RAP BEEF TIMELINE · 2023–2024
Kendrick Lamar vs. J. Cole
“Like That” vs. “7 Minute Drill,” then the apology
J. Cole’s “Big Three” line becomes the target of Kendrick Lamar’s “Like That.” Cole answers briefly on “7 Minute Drill,” then publicly calls the record a mistake at Dreamville Festival and removes it from streaming.
THE RECORD
The moments
Diss track · disputed account
Cole names the Big Three on “First Person Shooter”
J. Cole frames Kendrick, Drake, and himself as rap’s “Big Three,” setting the stage for Kendrick’s later rejection of the title.
Read the receipt ↗Diss track
Kendrick rejects the Big Three on “Like That”
Kendrick’s verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” says the contest is “just big me,” making the competitive challenge explicit.
▶ Listen to “Like That”Read the receipt ↗Diss track · disputed account
Cole answers with “7 Minute Drill”
Cole’s surprise record criticizes Kendrick’s catalog, including To Pimp a Butterfly and Mr. Morale, but he quickly regrets the attack.
Read the receipt ↗Reconciliation
Cole apologizes and removes the track
At Dreamville Festival, Cole calls “7 Minute Drill” the lamest and goofiest thing he has done, then removes it from streaming services.
▶ Read Cole’s Dreamville apology
THE RECEIPTS
Sources and listening
Kendrick Lamar × J. Cole — supplied timeline and Dreamville apology ↗ARTIST LENSES