In a new song off “Port Antonio,” “My Friends Went To War,” J. Cole addresses the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar

The song comes out almost exactly one year after Drake and Cole’s famous “First Person Shooter” jam.

It was King Jermaine who spoke. J. Cole weighed in on the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar in a brand-new song released on Wednesday (Oct. 9). The track, like the cover art, came out of the blue, and there was no clear sign of what the release might be about. Cole used a sample of Lonnie Liston Smith’s “A Garden of Peace” and Cleo Sol’s “Know That You Are Loved” to rhyme over in the first line. He then went through a long list of thoughts.

The North Carolina rapper talked about his humble roots and how he got to the top of the rap food chain. Cole changes gears for the second line and makes his big statement. He starts by sending a clear message to those who have since doubted his writing because of the battle’s aftermath: “Y’all ni**as ain’t stopping me.” This verse tells the reader about Cole’s choice to drop out of the show and how it feels to be stuck between two close friends who are fighting. J. Cole makes it clear that the fight wasn’t for fun and that everything that was going on could have real effects on his relationship with “his bro” Kendrick.

Cole spit, “I pulled the plug because I saw where that was going to go.” “They wanted blood and clicks to fill their pockets. They see this fire in my pen and think I’m smoking smoke. I wouldn’t have lost a battle, dude; I woulda lost a brother and gained an enemy.”

“Jermaine isn’t king if that means I have to find dirt on him and pay a whole team of algorithm bot ni**as to change everything on social media, competing for your favorite memes to be seen as the best…” It was their desire to be the first that made them both swing. They were both trying to protect their names, so lines were crossed, maybe unintentionally. My friends went to war, and I came home with all their blood on me.

Cole then talks directly to Drizzy later in the song. The way he talks about his partner is different from how most people on the internet have been talking lately. He says that the Canadian artist helped him a lot with his business and that he “will always be my ni**a.”

Cole then told all of Hip-Hop that he loved Drake and made a plea. From the point of view of a seasoned veteran, Jermaine tells fans and other rappers why they chose to become emcees.

They say I’m picking sides, so don’t lie on me, my nia, to start another war. “Aye, Drake, you’ll always be my nia. I ain’t ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my nia. Fk all the narratives, what’s imperative is tapping back into your magic pen,” Cole said.

“Telling these people why we do what we do/ It’s not for beefing; it’s for saying what we think, pushing ourselves, and getting to the top of the charts. In your minds and deep in your hearts/ Cry out to find feelings to touch Something inside you to let go/ Help you deal with bad times and s*t/ “Sending love because we weren’t promised anything.”

It’s not clear if K. Dot has heard the song yet, but Drizzy does seem to have. Drake liked the post soon after Cole put it on Instagram. It’s a different topic to talk about whether the Canadian liked the song or not.