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The J. Cole vs. Kendrick Lamar topic has continued to trend since Cole offered an apology on Sunday (April 7). Now, the president of Kendrick Lamar’s former label, TDE, is joining the viral talks.
Terrence “Punch” Henderson Jr., who runs Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), gave his take on Monday (April 8). He hopped on X (formerly Twitter) and seemingly supported Cole’s choice to backtrack his clapback record ‘7 Minute Drill.’
“Cole is a very genuine guy. I respect it. We often give in to external pressures and outside influences and act out of our own character. It’s rare to have enough heart to make the correction. It didn’t align with HIM so he fixed it in the same manner he engaged. Salute,” Punch wrote.
As previously explained, Cole released the song ‘7 Minute Drill,’ seemingly responding to Kendrick’s shots at him and Drake on ‘Like That.’ The alleged diss record simultaneously praised and slammed Kendrick’s music.
Two days after its release, Cole took the stage at his Dreamville Fest and apologized to K. Dot. He revealed that releasing ‘7 Minute Drill’ didn’t settle right in his spirit.
For context, K. Dot is no longer signed to TDE. After signing with the independent record label in 2004, Kendrick transitioned out in 2022 following the release of his fifth studio album ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.’
According to Punch’s sitdown with Complex that year, Kendrick’s departure was “not a negative at all.” He called the situation a “positive,” adding that Kendrick was “leveling up” by launching his own service company, pgLang.
“So the only emotion really is happiness and joy. We did it. We reached a certain level that nobody reached. He got a Pulitzer for his album. That was the first of contemporary music. We did all the awards, we touched all the people, we did all the community stuff. We had the hit records. We had the underground classics. That’s it, job well done,” Punch told Complex.
Lamar transitioned his musical representation to pgLang in 2022. The company led the release of ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,’ per Punch.
But everyone hasn’t been as understanding of Cole’s apology as Kendrick Lamar’s former label head. In fact, the apology has sparked plenty of debates about “real rap,” the state of hip hop, and Cole’s reign as a top rapper.
As of Tuesday morning, Drake has not publicly reacted to Cole’s apology. He also hasn’t hinted whether he will respond to Kendrick, Future, or Metro Boomin’ from the studio! Last month, he seemingly addressed Lamar during one of his tour stops.
But Cole, Kendrick, and Drake aren’t the only ones caught in a public feud. On Monday (April 8), Meek Mill also caused some conversation after he blasted Wale for taking a photo with his “opp.”
City Girls JT and Yung Miami also rocked the innanet on Monday when they exchanged heated words on social media. Hours later, the women showed each other public love following a private conversation.
