J. Cole Disliked Drake/Kendrick Beef’s ‘Culture’ Aspect

The rap world was recently captivated by the intense back-and-forth between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. While many fans were engrossed in the lyrical warfare, J. Cole found himself in a difficult position. In a recent interview, Cole revealed that while he still holds love for both artists, he was deeply troubled by how the public, or ‘the culture,’ treated Drake during the ordeal.

Cole’s Disdain for ‘The Culture’

Speaking with Cam’ron on his show ‘Talk With Flee!’, J. Cole expressed his strong dislike for the concept of ‘culture’ in the context of music and online discourse. He described it as an ‘algorithm’ driven by ‘campaigns,’ whether positive or negative, designed to incentivize certain behaviors or narratives. Essentially, Cole was hoping this ‘culture’ would fail in its attempts to tear down artists.

While Cole acknowledged Kendrick Lamar’s moments of brilliance during the beef and expressed happiness for him, he echoed Cam’ron’s sentiment that it felt ‘f*cked up’ to witness the public relentlessly bashing a friend. Cole clarified that Drake did respond to Lamar, and he doesn’t feel it’s his place to judge how either artist handled the situation.

Caught in the Middle

J. Cole emphasized that his primary concern is maintaining his friendships. The intense beef placed him in an awkward spot, constantly being asked to weigh in on the conflict between two artists he respects personally and musically. This situation has clearly been a source of discomfort for him.

A Political Analogy

During the same interview, Cole drew a parallel between the public’s reaction to the beef and political polarization. He stated, “The world became like politics, you either Democrat or Republican. You either Kendrick, or you Drake. I was disgusted both ways, damn near.” This highlights his frustration with the binary thinking that often surrounds such high-profile conflicts.

He specifically called out the way people tried to use the situation to express long-held negative feelings about Drake, stating, “The ‘out of hand’ that to me is disgusting, how people try to use that opportunity to show how they really felt about Drake the whole time, or just to pile on and tear this dude down and create a narrative as if he’s not great. It was a whole campaign.”