J. Cole has caused a stir with the unexpected drop of his latest album, Might Delete Later. However, he finds himself confronted with serious allegations as fans dissect the lyrics.
On the track in question, “Pi,” featuring Daylyt and Ab-Soul, Cole drops a line — which appear to target his once friend, now rival Kendrick Lamar — that has ignited controversy, with numerous listeners deeming it as transphobic.
“Is you a demon or is that demeanor for the ‘Gram? Tell us / They plead the fifth, I’m seeing hints of a trans fella,” Cole raps. “In cancel culture’s vicinity, he’s no killer, trust me / Beneath his chosen identity, there is still a pussy, period.”
“An artist as big as j Cole shouldn’t be getting away with these weirdly transphobic lines anymore,” wrote one user.
A second comment reads, “I can’t stand faux intellectuals. And maybe it’s J Cole’s fan base that put him on that pedestal but I’m over it. There’s absolutely no reason for a transphobic bar in 2024. It wasn’t even good. What was the reason, truly?”
“Fuck J Cole for this transphobic ass bar btw this shit is not cool,” another critic exclaimed, sharing a snippet of the lyric.
“dissed kendrick who made a song as forward thinking as Auntie Diaries too. idg what he on lol,” added another, referencing Kenny’s 2022 song “Auntie Diaries” from his fifth album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. On the controversial song, Kenny reflects on accepting his uncle’s transition. “My auntie is a man now,” he raps.
Others came to J. Cole’s defense with one user writing, “A bar about transgenders isnt transphobic. that’s like saying “i got in the uber yday and the driver was black” that’s a line about a driver being black not racism. yall cry about anything. Stop acting like he came out and said burn em all.”
On another standout track, “7 Minute Drill,” the Dreamville boss delivers a scathing review of the West Coast MCs music catalog, nearly two weeks after K. Dot’s mention of Cole and Drake on “Like That,” found on Future and Metro Boomin‘s recent album, WE DON’T TRUST YOU.
“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.”
J. Cole also channels JAY-Z‘s “Takeover” diss at Nas with the bars: “He averagin’ one hard verse like every 30 months or somethin’/ If he wasn’t dissin’, then we wouldn’t be discussin’ him.”
He then compares his sparring match with Kendrick, who he once planned to record an album with, to the scene in New Jack City wherein Wesley Snipes‘ character Nino Brown tearfully kills his brother.
“Lord, don’t make me have to smoke this n-gga ’cause I fuck with him/ But push come to shove, on this mic, I will humble him/ I’m Nino with this thing, this that ‘New Jack City’ meme/ Yeah, I’m aimin’ at Gee Money, cryin’ tears before I bust at him,” he spits.
Meanwhile, Drizzy has refrained from dropping a diss track, despite making indirect references to Lamar in recent Instagram posts and during live performances.
