If you’re a rap or hip-hop fan, chances are you know who Kendrick Lamar and/or J. Cole is. Both rappers have been big names in the genre for a long time. They’re even considered ⅔ of the “Big Three” in rap. Lately, J. Cole and Kendrick have had a scuffle going on. Since the beginning of the genre, lyric battles and diss tracks have always played a major role in rap. So it’s unsurprising that a confrontation between the two has broken out. 

How this situation started in the first place is debated among fans of the two artists. Derick Phan, a senior here and a fan of Kendrick, said that he thinks this started “by J. Cole defining the ‘Big Three’ as him, Kendrick, and Drake but proceeded to describe himself as ‘Muhammad Ali,’ implying that he is the greatest of the three. Kendrick most likely took this personally and wanted to disprove this claim through his verse on ‘Like That.’” Mr. Talbert, a science teacher here, had very different feelings about the start of the scuffle. Mr. Talbert believes this situation is a result of “Kendrick Lamar’s pettiness.” He continued to say that this “fight” is “his [Kendrick’s] way of announcing to the world that he’s gonna release another album soon.” Junior Hayden Warner said that he believes the “constant comparisons between J. Cole and Kendrick from the start of both of their careers, especially as they’ve developed themselves” is to blame for this situation. Addison Hodge, a junior, believes that Kendrick’s line in “Like That,” which says “…the big three, it’s just big me” “kick-started the drama between them.”

The timeline goes like this: 

• Drake released “First Person Shooter” featuring J. Cole with J. Cole’s line “We the big three like we started a league, but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali” 
• Future and Metro Boomin’s album, We Don’t Trust You, came out in March 2024 with Kendrick Lamar featuring on “Like That.” Kendrick’s line in “Like That” goes “the big three,…it’s just big me” 
• J. Cole’s album, Might Delete Later, came out in April 2024. One song on the album “7 Minute Drill,” with the line: “Your first [expletive] was classic, your last [explicative] was tragic, your second [expletive] put [expletive] to sleep, but they gassed it, your third [expletive] was massive and that was your prime,” was entirely about dissing Kendrick
• J. Cole publicly apologized to Kendrick about his “7 Minute Drill” song while performing at the Dreamville Festival on April 7, 2024
• Drake released “Push Ups” on April 19, 2024, a song entirely dissing Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Metro Boomin after their “Like That” song, which includes lines like “Your last one bricked, you really not on [expletive], they make excuses for you ’cause they hate to see me lit” 
• Drake released his second diss track towards Kendrick, Future, and Metro Boomin, called “Taylor Made Freestyle” also on April 19, 2024. In his song, Drake uses AI vocals of famous rappers Tupac and Snoop Dogg to taunt/mock Kendrick and his respect for the two artists. 

Although Drake and J. Cole’s song was one contributing factor to this beef, Drake wasn’t heavily involved in the direct disses between Kendrick and J. Cole. However, after releasing his two new songs, and directly slandering Kendrick, he’s put himself right back in the middle of it.  

Many fans of both Kendrick and J. Cole have taken sides in this scuffle. Junior Emily Zuniga, a long-time fan of Kendrick, said that she is totally on Kendrick’s side and that: “Someone like J. Cole has been waiting to be challenged and I think Lamar, ONE OF THE GREATEST IN THE GAME, had every right to take him up on that. Maybe it’s a little petty but the genre is built on competition so I don’t think it’s that ‘petty.’” Derick says that he is “firmly on Kendrick’s side.” “As a Kendrick fan, my appreciation for his songs has only deepened. In my opinion, Kendrick’s lyrical prowess and artistic ability are just better than Cole’s. Also, the recent exchange between them with J. Cole’s response, ‘7 Minute Drill,’ to Kendrick’s verse on ‘Like That’ further strengthens my stance,” Derick told us. He also said, “Kendrick’s verse was aggressive, clever, full of masterful wordplay, and challenged others– asserting his dominance in the industry.” Mr. Talbert had different feelings. He said: “I’m not on either side now. I’m kind of upset that J. Cole apologized. So I was on his side before but then he apologized and I’m like, ‘Why apologize?’” Hayden is on Kendrick’s side as he simply “resonates with Kendrick’s storytelling and lyricism” more. 

As with any drama between two artists, both J. Cole and Kendrick gained lots of popularity in the recent months. Even people who really didn’t listen to Kendrick and J. Cole have started to get into the rap genre. Emily told us, “I think it’ll obviously draw new fans to each artist but I also think depending on how each person responds, one has the chance to rise above the other and gain more respect.” Derick believes that this will “positively impact Kendrick, further cementing the idea that he is the greatest MC [Master of Ceremonies or Mic Controller] of all time. Whereas J. Cole’s reputation has been tarnished due to him having a weak response and apologizing.” Mr. Talbert thinks that this is a temporary fight and that they will eventually “put out a song together again.” 

So I guess the only thing left to ask is, who will come out on top?