Ab-Soul Shows Respect for J. Cole’s Take on Drake vs. Kendrick Battle

Ab-Soul has come out in defense of J. Cole, who has remained outside of the current Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar feud, showing praise for Cole’s maturity in avoiding conflict when it’s just not necessary.

Recently appearing on the Effective Immediately podcast with Gina Views and DJ Hed, he saluted how Cole can avoid the race-one of hot topics in hip-hop as of late.

Ab-Soul respected J. Cole because he was not getting into drama he didn’t need. “I respect J. Cole’s stance. He chose to avoid unnecessary drama and maintain his integrity. Cole’s decision shows maturity and a focus on the bigger picture.”Ab-Soul said.

This was the perspective brought about by maturity and the bigger picture, which many artists would have overlooked in the heat of competition.

J. Cole spoke to this fight on his most recent song, “Port Antonio.” He spoke to his foresight considering the rising tensions. He rapped on the song itself: “I pulled the plug because I saw where that was about to go, they wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make the pockets grow.” As he went on to explain, it came down to not wanting to air public battles and wanting to keep the relationships intact. He further criticized this as a manipulative social media tactic.

He reaffirmed his friendship with Drake despite the friction, saying, “Hey Drake, you’ll always be my n***a. I ain’t ashamed to say you did a lot for me.”

What others may see as quitting, Ab-Soul said, is Cole’s strength to stay focused on higher points of personal and professional development. “It’s not always about jumping into every fight; it’s about knowing when to walk away and focus on what’s important,” he said.

Ab-Soul also commented on Kendrick’s take. He said that he knew why Kendrick needed to respond to Drake over his diss tracks, but he really thought that as far as a rap battle goes, Kendrick is the better of the two. “Drake could never go toe to toe with Kendrick in a rap battle, man,” he said. In any case, he did note that he was not trying to disrespect either of the artists.

The respect between Ab-Soul and J. Cole runs deep. They’ve known each other since the early days of the West Coast rap scene. Although their friendship has changed, their admiration remains intact.

Ab-Soul remembered one of the funny moments when working on the mixtape “Might Delete Later”. He said he was mad for a second when Cole decided to place him on “Pi” instead of “Fuck Out My Face (FOMF)”. The MC did not keep the grudge for long as he called Cole, telling him how surprised he was to hear his verse.

The beef wasn’t all Ab-Soul spoke about during the interview. He also mentioned his forthcoming album, “Soul Burger,” and his new single, “All That,” featuring Jason Martin and Thirsty P. Here, he connects this into his journey through the music business. Ab-Soul explains appealing to his fan base with solid, meaningful lyrics.

As the conversation continued, it was evident that artists like J. Cole and Ab-Soul were giving much thought to the importance of fans in any creative work. “I know what my fans expect from me, so I stay focused on the music. It’s about connecting with the people who believe in your message,” Ab-Soul elaborated.

This is probably one of the touchiest subjects in hip-hop: the continuous beef between Kendrick and Drake. It originates from 2013 when Kendrick caused a stir, calling out various rappers, including Drake, on Big Sean’s “Control,” which prompted a back-to-back release of diss tracks and subtle jabs to keep the fans going and arguing over who’s really running the rap game.

The feud escalated significantly in 2024, with both artists releasing multiple diss tracks aimed at each other. Kendrick’s track “Not Like Us” was particularly scathing, accusing Drake of various misdeeds, including pedophilia. Drake responded with “The Heart Part 6,” denying the accusations and firing back with his claims.

The rivalry has been intense, with both artists trading barbs and accusations, and it has even involved other prominent figures in the hip-hop community, such as J. Cole and Future. Despite the animosity, both Drake and Kendrick have continued to dominate the hip-hop scene, with Kendrick winning several awards at the 2024 BET Hip-Hop Awards.