J. Cole Clears Up Drake and Kendrick Lamar Collaboration Rumors

J. Cole recently addressed the rumors surrounding the collaboration on Drake's hit track, "First Person Shooter," during an appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s 7PM In Brooklyn podcast. As he promotes his upcoming album, The Fall-Off, Cole revealed that Drake initially aimed to collaborate solely with Kendrick Lamar before considering him.

"So, I’m not gonna say we were all supposed to be [on the song]. How it came to me was, before that beat ever made it to me, I think Drake wanted that to be a him and [Kendrick] song," Cole explained. He further implied that Kendrick may have declined Drake's invitation, leading Drake to reach out to him instead. "I never looked at that song like it was going to be all of us. I thought it was me and Drake," he said, emphasizing the pressure he felt while writing his verse.

Additionally, Cole shared his plans for the 2024 Dreamville Festival, where he intended to bring both Kendrick and Drake on stage. However, he acknowledged that tensions between the two artists made this difficult. "[Drake] was supposed to be at Dreamville Fest. That was planned. He didn’t come. Thank God he didn’t come, though — no disrespect to Drake, I love Drake — but had he come, I would have felt more pressure to be on stage representing that energy," he stated.

Clarifying the circumstances surrounding Drake's absence, Cole noted that it was not due to a disagreement, but rather Drake's awareness of Cole's discomfort with the situation. "He could tell, when me and him talked, that my heart wasn’t equivalent to his. So he was like, ‘Yo, I didn’t want to come down there and put you in a situation on that stage and say some shit that you would have to stand behind,'" Cole recalled.

Throughout his press tour, J. Cole has also discussed his response to Kendrick's previous verses, revealing that he felt pressured to release his diss track, "7 Minute Drill," to address the ongoing rivalry. He emphasized that his intention was not to provoke malice but to ensure his new album, The Fall-Off, did not get overshadowed by the ongoing drama.