Benny The Butcher has revealed that he played a minor role in the short-lived battle between J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar.
In an interview with Tampa Bay’s WILD 94.1 FM, the Griselda rapper said he sent Cole a motivational text message after hearing Kendrick’s searing guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin‘s “Like That,” which contained a shot at the Dreamville rapper as well as several at Drake.
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“I’m not gonna lie, when I heard that K. Dot shit, I texted bruh the demon emoji,” he said. “I said, ‘Bruh, lace up.'”
After explaining how rap beef can sometimes “go to the next level,” Benny added: “I could see Cole not wanting to be involved in no shit like that. I can see that. Because who wants to?”
Benny The Butcher reveals small role in short-lived J. Cole & Kendrick Lamar battle
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While it’s unclear if Benny’s text had any tangible influence on J. Cole, the North Carolina native fired back at Kendrick on “7 Minute Drill,” a diss song buried at the end of his surprise mixtape Might Delete Later.
The track found Cole downplaying K. Dot’s decorated catalog and mocking him over his diminutive height and lack of output, while also expressing mixed feelings due to their longstanding friendship.
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The latter proved to be telling as Cole apologized to Kendrick just days later while performing at his Dreamville Festival, calling “7 Minute Drill” the “lamest” thing he’s done.
“That shit disrupts my fucking peace. So what I want to say right here tonight is […] how many people think Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest motherfuckers to ever touch a fucking microphone? Dreamville, y’all love Kendrick Lamar, correct? As do I,” he told the crowd.
“I just want to come up here and publicly be like, bruh, that was the lamest, goofiest shit. It made me feel like 10 years ago when I was moving incorrectly. And I pray that God will line me back up on my purpose and on my path.”
Cole later removed the song from streaming services.
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Despite widespread criticism from both fans and fellow rap figures like — including 50 Cent, Suge Knight and Styles P — Benny The Butcher applauded his “Johnny P’s Caddy” collaborator for backing out of the beef.
“That’s my dog,” he said of the Dreamville founder in a recent interview with Fight Hype. “Honestly, you can see how gossipy and everything that this battle’s turned into.
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“Do you blame him for not wanting to be a part of this at this moment? Do you blame him? I don’t. I probably would’ve went about it in a different way, but it’s like a gossip battle.
“It’s not like a rap battle, it’s like a telling-each-other’s-business type of thing so I wouldn’t want to be a part of that.”
