhappy with the song.
He described the diss as the “lamest, goofiest” thing he had done and said releasing it did not sit right with his spirit.
Cole eventually followed through on his apology by removing “7 Minute Drill” from major streaming services, turning one of the most unexpected moments in the Kendrick Lamar-Drake-J. Cole saga into a defining moment in his career.
But why did Cole regret the diss so quickly?
Why did J. Cole diss Kendrick Lamar?
The situation started with “First Person Shooter,” Drake and J. Cole’s 2023 collaboration.
On the track, Cole famously positioned himself, Drake and Kendrick Lamar as hip-hop’s “Big Three.”
Months later, Kendrick rejected that idea on “Like That,” his collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin from We Don’t Trust You.
Kendrick’s verse challenged the idea that the three rappers were equals at the top of the rap game.
That response put Cole in an unusual position.
He had been mentioned alongside Kendrick and Drake, but Kendrick had effectively rejected the entire premise.
Cole decided to respond.
And that’s where “7 Minute Drill” came in.
J. Cole releases “7 Minute Drill”
Cole released “7 Minute Drill” on April 5, 2024, as the closing track on his surprise project Might Delete Later.
The song directly addressed Kendrick’s “Like That” verse and included several shots at Kendrick’s catalogue, release history and position in hip-hop.
Cole appeared ready to participate in what was quickly becoming one of rap’s biggest rivalries.
But something was different.
The song didn’t sit comfortably with him.
Just two days later, Cole would publicly explain why.
J. Cole apologizes to Kendrick Lamar
During his headlining performance at Dreamville Festival 2024, Cole addressed the situation in front of the crowd.
Rather than performing “7 Minute Drill” and continuing the battle, he spoke openly about his regret.
Cole explained that he felt conflicted because he respected both Kendrick Lamar and Drake and didn’t personally feel the level of hostility that the public expected from him.
He said the wider rap audience wanted to see a war, but that motivation didn’t align with how he actually felt.
Cole then described the diss as the “lamest” thing he had done and said it had disrupted his peace.
That was a remarkable moment.
In a genre where rappers are often expected to stand behind their words, Cole effectively told the world:
I shouldn’t have made this song.
Cole says Kendrick is one of the greatest rappers ever
One of the most revealing parts of Cole’s apology was the way he spoke about Kendrick’s ability.
Cole acknowledged Kendrick as one of the greatest rappers to ever touch a microphone.
That admission was significant because “7 Minute Drill” had attempted to question Kendrick’s catalogue and relevance.
Only days later, Cole was publicly praising the same artist he had attacked.
The contradiction explained why he felt so uncomfortable with the diss.
He wasn’t simply worried about losing a rap battle.
He was questioning why he had attacked someone he genuinely respected.
Why Cole said the diss “didn’t sit right”
Cole’s explanation went deeper than simply saying he had changed his mind.
He said he felt conflicted because he knew how he actually felt about Kendrick and Drake.
The public, however, wanted competition.
Fans wanted diss tracks.
The media wanted a rivalry.
Hip-hop wanted another classic rap battle.
Cole realised that he had allowed that outside pressure to influence his music.
That was the part he appeared to regret most.
His decision therefore became less about Kendrick winning or losing and more about Cole remaining authentic to himself.
J. Cole removes “7 Minute Drill”
Cole didn’t stop with the apology.
He also said he intended to remove “7 Minute Drill” from streaming services.
He eventually did.
The song was removed from major platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal, making the situation even more unusual.
The title of Cole’s project suddenly felt almost prophetic:
Might Delete Later.
And in this case, he actually did.
What was “7 Minute Drill” about?
The song was essentially Cole’s response to Kendrick’s challenge on “Like That.”
Kendrick had rejected the Big Three concept and asserted his own position in the rap hierarchy.
Cole answered by attacking aspects of Kendrick’s career, including his release frequency, catalogue and cultural relevance.
One of the most discussed angles was Cole’s criticism of Kendrick’s album output.
Cole questioned Kendrick’s relatively small number of albums compared with his own career.
But Cole later acknowledged that he had essentially searched for reasons to undermine Kendrick’s greatness because he felt compelled to respond.
That admission made his apology even more significant.
The Kendrick Lamar “Like That” verse changed everything
To understand Cole’s regret, you have to understand the impact of “Like That.”
Kendrick’s verse didn’t simply answer “First Person Shooter.”
It completely rejected the idea that there was a shared throne.
The song became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and turned the “Big Three” debate into one of the biggest conversations in hip-hop.
For more on how the entire rivalry developed:
Read: Kendrick Lamar’s Response to Drake and J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter”
That moment eventually helped trigger the much larger Kendrick Lamar vs Drake battle.
Why J. Cole walked away from the beef
Cole’s decision to step away was not necessarily an admission that Kendrick had beaten him.
It was a statement about what kind of artist Cole wanted to be.
He had spent much of his career presenting himself as an introspective rapper who valued authenticity, personal growth and meaningful songwriting.
A prolonged celebrity rap war didn’t necessarily fit that identity.
Cole essentially recognised that he had entered a conflict because the culture expected him to participate.
Once he realised that, he decided to leave.
J. Cole vs Kendrick Lamar: What actually happened?
The timeline is relatively straightforward.
October 2023
Drake and J. Cole release “First Person Shooter.”
Cole refers to himself, Drake and Kendrick as the Big Three.
March 2024
Kendrick appears on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.”
He rejects the Big Three concept and directly challenges Drake and Cole.
April 5, 2024
J. Cole releases “7 Minute Drill” on Might Delete Later.
The track takes direct shots at Kendrick.
April 7, 2024
Cole performs at Dreamville Festival and publicly apologises for releasing the diss.
He says the song was one of the lamest things he had done and that it didn’t sit right with his spirit.
April 12, 2024
“7 Minute Drill” is removed from streaming services.
Meanwhile, Drake continues responding to Kendrick, turning the rivalry into a much larger battle.
Did Kendrick respond to J. Cole’s apology?
Kendrick did not turn Cole’s apology into the centre of the feud.
Instead, the attention increasingly shifted toward Drake and Kendrick.
That distinction is important.
Cole effectively removed himself from the equation while Drake continued engaging Kendrick.
The result was that Cole avoided becoming deeply involved in a battle that eventually produced some of the biggest diss tracks in recent hip-hop.
Was J. Cole wrong to apologize?
That’s still debated among fans.
Some believe Cole should have stood behind “7 Minute Drill” after releasing it.
Others believe his decision to apologise demonstrated maturity.
From Cole’s perspective, the issue wasn’t simply whether the song was good or bad.
It was whether the song represented what he genuinely believed.
And by his own admission, it didn’t.
That makes the apology particularly interesting.
J. Cole’s regret became part of the story
Ironically, withdrawing from the beef may have created an even bigger conversation around Cole.
Instead of being remembered only for his response to Kendrick, he became part of a discussion about ego, competition and authenticity in hip-hop.
Most rappers aren’t expected to publicly admit that they regret a diss track.
Cole did exactly that.
He also accepted that Kendrick could respond if he felt disrespected.
That level of vulnerability is unusual in rap.
What does this say about J. Cole?
Cole’s reaction fits into a broader theme throughout his career.
He has often presented himself as an artist who is interested in personal development rather than maintaining a manufactured image.
His decision to acknowledge a mistake publicly reinforced that image.
Rather than pretending “7 Minute Drill” never happened, he confronted it.
Then he removed the song.
That doesn’t erase the diss.
But it does show that Cole was willing to take responsibility for it.
J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar’s complicated relationship
The rivalry is also interesting because Cole and Kendrick have historically shown significant respect for one another.
Both emerged as major figures of the same generation.
Both became known for lyricism and album-focused hip-hop.
And both have frequently been mentioned among the defining rappers of their era.
That’s why “First Person Shooter” was so important.
Cole wasn’t inventing the Big Three concept from nowhere.
It was already part of the wider conversation among fans.
Kendrick simply rejected the idea that he belonged in a three-person hierarchy.
What happened to “7 Minute Drill”?
The song remains one of the most unusual diss tracks in recent hip-hop history because it was officially released, generated enormous attention and then disappeared from streaming services shortly afterward.
According to Pitchfork, Cole removed the track from Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal after his Dreamville Festival apology.
Its removal also gave the song a strange place in Cole’s catalogue.
It became a track that many fans heard once, debated intensely and then could no longer access through the major streaming platforms.
The bigger lesson from J. Cole’s Kendrick Lamar apology
The Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole situation demonstrates something that often gets lost in rap beefs.
Competition is part of hip-hop.
But competition doesn’t necessarily mean every artist has to participate in every battle.
Cole recognised that he had responded because the moment demanded a response, not necessarily because he personally wanted a war with Kendrick.
Once he realised that, he chose to walk away.
That decision may not have satisfied fans who wanted another classic rap battle.
But it was consistent with the message Cole delivered from the Dreamville stage:
He would rather protect his peace and remain true to himself than continue a feud simply because people expected it.
J. Cole’s Kendrick Lamar diss: FAQs
Why did J. Cole diss Kendrick Lamar?
Cole released “7 Minute Drill” after Kendrick Lamar challenged him and Drake on “Like That,” rejecting the idea that the three rappers formed hip-hop’s “Big Three.”
Did J. Cole regret “7 Minute Drill”?
Yes. Cole publicly expressed regret at Dreamville Festival two days after the song was released, saying it didn’t sit right with his spirit.
Did J. Cole apologize to Kendrick Lamar?
Yes. Cole publicly apologized during his Dreamville Festival performance in April 2024.
Did J. Cole remove “7 Minute Drill”?
Yes. The song was subsequently removed from major streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal.
Why did J. Cole remove the song?
Cole had already said that he regretted releasing the diss and intended to remove it. The track was subsequently pulled from streaming services.
Did Kendrick Lamar respond to J. Cole’s apology?
The focus of the feud shifted away from Cole and increasingly toward Kendrick’s battle with Drake.
What song did Kendrick use to respond to J. Cole and Drake?
Kendrick responded to the “Big Three” discussion on “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin.
What was J. Cole’s diss track called?
The track was called “7 Minute Drill” and appeared as the closing track on Might Delete Later before being removed from streaming.
Final thoughts
J. Cole’s decision to apologise for “7 Minute Drill” became one of the defining moments of the Kendrick Lamar-Drake-J. Cole saga.
He had the opportunity to continue the battle.
Instead, he stepped away.
For some fans, that looked like weakness.
For others, it was one of the strongest things he could have done.
Either way, Cole made his position clear: he respected Kendrick, didn’t genuinely feel the hostility that the public wanted from him and ultimately decided that releasing the diss had taken him away from the kind of artist he wanted to be.
And by removing “7 Minute Drill,” he made that decision permanent.
J. Cole didn’t just regret the diss. He acted on that regret.
