J. Cole Finally Gives Fans A Taste Of Long-Rumored Kendrick Lamar Collaborations
Fans seemingly gave up on asking for the J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar collaborative project that had been rumored for years, but the Dreamville leader might have reignited that thirst. He previewed two unreleased records with the Compton rapper in the latest episode of his audio series Inevitable.
The tracks “Temptations” and “Shock The World” aren’t entirely new. They were first introduced to the world in 2010 at a record store release event and there is footage on YouTube of Lamar rapping along to them. However, the songs were never delivered in CDQ format. Cole blessed his Inevitable listeners with the first opportunity to hear the songs in full and at high quality.
“Temptations” is a dual effort from the “Forbidden Fruit” duo while “Shock The World” featured BJ The Chicago Kid. J. Cole fondly reflected on how the records came together and the musical chemistry he felt with K. Dot. Obviously, that is a bittersweet revelation given where their relationship is seemingly at in 2024.
J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar’s friendship has seemingly unraveled in 2024, though it stems from Cole’s 2023 collaboration with Drake titled “First Person Shooter.” They allegedly wanted Lamar on the record, which he supposedly denied, and went on to call each other the “GOAT.” Cole also dismissed “big steppers,” which was interpreted as a reference to the Compton rapper and his 2022 album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
From there, the “Humble” rapper replied on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” emphatically stating “f**k the Big 3.” The “Middle Child” rapper fired back with “7 Minute Drill” from his April project Might Delete Later, claiming Lamar was seeking attention, his discography wasn’t that good, and he drops one good verse sparingly. Cole later took back the diss days later at Dreamville Festival, calling it the “lamest sh*t” he could ever do. Kendrick turned his attention to Drake but continued bringing up the former hooper throughout the beef.
J. Cole went on another feature run in the months following the beef but finally addressed it all on “Port Antonio” in October. He explained that he stayed out of the beef because he was scared of losing a friend, reaffirmed to Drake that they were friends, and stated his unwillingness to sling mud did not strip away his status as one of the best rappers in the game.