In the unforgiving realm of hip-hop, where rhymes are razor sharp and rivalries run deep, the genre has long marched to the beats of its own drum. Last year, the stage was set for a showdown for the ages as J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar clashed with Drizzy taking over the reins for unending minutes of drill. But just as that dust seemingly settled, J.Cole found himself in the crosshairs of Joey Bada$$’s scathing rhetorical rockets in ‘Sorry, Not Sorry.’ The Lamar-Drake beef may be over, but fans are already jostling for a ringside seat to the next big rap battle on the cards.

Joey Bada$$ recently dropped a new single, ‘Sorry, Not Sorry,’ which appears to take shots at J. Cole. The track’s first verse reads, “Might delete later, I know damn sure that Joey won’t…,” and the bars seemingly refer to Cole’s April 2024 mixtape, ‘Might Delete Later.’ The mixtape is infamous for having fanned the flames of the Kendrick Lamar diss track, ‘7 Minute Drill,’ which had a rather short-lived history of existence since Cole retracted the track and maintained distance from the feud.

J. Cole raised a white flag and issued an apology for the diss track that retorted to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Like That’ in ‘Port Antonio.’ Although fans dubbed Lamar the winner by default after Cole removed the song from streaming, the hip-hop world’s reaction was more complex. Of course, some stood by Cole for bowing out of the beef, but Joey Bada$$ may not have been one in that camp. 

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J. Cole’s hasty retreat from the battle lines last year left fans in double minds, but Joey Bada$$ is standing firm with his apology laced in a visible dose of defiance, making it clear he is sorry, not sorry. 

Joey Bada$$’s lyrical rockets touched down on J. Cole’s doorsteps for sure, but along came his competitive swipes at West Coast Hip-Hop, coupled with a fair warning that, unlike the latter, he was not sorry for what he said. While that is enough of a cue that Bada$$ also does not plan on taking his words back, all fans are eyeing is the beef of the year for a Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef déjà vu.

Many fans believe J. Cole has officially entered the redemption arc with Bada$$ rolling out the diss carpet for him.

The online banter has subsequently reached a fever pitch, with fans engaging in a game of one-liner and counter trolls. However, beneath the humor lies a stern warning that if Cole hopes to retain his reputation, he must summon his full creative arsenal because a safe retreat may not be on his bingo card this time.

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What do you think of Joey Bada$$'s lyrical shots at J. Cole? Let us know in the comments below!