Following a three-year hiatus, rapper J. Cole had fans buzzing after announcing in May 2020 that he was set to release his sixth studio album, The Off-Season, later in the month. The news took fans by utter shock since Cole had been under the radar for a while, nor had he teased any possibility of new music being right around the corner.
Needless to say, however, the 36-year-old definitely had his fans hyped up about the project. The Off-Season was released on May 14, and unlike other rappers who you probably only listen to because of their catchy beat, Cole is one of the few artists where one becomes engaged with the lyrics more so than simply liking the track because of its catchy production.
So, who would have thought that on the song “Let Go My Hand,” Cole would address his once rumored feud with Diddy? Back in 2013, it was reported that the pair had a falling out after the Bad Boy label founder allegedly attempted to throw a drink of fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar. So what exactly happened and where do Cole and Diddy stand today?
J. Cole Talks Diddy Feud
On the song “Let Go My Hand,” which is lifted off the rapper’s latest album, The Off-Season, Cole touches on his rivalry with Diddy, which stems back to 2013 when the German-born lyricist attended Puffy’s MTV VMA afterparty at The Dream Hotel in New York City.
At the time of the incident, there were a number of reports claiming different things. One insider claimed that Cole had been dancing too close to Diddy’s then-girlfriend Cassie, prompting the mogul to cause a scene when he approached Cole about it.
Another source insisted that the altercation took place after Diddy tried to throw a drink at Lamar because he’d been angered over the rapper’s “King of New York” line on Big Sean’s track, “Control,” which was released in August 2013.
Regardless of what had occurred, Diddy wasted no time in having Cole allegedly removed from the party and escorted out by security. When the story surfaced online, the “Love Yours” chart-topper took to Twitter, writing, “people will believe anything,” insinuating the reports were false and that there was no bad blood with Diddy.
The latter had also taken to social media to weigh in on the situation, writing, "I usually don't address rumors but I got too much respect for my bro @JColeNC. We are friends The rumors are not true. We had a great party,"
Of course, Cole appeared to have changed his tune on his new song “Let Go My Hand,” because he actually admits that there had been a rivalry between him and Diddy — someone he says was once his idol.
“But sometimes a n***a pulled my card, tryna expose me for a fraud/And with my reputation at stake, I was scufflin’ just to save face,” Cole raps on the track.
"Couple wins, couple losses/Some broken up too quick to call it/My last scrap was with Puff Daddy, who would’ve thought it?/I bought that nigga album in seventh grade and played it so much/You would’ve thought my favorite rapper was Puff/Back then I ain’t know sh**, now I know too much.”
Since the song’s release, Diddy hasn’t said a word, and fans aren’t expecting him to say anything about the situation because the incident was almost a decade ago and one would want to believe that these two have moved on from their shaky past.
On top of that, Diddy also has an uncredited feature on the song as he provides the outro, but it remains unclear whether these rappers have actually squashed their differences or whether this was Cole simply shedding light on the matter for the sake of storytelling in his music.
After all, he clearly states that the last brawl he had was with Diddy, and despite the namedropping, the Dreamville founder didn’t say anything scandalous or disrespectful that would give fans any reason to believe their feud is still going on.
That, of course, also shouldn’t rule out the possibility that even though Cole gave Diddy a shoutout in one of his latest songs, it shouldn’t be mistaken with the idea that they’re all of a sudden the best of friends — particularly since he raps, “Back then I ain’t know sh**, now I know too much.”
Cole found fame after forming ties with Jay-Z, who would sign him to Roc Nation in 2009. To date, Cole has released six albums — his first five have all gone platinum, and his latest release is sure to follow suit.
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