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Almost a year has passed since J. Cole's statements on First Person Shooter sparked one of the most historic rap beefs hip-hop has ever recorded. The rapper's verse found him proclaiming Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and himself as rap's "Big 3."
Now, Jermaine has released a track titled Port Antonio, which addresses much of the criticism he faced during the beef, most of which seemingly stemmed from the rapper's decision to remove and distance himself from the "negativity." Cole's public announcement was made during his live set at the 2024 Dreamville Festival, where he stated:
"I know my heart. I know how I feel about my peers. These two ni**as that I been blessed to stand beside in this game, let alone chase their greatness. So I felt conflicted cause like bruh, I don't really feel no way but the world wanna see blood."
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During the height of the 2024 rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, J. Cole dropped an unexpected mixtape titled Might Delete Later in April, which included a record titled 7 Minute Drill.
On this song, Cole addresses everything Kendrick Lamar had to say about the "Big 3" during his featured performance on Like That, released a few weeks prior as part of Metro Boomin and Future's We Don't Trust You album.
"My text flooded with the hunger for a toxic reply / I'm hesitant, I love my brother, but I'm not gonna lie / I'm powered up for real, that s**t would feel like swattin' a fly / Four albums in twelve years, ni**a, I can divide / S**t, if this is what you want, I'm indulgin' in violence / Put pictures in my home, aim the chrome at your eyelids." - J. Cole raps on '7 Minute Drill.'
Two days after the mixtape was released during his live set at the 2024 Dreamville Festival, Cole spoke out against the claims and statements he made on 7 Minute Drill. The rapper removed the diss track from Might Delete Later's tracklist and deleted the record from all streaming platforms.
Bar-for-Bar: Breaking Down J. Cole's new record 'Port Antonio'
J. Cole's Port Antonio was exclusively uploaded to his Instagram account on October 9, 2024. The rapper teams up with producers DZL and Omen to deliver a soft hip-hop production that flips the sample used on Jay-Z's Dead Presidents and Cleo Sol's live rendition of Know That You Are Loved.
The song is carried by Cole's performances over two verses, the first of which highlights his rise to fame and success after his start as a recording artist in North Carolina.
However, the second verse dives deeper into his mindset and thought process, centering around the 2024 rap beef and his relationship with Drake. Notable themes J. Cole's Port Antonio revolves around have been listed below:
- Legacy
- Competition
- 2024 Rap Beef
- Hip-hop Industry
- Status
- Allegations
- Rumors
- Controversies
- Fame
- Success
- Wealth
Disclaimer: This review is rated explicit. Reader discretion is advised.
(Verse 1)
"Young Jermaine walked the straight and narrow / Minimum-wage jobs for dinero, but still, my mind was on the zeros / I fiend for the perks that was seen flippin' birds, so / We was skippin' church, but my eyes was on the sparrows."
J. Cole starts the verse by speaking about his childhood, suggesting he was a regular kid who "walked the straight and narrow," highlighting himself as someone who has always avoided bad situations.
Cole explains that although he worked "minimum-wage" jobs, he never let his surroundings discourage him from his passion for music and the accompanying fame, success, and wealth.
"Ni**as flippin' pies, spendin' thousands on apparel / S**t, I wanna shine too, I want dimes too / Jealous ni**as wanna know just how my rhymes blew / Mano y mano, I'm Bono, I'm you times two / Now I'm bougie, I done outgrew the fountain blue."
J. Cole continues by explaining the influence those with copious amounts of wealth had on his perception of success.
The bar is interesting as it finds Jermaine comparing his acclaimed career to Irish band U2's lead singer, Bono, citing how he's finally achieved a similar status in the music industry.
"But never forgot the spot where I developed my plot / To dwell at the top, the Ville, where all my skeletons locked / If I could do it all over, then I never would swap / I've seen good, I've seen bad, had my melanin mocked / I've seen lifelong friends turn to devilish opps."
J. Cole proceeds to expand on the impact success has had on him by highlighting a constant effort to stay humble, remembering the "spot" where he grew up and developed himself as a rapper.
The rapper has never refrained from speaking about personal experiences and real stories to convey his message. This is best evidenced in the final line of the bar where Cole recounts him being bullied because he was "light-skinned."
"I was Mike in red leather, tryna tell him to stop / You better beat it 'fore you see the heavy-metal get popped / He was a mean a** wing with a hell of a shot / But if no team draft King, he gon' bet on the block / He wanna ball 'til he fall or 'til the federals knock."
The bar delivered here is intricate, filled with double entendres referencing Michael Jackson and his 1982 hit Beat It, the 2024 rap beef, and J. Cole's feature on Metro Boomin and Future's Red Leather.
The rapper explains that although he publicly stepped away from the beef, his feature on Red Leather, included on Metro Boomin and Future's second collaboration album We Still Don't Trust You, was J. Cole's attempt to stop the beef from getting worse.
"And sit his a** on a bench for movin' careless with rock / You can't relate, 'less your father was not around / And your mother went out and found someone else and then brought them 'round / And they salaries then combine, when they married, it brought you out."
J. Cole then shifts listeners' attention away from the beef to deliver a social commentary on children growing up in a single-parent household. The rapper alludes to growing up without a father and explains instances of his mother bringing home a new love interest.
Although the family situation is suggested to be dysfunctional, the bar highlights a moment of acceptance when J. Cole suggests both parents put their salaries together to raise him.
"Of that poverty, then you moved to a soft little part of town / So that when you back in the hood, you feel awkward about it now (Damn) / And your confidence start to drown / But the rappin' gave you some positive thoughts, and you jot 'em down / You jot 'em down."
J. Cole continues by explaining how his family worked together to move out of "poverty" to a softer part of town, alluding to witnessing severe gang violence where he previously grew up.
The rapper highlights his anxious nature, citing that going back "in the hood" makes him feel awkward and less confident than before. He explains moments like these as times when his creativity runs free, allowing him to "jot down" his thoughts.
Listeners are then introduced to Port Antonio's hook, which finds J. Cole repeating "Y'all ni**as ain't stoppin' me" multiple times, seemingly aimed at critics and those who suggested the rapper fell off after he stepped away from the beef.
(Verse 2)
"Benjamin Button, Cole flows reverse time / To find deliveries good as mine, you gotta search primes / I'm scaling heights higher than birds can perch / Tryin' to be something, hopin' that peace comes to my cursed mind."
J. Cole begins the second verse by metaphorically drawing similarities between his constant improvement as a rapper and Benjamin Button. The character from the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that causes them to age in reverse.
The entire bar revolves around Cole establishing why he will never fall off and continue to improve as a recording artist.
"One thing's for sure, that I've matured from my first rhyme / I learned long ago, you can't please 'em all, and it hurts tryin' / In this game, where all you've got is your name / Like Durk, I'm smirkin' at ni**as tryna besmirch mine."
J. Cole then begins to get into the criticism he dealt with for deleting 7 Minute Drill, with an added shout-out to Lil Durk and his nickname "Smurk," which Jermaine uses as a replacement for "smirk."
The rapper explains that although his decision was mature and thoughtfully explained how most people continue to try and "besmirch" his name and status in hip-hop.
"Absurd times, where the fake get toted as wise / I can see hate in both of your eyes but the third's blind / So you search lines / But you struggle, which explains the puzzled look on the dull face as the word finds / I hate what raps become but like do-not-disturb signs."
J. Cole explains how Kendrick Lamar and Drake were blinded by their hate for each other, citing that neither of the two rappers was trying to work toward making the situation better or look through their "third eye."
Cole then explains why he hates what rap has become, alluding to the constant need for drama and beef to stay relevant. This idea ties into the rapper explaining why he likes "do-not-disturb signs" and likes to be left alone.
"Can't knock it if I see it's 'bout the dough / They instigate the f**kery because it's profitable / But singin' "stop the violence" tunes when dudes in hospitals / I pulled the plug because I've seen where that was 'bout to go / They wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make they pockets grow."
J. Cole then suggests the possibility of him respecting the "2024 beef," only if it was orchestrated to generate attention around hip-hop's greatest stars and help their "pockets grow."
The rapper highlights the accompanying violence that ensues with such aggressive rivalries as a contributing factor to why he "stepped away." Jermaine cites that he knew where the 2024 beef was headed, alluding to the severe allegations of abuse and grooming that were suggested by both parties in their diss tracks.
"They see this fire in my pen and think I'm dodgin' smoke / I wouldn't have lost a battle, dawg, I woulda lost a bro / I woulda gained a foe, and all for what? Just to attain some mo' / Props from strangers that don't got a clue what I been aimin' for?"
J. Cole then explains the situations that could've unfolded if he had participated in the diss war between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. The rapper highlights that if he had continued to respond, the likelihood of his relationship with the other members of hip-hop's "Big 3" souring would've been very high.
Cole continues by speaking on those who praised the release of 7 Minute Drill, explaining why he doesn't appreciate their hype. Jermaine ends the bar by citing how most individuals have "no clue" about what he seeks to achieve in the music industry.
"Since the age of fourteen, Jermaine is no king / If that means I gotta dig up dirt and pay the whole team / Of algorithm-bot ni**as just to sway the whole thing / On social media, competin' for your favorable memes / To be considered best or live and rest? The weight of both things."
J. Cole then delivers a bar, where he calls out social media's tendency to trend toward gossip than actual facts, alluding to several allegations that Drake and Kendrick Lamar hurled at each other throughout the beef.
Cole's suggestion of using "algorithm bots" is a likely reference to the many conspiracy theories that stemmed from statements made during the 2024 beef, some of which alleged that Kendrick Lamar had inflated the streaming numbers for Not Like Us using "Bot Farms."
"I understand the thirst of being first that made 'em both swing / Protecting legacies, so lines got crossed, perhaps regrettably / My friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me."
Although J. Cole seemingly recognizes that Kendrick Lamar and Drake went head-to-head in an attempt to prove who's truly No.1, the rapper suggests the fall-outs from their beef were far greater than expected.
Severe allegations were made during the back-and-forth diss battle, with instances of Drake calling out Kendrick Lamar for infidelity and domestic violence against Whitney Alford. The Compton rapper hit back, alleging the entire OVO collective, headed by Drizzy, were "s*xual predators" and pedophiles.
J. Cole appears more guilty, reflecting on how his statements regarding the "Big 3" resulted in Kendrick Lamar and Drake "swinging" at each other. Jermaine metaphorically positions himself as someone caught in the middle of a deadly battle between two friends whose violence left him walking away with their "blood" on him.
"Now some will discredit me, try wipe away my pedigree / But please, find a ni**a out that's rappin' this incredibly, uh / My dawg texted me, I'll share the words he said to me / "If you refuse to shoot the gun, don't mean the gun ain't deadly," uh / I guess in that metaphor, hypothetically, the gun is me / I text him back like, Guess a gun ain't what I'm tryna be, my ni**a."
Once again, Jermaine explains that his decision to walk away from the beef was purely out of respect for the rap game and his peers. He questions the listeners to find another rapper performing as "incredibly" as J. Cole.
The rapper proceeds by recounting a conversation with his friend, supposedly after Cole apologized to Kendrick during the 2024 Dreamville Festival, where they both discussed Jermaine's real decision to step away. J. Cole ends by explaining why his skills as a lyricist shouldn't be used for instigated violence.
"They strip me of my spot, and now I'm finally free, my ni**a / They say I'm pickin' sides, ayy, don't you lie on me, my ni**a / Then start another war, ayy, Drake, you'll always be my ni**a / I ain't ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my ni**a."
J. Cole's statements here reflect a sense of inner peace, citing that by stepping away and being "stripped" of his spot as the winner in the beef, he no longer had to submit to the public's need for drama and content.
The bar continues with Cole addressing the many rumors that surfaced after he appeared as a feature on Metro Boomin and Future's Red Leather. The internet theories suggested Jermaine switched sides and was now going against Drake.
Jermaine calls out these rumors, suggesting they intend to start a new war between J. Cole and Drake. The rapper continues by shouting out the OVO CEO and acknowledging Drizzy's constant support throughout his career.
"F**k all the narratives / Tappin' back into your magic pen is what's imperative / Remindin' these folks why we do it, it's not for beefin' / It's for speakin' our thoughts, pushin' ourselves, reachin' the charts."
J. Cole asks Drake to dismiss the fake narratives being spread on the internet and instead regain focus on making hit records and reshaping the rap game. The bar finds Jermaine placing Drizzy at the top of the music industry as somebody who can use their influence to inspire change in the culture.
"Reaching your minds, deep in your heart, screamin' to find / Emotions to touch, somethin' inside to open you up / Help you cope with the rough times and s**t / I'm sendin' love 'cause we ain't promised s**t / My ni**a."
The song ends with J. Cole reminding Drake to keep pushing his creative limits as an artist, citing how music will always help him cope with "rough times." The bar ends with Jermaine citing themes of brotherhood and love when alluding to the unexpected nature of life.
Although it's unclear whether Drake or Kendrick will respond to J. Cole's statements on Port Antonio, the OVO CEO did share his appreciation for the record by liking Jeramine's Instagram post.
