Russ has made it clear he’s steering clear of the escalating tension between rap heavyweights J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar.
On Friday (April 5th), when a fan asked, “Are you picking a side?” — a nod to Metro Boomin’s now-famous message, “Once you pick a side stay there…” in reference to the dispute — the “What They Want” rapper seized the chance to inject some humor into the situation.
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“I’m 31,” he responded, taking to X (formerly Twitter). The reply sparked mixed reactions from fans, with some agreeing, and others questioning the relevance of Russ’ age to expressing his allegiance.
“LOL good answer,” wrote one fan. “That’s a good answer, like I’m too old for this. Lmao! Cheers to your new age [birthday emoji,” a second comment reads.
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“And? I’m 48 years young and firmly planted on Team Kendrick,” another wrote.
Russ’ avoidance follows J. Cole hitting back at Kendrick Lamar on his surprise new project Might Delete Later.
On the mixtape’s closing track, “7 Minute Drill,” Cole appears to reference K. Dot’s recent disses at him and Drake, and returns fire with some scathing bars of his own.
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Taking aim at the perceived quality of his friend-turned-foe’s catalog, he raps: “Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic/ Your second shit put n-ggas to sleep, but they gassed it/ Your third shit was massive and that was your prime/ I was trailin’ right behind and I just now hit mine.”
He continues: “Now I’m front of the line with a comfortable lead/ How ironic, soon as I got it, now he want somethin’ with me/ Well, he caught me at the perfect time, jump up and see.”
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In a nod to JAY-Z’s “Takeover” track aimed at Nas, Cole implies the Illmatic MC wouldn’t be relevant had he not provoked Hov. He then likens his feud with Kendrick to a scene from New Jack City where one character, Nino, reluctantly kills his own brother.
Expressing conflicted feelings toward Kendrick, Cole admits he’s reluctant to engage in conflict but maintains he’s ready to hop in the mic to defend his title if necessary. Cole closes with a caution to fellow rappers and a teaser for his forthcoming album, The Fall Off.
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“7 Minute Drill” arrives just two weeks after Kendrick Lamar took aim at J. Cole and Drake in his guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin‘s “Like That,” from their collaborative album We Don’t Trust You.
Referencing the pair’s chart-topping single “First Person Shooter,” he rapped: “Fuck sneak dissin’, first-person shooter, I hope they came with three switches/ I crash out like, ‘Fuck rap,’ diss Melle Mel if I had to.”
While Drake has yet to respond on wax, he seemed to address Kendrick’s lyrical darts during a show in Florida days later.
“A lot of people ask me how I’m feeling. I’ma let you know I’m feeling,” he told the crowd. “I got my fucking head up high, my back straight, I’m 10 fucking toes down in Florida and anywhere else I go.
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“And I know that no matter what, there’s not a n-gga on this Earth that could ever fuck with me in my life!”
