A few hours after saying a Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole collaborative album would never happen, Top Dawg Entertainment president Punch walked back his hardline declaration a bit. The TDE exec went from a stance of “never” to “never say never” on Wednesday night (May 20).
“Nah I don’t know,” he wrote via Twitter. “It might still happen. I want it to happen.”
Punch put the onus on K. Dot and Cole though, explaining he did his part to make it a reality.
“Y’all really want that album still???” he asked. “Like for real? I think it would great for hip hop. I did my part though. I spoke to both of them. Hit them niggas!”
Read HipHopDX’s original story about Punch crushing hopes for the collab LP below.
[This post has been updated. The following was originally published on May 20, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. PST.]
Top Dawg Entertainment president Punch stomped on the dreams of fans wishing for a Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole collaborative LP. The TDE exec shut down prospects of the long-rumored collab while interacting with some Twitter users on Wednesday (May 20).
After being pestered by multiple people about K. Dot, Punch asked one of them, “What do you want with him?” The person responded by pleading for a three-track EP from Lamar and Cole.
“That’s never going to happen,” Punch responded.
Another fan chimed in, wondering if the EP wouldn’t happen because the two MCs were actually teaming up for a 12-track album. Punch bluntly dismissed the idea in a brief response.
“0 tracks,” he wrote. “Not happening.”
Rumors about Cole teaming with Lamar for a project have persisted for years. Cole once claimed a collab album was “absolutely gonna happen” in 2012. TDE’s Ab-Soul also insisted they had “something in the works” on The Breakfast Club in 2016.
But as time has passed, Cole admitted an album with Lamar was unlikely. In a 2018 interview with Angie Martinez, he said it became less feasible due to their careers and family responsibilities.
“It’s not like it’s something that’s actively happening,” he told Martinez. “Not because it’s never gonna happen … I don’t like teasing or playing the game ’cause this has been going on for a minute.”
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With Punch’s more definitive statement on the matter, fans might be able to finally move on from the rumor. Plus, they can always revisit Cole and Lamar’s past collabs.
Listen to the K. Dot-assisted “Forbidden Fruit” from Cole’s Born Sinner LP below.
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Nobody cares. That hype was 2012 and 2013 lol.
Nobody cares bout your ass meng lol
I’m happily married with 3 children, two German shepherds, and living in a 2,400 Sq ft house… I’ve got all the people I need in my life =)
Kendrick and JCole production styles are polar opposite. That would have been a terrible album.
Kendrick and Cole have both rapped over each other’s beats. Listen to either’s Black Friday verses.
Cole being cool with Drake killed it. Any other excuse is bullshit for the public.
The thing with HipHop is that when the artists would be expected by the fans do something of a collaboration, there’s often these kind of embargoes. Eventually when they are both old news and the fans aren’t checking for that no more, that’s when the record labels begin to do everything within their powers to bring this sort of plan to fruition. It’s very pathetic.
I agree its like the “black hippie” album.
Cole and K. Dot can rap but lets be real there are much better and more talented artist then these two people put these guys up on a pedestal like there hip hop saviors when in actually there just mediocre at best. Super fans and stans always say he won a pulitzer and blah blah blah go make your own album if you can do better lol
We all know Black Milk is 100× better
Trash Rappers won’t ever give fans there dream collabs. Instead we get bow wow & omarions 2nd collab and bad meets not that good anymore, I meant evil 3. Or slaughterhouse lol we did not ask for these nobody wants these. I’m just glad future and young thug gave us the collab of the decade before jay electric had hov ghostwrite his album 4 him
You’re kidding about future and young thug being the collab of the decade right? Those 2 are potentially the worst artists of the decade.
Nah can we get a Kendrick Lamar and Jay Rock album or Kendrick Lamar and Ab Soul album?
That’s a horrible idea. Log out & try again tomorrow sweetheart
It’s a shame you got all those artist under tde who’s careers years are just wading by… guess that’s what happens when you sign to top dawg and he runs his shit likea corporate gangbang…. Top Dawg said sell records or lubes up & play bottom sweethearts
The real joint album people are waiting for is the Tekashi 6ix9ine and Meek Mill album. It’s called: The Screaming On the Mic: I can’t rap LP! It’s literally a shouting match between two. I heard there’s this one track where they get so turnt best bars they drown out the beat. Hip-hop at its best!!
this has been talked about FOR YEARS, while it would be an amazing colab, just doesn’t feel like it will ever actually happen
Nba. Nfl. Hiphop. All things that used to be great in the 80s and 90s now watered down and suckkkkks. Lmao the best we got is lebron and KD ring hoppin and kendrick n cole whos catalog wont see light of day compared to pac. Biggy dmx. 3000 back in the day
I never understood this, if all these artists love Hip Hop like they say they do (and I’m only referring to the real artists), I don’t see why this collab wouldn’t happen. We’ve been played with about Detox for years, I’m still waiting on Andre3000 (LOL)…I mean, this would be great for Hip Hop and I’m sure they’ll make a lil’ change off of it too. Unless somebody is being greedy. I hope they make it happen though.
Eminem + DMX throw in Joyner.