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J. Cole’s Response Is Good, But It’s Not Enough

We try to explain why the Carolina rapper's response falls flat.

But when you first hear Cole spit, “Now I’m front of the line with a comfortable lead/How ironic, soon as I got it, now he want somethin’ with me” as he runs down his thoughts on Lamar’s catalog and claims to have overtaken him in the power rankings, your ears perk up and you start rubbing your hands together, expecting a proper reply. Instead, he comes off reluctant to really engage, spitting, “My text flooded with the hunger for a toxic reply/I’m hesitant, I love my brother, but I’m not gonna lie/I’m powered up for real, that shit would feel like swattin’ a fly/Four albums in twelve years, n—a, I can divide.” Cole knew he needed to send a shot back, especially before the weekend of his annual Dreamville Fest. It was very slick on Future and Metro’s part and fitting that they and Lamar chose that song to launch their offensive, with its Rodney-O & Joe Cooley sample serving as a reminder that at the end of the day, this is hip-hop.

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