TDE president Terrence “Punch” Henderson has cleared up claims that Ab-Soul dissed J. Cole on his latest song “Squeeze 1st 2.”
Arriving shortly after Cole’s own new track “Port Antonio,” the Crooklin-produced song hears Solo spit: “Metasota warned me they wanna war / But actually they forfeiting.”
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Many fans interpreted the line as being about J. Cole backing out of his brief battle with Soul’s former TDE labelmate Kendrick Lamar earlier this year.
HipHopDX‘s Jeremy Hecht even posed a theory that “Squeeze 1st 2” was possibly a response to Cole featuring Ab-Soul on his Might Delete Later cut “Pi,” on which the Dreamville rapper seemingly took shots at K. Dot (“His album dropped, it was trash / I litter it like I can’t spell it … I’m seeing hints of a trans fella / In cancel culture’s vicinity, he’s no killer, trust me / Beneath his chosen identity, there is still a pussy, period”).
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However, Punch hopped on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday (October 14) to shut down the speculation, saying: “I hate to clear up rumors, I usually let them fester and see how far they go, but ALL verses on Pi were recorded long before Like That,” referencing the Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick collaboration that ignited the rap wars.
He added: “When an emcee is in his or her ‘I’m the best’ bag, they’re usually dissing everyone and no one at the same time. It’s a part of the motif for most emcees. The lines are usually open ended and can apply to any other rapper. Unless it’s a specific reference.”
Punch then criticized the listening comprehension of rap fans: “Man, we might need a ‘how to listen to rap music’ guide book. Or App. It’s getting scary.”
I hate to clear up rumors, I usually let them fester and see how far they go, but ALL verses on Pi were recorded long before Like That. https://t.co/qLuJIwx7PG
— Punch TDE (@iamstillpunch) October 14, 2024
When an emcee is in his or her “I’m the best” bag, they’re usually dissing everyone and no one at the same time. It’s a part of the motif for most emcees. The lines are usually open ended and can apply to any other rapper. Unless it’s a specific reference.
— Punch TDE (@iamstillpunch) October 14, 2024
Man, we might need a “how to listen to rap music” guide book. Or App. It’s getting scary.
— Punch TDE (@iamstillpunch) October 14, 2024
While it appears Ab-Soul is not trying to spark up a lyrical sparring match with J. Cole, he did seem to take a shot at Drake’s longtime friend OVO Chubbs in a recent freestyle.
Things started when Chubbs seemingly threw a jab at Drizzy’s detractors on Instagram last week, writing: “Actions Speak Louder Than Words. Y’all Boys Talk To Much.”
Days later, Soul appeared to issue a slick rebuttal during a freestyle on Funkmaster Flex’s Hot 97 radio show, rapping: “Actions speak loud but so does moments of silence.”
The Carson, California native has been firmly on Kendrick’s side during his beef with Drake, offering his thoughts on the rap battle earlier this year.
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He wrote on social media: “If Drake is the MC I imagine he can be. Redemption is not off the table. Key word ‘MC.’”
He added: “But b4 my rant gets out of context. He could never Fucc wit da Gang’Nem on sum rap shyt. That was Never a question. We could still ‘potentially’ match ‘artistry’. (Removing my obvious personal/educated bias).”
