J. Cole has been widely memed since backing out of the “Big Three” battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, and it appears the jokes aren’t entirely farfetched.
On Tuesday (May 7), a TikTok user went viral for running into the Dreamville rap star at the beach amid the bitter feud between his close peers that has gripped Hip Hop fans in recent weeks.
The user, @2kold.fr, posted a video of calming ocean waves before it cuts to a photo of her sat next to Cole on the sandy beach.
The “Middle Child” hitmaker, who was seemingly alone, could be seen wearing a typically casual outfit along with headphones connected to a laptop.
A fan meets J. Cole chilling at the beach 🏝️🌊 pic.twitter.com/8uO3i6N4PY
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) May 8, 2024
After being bombarded with questions about the encounter in the comments section, the woman claimed that she had a 30-minute conversation with Cole and asked him about Kendrick and Drake’s beef.
“He said he doesn’t even like beef period. He’s really just chillin,” she wrote.
Many fans pointed out the amusing similarities between the real-life encounter and flood of memes poking fun at Cole for choosing a quiet and peaceful life over lyrical warfare.
The North Carolina native has been compared to tranquil scenes from Spider-Man, Family Guy and The Sopranos, which are juxtaposed with K. Dot and Drizzy’s messy dispute that has seen allegations of pedophilia, domestic abuse and child neglect.
“The memes turned out to be true bro is living his best life right now LMFAOO,” one person joked on X (formerly Twitter).
Another said: “He’s really doing what people are saying he’s doing [crying face emoji].”
Drake: you a wifebeater
Kendrick: you a pedo
J Cole: pic.twitter.com/z2F0o6ljsB
— justhugee (@Justhugee) May 4, 2024
Drake: "Your feet small, you got your number one hit bc of me, and Metro needa make some damn drums"
Kendrick: "Your own team is working against you, I hate everything about you, and freaks like you should die"
J Cole: pic.twitter.com/D2tAAKBGjy
— Babu!! (@BabuVersus) May 6, 2024
Drake: you a wifebeater
Kendrick: you a pedo
J Cole: pic.twitter.com/OO9lVy29hQ
— Kevin Finnerty (@timeimmemorial_) May 4, 2024
J. Cole bowed out of the beef last month after dissing Kendrick Lamar on “7 Minute Drill,” which came in response to the Compton rapper’s searing verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.”
Just days after dropping the diss record, Cole apologized to Kendrick while performing at his Dreamville Festival and vowed to remove it from streaming services (a promise he ended up keeping).
““I’m so proud of [Might Delete Later], except for one part. It’s one part of that shit that makes me feel like, man, that’s the lamest shit I did in my fuckin’ life,” he told the crowd. “And I know this is not what a lot of people want to hear.
“I was conflicted because: one, I know my heart and I know how I feel about my peers. These two n-ggas that I just been blessed to even stand beside in this game, let alone chase they greatness. So I felt conflicted ’cause I’m like, bruh, I don’t even feel no way. But the world wanna see blood.”
He continued: “That shit disrupts my fucking peace. So what I want to say right here tonight […] 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.
“I just want to come up here and publicly be like, bruh, that was the lamest, goofiest shit […] I pray that y’all forgive a n-gga for the misstep and I can get back to my true path.”
He knew he was gonna lose being on Drake’s side
I think he more doesn’t’ care to be in this beef… At one time or another, he was friends with both. He seems a bit more genuine than most rappers / celebrities, and seemed genuinely upset with himself for even making a song about Kendrick, which I respect.
Drake fans still in denial. Love to see it
Kendrick Queens don’t want to admit that he’s only relevant when he’s dissing. “We wouldn’t even be discussing him.”
So we’re just going to ignore his catalog then?
The true winner
I think this new J. Cole album The Fall Off is going to be a MONSTER. He already was puffin out his chest feelin’ like the best right now (which to me is compared to Drake and Kendrick), but every man has pride. And when all those meme hits and everybody started crackin jokes about him, I’m sure he went and added a couple of songs to the album to address all the jokes. I think we’re about to hear a classic from him.
I think Drake the realest one. And I cringe saying that .he’s not my favorite or top 1000 period.but k.dot and Cole talk pro black shit and take pictures and lay with the whitest thing they can find. Love is love… but I’d never thought I’d agree with Drake on anything… but those other two are fake… kinda like a four dollar bill. So close to a real five dollar bill, but no haps