Just before midnight, a message landed on my phone.

“It’s late… and I’m sure you’re in dad mode, but I’m pretty sure Drake’s response will arrive in 10 (minutes),” it read. “(I do not know) if it’s that or Cole’s album. But I used to be told Drake recorded something the opposite day.

A moment later, J. Cole landed on streaming platforms and social media discourse went crazy.

To the industry insider’s credit, it was a diss. In the last song of the surprise album “7-minute exercise”, J. Cole took direct aim at Kendrick Lamar against a backdrop reminiscent of the Sega Genesis, returning the shots that Lamar sent to J. Cole and Drake in his fiery verse on “Like That” from Future and Metro Boomin. “Like That” became an instant cultural touchstone thanks to NBA legend LeBron James rapping (mostly) word for word during the pre-match warm-up and beyond not only by playing part of the verse on-air, but also referencing it during Thursday’s telecast. It was a record catapulted to #1, leading to an undeniable reality: at its core, hip-hop is a competitive sport. Claiming to be the perfect means proving it.

And J. Cole has spent much of the previous few years attempting to separate himself from the competition. He confirmed this on “7 Minute Drill,” claiming that Lamar’s time at the highest of rap’s Mount Everest was a protracted one, looking back. “,” J. Cole rapped, an interpolation of Jay-Z calling out Nas’ catalog in “Takeover.” “”

Calling Lamar Ambien music – when many critics of J. Cole’s work over time have said the identical about his music – is intentional. Whether he truly believes that is not the purpose or whether he’s completely missing the larger point. Lamar’s catalog is his quest for hip-hop immortality. As talented as J. Cole is, his body of labor still rivals Lamar’s. But J. Cole knows that specializing in Lamar’s discography while bringing up the same old topics of conversation about Compton, California, emcee boredom, and taking longer breaks between projects is a strategy to focus the conversation, regardless of how basic it could be .

J. Cole called this album a “warning shot,” and it was exactly that. Hours after the autumn, rapper Reason of Top Dawg Entertainment (Lamar’s former label) wrote on social media: writing“I hope you all understand this sport and don’t take it too seriously, at least from Dot and Cole. It’ll just be a friendly sparring session. I’m (excited) to hear that they’re both doing fine without any major issues. Just rap!”

As Reason noted, any tension between J. Cole and Lamar has yet to cross the road into something more personal. J. Cole confirmed last 12 months that he and Lamar had discussed a project together years ago but schedules didn’t allow it. These are two guys who, beyond that moment, showed one another cordiality and respect for one another’s talents, which dated back to the times after they recorded their first compilations. However, J. Cole stands to realize significant progress in his quest to be “the UN” – if he can play his cards right at this point.

“This year has always been a big year for Cole. “His ‘supposed’ last album, and now this barrel is falling in his lap,” said rap historian and documentarian Jeff Rosenthal. He and his brother Eric Rosenthal created the award-winning podcast, which focused on the period (roughly 2007-2012) when J. Cole, Lamar, Drake and the Legionnaires rose to music fame via the Internet. “If he really wants to achieve a good result and consolidate his status as number 1 in the generation, he has a way to do it. The momentum is on his side.”

In addition to the project’s latest song, there is also a well-rapped body of labor, featuring a wide selection of sounds and voices from artists resembling Cam’ron, Ab-Soul, Ari Lennox, Gucci Mane, Young Dro and others. As his annual Dreamville festival kicks off on Saturday and Sunday, all eyes are on J. Cole. And with big names like SZA, 50 Cent and the all the time controversial Nicki Minaj within the lineup, this is J. Cole’s stage.

“Cole has always been a champion of people. Drake has been topping all the charts for the last 15 years, and Kendrick has won the hearts of all critics and intellectuals. But Cole has built the most loyal and passionate fan base,” said Eric Rosenthal. “Critics may say his honesty makes him boring, but there’s no denying he attracts fans and collaborators, including Drake and Kendrick, who appreciate the very specific path Cole is on.”

Overall, J. Cole’s response to Lamar is satisfactory. “7 Minute Drill” won’t ever be amongst the long-lasting battle records in rap history. But nevertheless, it was never meant to be. J. Cole will perform several of this weekend’s songs in front of hundreds of fans flocking to Raleigh, North Carolina for the festival, including the one everyone is talking about, “7 Minute Drill.” And debates about where the feud between the 2 heavyweight rappers will lead will only deepen.

However, the elephant within the room becomes increasingly inescapable. Going back to Reason’s tweet, he said the rap battle was just fun — “at least on Dot and Cole’s part.” This one phrase is the textbook definition of “weightlifting.” J. Cole’s response only increases the pressure on Drake – the fundamental goal of Lamar’s ire on “Like That” – to reply. Once friends – or dear collaborators, if anything – the strain between Drake and Lamar is personal in a way that the lyrical rift between Lamar and J. Cole is not. Drake and Lamar have been trading bullion for the past decade, and Lamar has been rather more confrontational. Since “Like That,” Drake has responded in the shape of Instagram captions, impromptu TED stage talks, and over-the-top antics like accurate shots to an enormous image of Travis Scott’s head during a recent stop on his and J. Cole’s tour.

Drake is as battle-tested as they arrive. He destroyed Common on “Stay Schemin’” in 2012 and publicly exposed Meek Mill in 2015 with the Grammy-nominated album “Back to Back.” His loss in 2018, nevertheless, was Drake himself He admitted — for Pusha, T represents an incurable scar. Drake’s attitude and musical tone modified under the influence of ‘Pusha T’Adidon’s story” The record not only revealed the identity of Drake’s son, but questioned Drake’s very existence as an artist and an idea. Now Drake finds himself at one other pivotal moment defined by deep-seated friction. The last half-decade has seen a rather more combative Drake, due to his clash with Pusha T. Now, the anticipation of him lyrically taking up Lamar is deafening.

If and when Drake responds, it’s going to be on an enormous stage because he has no other option. WITH “First-person shooter” further, everything that involved these three took place in front of the watching world. In a way, J. Cole didn’t do Drake any favors by releasing “7 Minute Drill” before Drake could get into the booth and issue his own criticism. But as J. Cole stated on the record, almost in agreement with Lamar:

Much like J. Cole’s other passion, basketball, his rap lead disappears in almost the blink of an eye fixed. J. Cole has been improving results for years. But very similar one other North Carolinian, a three-point dagger opportunity like he’s never seen before in his profession is right in front of him. Album-before-album. A loud disagreement. His own festival. And then probably the most anticipated rap project. 2024 is expected to be J. Cole’s MVP 12 months. Now every little thing will depend on his future.