American rapper J Cole has expressed regret over the release of his latest song which was aimed at fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Speaking on stage at the Dreamville Festival in North Carolina, he revealed that he felt pressured to write a comeback after receiving numerous calls and messages from friends and colleagues who wanted to "see blood".
"Y'all heard that bazooka that was dropped on the game, right? Boy, I must have had a thousand missed calls. Texts flooded."
Although he tried to maintain a friendly tone, his verse did not sit well with him.
He praised Lamar's work and called him "one of the greatest", hoping that he had not taken offense.
"And if he did, I got my chin out. Take your best shot, I'll take that on the chin."
Cole apologized for his "lame" and "goofy" response and called the song a "misstep".
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He asked for forgiveness from Lamar and promised to remove or update the song, titled 7 Minute Drill, from his latest album on streaming services.
"I ain't gonna lie to y'all the past two days felt terrible," he told an audience at the Dreamville Festival in North Carolina. "I damn near had a relapse".
Cole hit back by saying Lamar had "fallen off like the Simpsons" and called his latest album "tragic".
He went on to promise that 7 Minute Drill would be removed, or updated, from his latest album on streaming services.
It's unusual, but not unheard of, for rappers to retract diss tracks after their release. This isn't Cole's first brush with the phenomenon.
Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar - Like That (Official Audio) "WE DON'T TRUST YOU" available at: https://future.lnk.to/WEDONTTRUSTYOU Follow Future: Facebook: https://Future.lnk.to/followFI Twitter: https://Future.lnk.to/followTI Instagram: https://Future.lnk.to/followII Website: https://Future.lnk.to/followWI Spotify: https://Future.lnk.to/followSI Follow Metro Boomin: https://twitter.com/metroboomin https://www.instagram.com/metroboomin https://www.instagram.com/boominati https://www.facebook.com/MetroBoomin/ (C) 2024 Wilburn Holding Co. and Boominati Worldwide, under exclusive license to Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. With Republic Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc. #Future #MetroBoomin #LikeThat #KendrickLamar
The feud of words started last year on the song First Person Shooter, where Cole suggested that he, Drake, and Lamar were the current "big three" names in hip-hop.
Lamar took exception to that description in a fiery verse on the song Like That, he declared there was no "big three - it's just big me".
He went on to call Cole's best verses insubstantial - "a light pack" - and claimed he was the Prince to Drake's Michael Jackson.
