J. Cole Explains Why He "Walked Away" From Drake-Kendrick Lamar Beef In New Song "Port Antonio"

Source: Astrida Valigorsky / Getty

The Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef has long wrapped up, but the remaining shrapnel continues to fly around the music industry.

The latest to add their opinion is, ironically, J. Cole, who famously graciously bowed out of the battle while on stage at his Dreamville Festival.

Despite remaining quiet about his friends’ back-and-forth and fans disappointed in him waving the white flag, he returned months later with a new five-minute track addressing it all.

Entitled “Port Antonio,” Cole explains that he bowed out because he foresaw the low levels of trash talk Drake and Kendrick Lamar were willing to engage in to declare themselves the winners and lose friends in the process.

“I pulled the plug because I seen where that was about to go, they wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make they pockets grow/Wouldn’t have lost the battle, dog, I would’ve lost a bro, I would’ve gained a foe, and all for what?” Cole raps.

Later, he shuns the idea that he and Drake have bad blood, encouraging him to keep rapping.

“Aye Drake, you’ll always be my n-gga, I ain’t ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my nigga/Fuck all the narratives, tapping back into your magic pen is what’s imperative,” Cole raps.

Cole retakes the high road because despite fans cheering at the sight of blood, he was personally hurt to see his friends battle it out, because, “My friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me.”

Cole’s tune has changed since the beef kicked off when Kendrick Lamar’s “Like That” verse dropped in March. He first responded on “7 Minute Drill,” downplaying Lamar’s discography. He dissed K. Dot, saying that he’s “still doing shows but fell off like The Simpsons / Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic / Your second shit put n-ggas to sleep but they gassed it / Your third shit was massive and that was your prime.”

See how fans are reacting to Cole responding to the verbal scuffle below.

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